Walmart, green for the money?

[Ryan A. Waggoner]

So, of course everyone talks about how Walmart is the big, bad giant of the retail industry. Of course, just look at the top billionaires list and you’ll see that the Waltons are doing pretty well for themselves…
http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/10/billionaires-2009-richest-people-search.html?Name=walton&Age=0-99&NetWorth=1.0-70.0&City=&Source=

But after reading “The World is Flat” by Friedman and seeing how innovative it’s streamlining process completely changed the market, I started to question the instant hatred. The Walton’s have definitely been pioneers in how they do business. Just on Treehugger’s blog today was this article…
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/wal-mart-sustainability-index.php?dcitc=th_rss

This led me to go check out Walmart’s website which has a green living section with tips on reducing, reusing, and recycling, environmentally friendly products, and even a “save and live green” blog. There has been talk about how Walmart has been going green for a few years now, but apparently they now have set up a Green Job Council that is working on a greener supply chain and ideas like this “sustainability index”.

I don’t want to get caught up in the hype, but it sounds like finally a company is starting to take the right direction of demanding responsibility out of it’s producers. Of course this new green iniative has a dollar reward that comes along with it, but who cares what the intentions are as long as the effects are positive.

I was wondering how everyone else feels on the topic??

[Bob Luther]

I think the best way to go green or to get large companies or even home owners to go greeen is to show them how they will save money, not how it will save the fluffy bunnies of the world. Green doesn’t have to conflict with prosperity or profits.

[Ryan A. Waggoner]

I believe that is the view they are looking at. Not only are they improving on their bottom line, but now it is the hip thing to do as well. Why not make more money and come out looking earth friendly? Hopefully this will drive competitors to do the same and branch out accordingly…

[Roland Beinert]

I agree that this could have a huge positive effect, though I doubt it will make me shop more at Wal-Mart. I really only buy electronics and DVD’s there.
I also read somewhere that Best Buy will start selling small electric vehicles in some of their stores.

[Ryan A. Waggoner]

Well that would be interesting. I know the government just realeased money last month to three companies for electronic car production: Ford, Nissan and Tesla. And Chevy has the Volt slated to come up in 2010 or so. That’s a whole new market. But I would assume Best Buy would be selling a much smaller vehicle than those…

[Roland Beinert]

Here’s the article: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/best-buy-selling-electric-bikes-bicycles-west-coast.php
Looks like it’s just electric bikes and scooters, and only on the west coast (probably just California). It’s nice to see this happening, though. It’s pretty hard to find electric bikes and scooters, actually. I’ve only seen them sold online, and the only ones who would find them there would be people who are looking specifically for an electric bike or scooter.

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