Green Walmart?

I just finished reading about Wal-Marts attempts to crunch up their image and reduce their impact. I am optimistic and extremely skeptical at the same time.

*They have upgraded their delivery trucks to auxiliary-power systems which apparently reduces the amount of time the engines have to run. No small thing- reduced their greenhouse gas emission by 100,000 tons = 20,000 passenger cars. Can't really poke too many holes in that. Would it be nice to have more local sources and less time on the road? Of course, but not really practical.

*Switching to CFL, LEDs and natural lighting. They are claiming this will save them 7 million a year in electrical costs. Again- can't find too much fault.

*Switching to only sustainable fisheries. (This is in the making now.) No complaints.

*Their forth major attempt to go green is misleading. They are focusing on getting companies to focus on creating more concentrated cleaners that would require less packaging. Less packaging sounds great, but there are some flaws here. There isn't a push to use more biodegradable cleaners or packaging, just less packaging. In fact, concentrated cleaners have more chemicals and don't often prove to save as much as the manufactures will tell you. People are used to pouring a certain amount into their machines. Over time, perhaps this would correct itself. It would be nicer to see some actual reuse of containers with thin plastic refill bags, like target has done with their eco-friendly Method line.

Wal-Mart always brings one thing to my mind- mass consumption - the very opposite of the environmental movement. How can we begin to talk about reducing our impact without addressing this overwhelming desire to consume beyond our needs. Wal-Mart also makes me think of the squashing of small businesses. What will this mean for your little local health food store? They can't compete financially with the giants. Will it be another blow to the little guy like when Whole Foods rolled into town? (I still love you WholeFoods- but you have crushed a few little guys under your big green feet.)

I don't think there is any doubt that a big part of Wal-Mart's motivation is to improve their image. That doesn't have to mean that it is all an evil plan. The truth is if they raise the bar for eco-standards, the other giants will have to as well. Wouldn't it be great for all of the retail giants to be bending over backwards to impress us with how environmental they could be? The sky is the limit for innovation when big business is competing for our dollar. Not to mention testing out new environmental products on such a grand scale could prove to be valuable research. Maybe if the government, which tends to be slow to change and invest, gets wind of how much Wal-Mart is saving with relatively easy energy changes, we will start to see better efficiency in our public buildings. Can you imagine how many tax dollars could be saved if all schools ran on CFLs, wind power, solar and thermal energy? Maybe Wal-Mart can reach the masses. Many earth friendly practices take a little more money- therefore have often not been top on the list of working class Americans. Organic foods and budgeting don't always work well together and CFLs are pricey next to their their old counterparts. Maybe a mass producer like Wal-Mart can bring those prices down and increase knowledge in a segment of the population that hasn't been reached.

Will these changes make me shop in Wal-Mart? No. I am hopeful that all of their changes will make them a fortune- inspiring all the others to greedily get on board. Most things in mass are tacky and awful- but maybe there can be an exception for green practices.

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Investing/StockInvestingTrading/Wal-MartJollyGreenGiant.aspx#pageTopAnchor