JAN 24

As a former Wal-Mart employee (summer of 1999) I've got some perspective on how the company used to work. Health care was a joke, I consistently worked more than 40 hours a week, but because I was a 'part time' employee, I was never paid overtime. And the city I lived in, Orlando, Florida, I believe to be a worse place because it grew alongside Wal-Mart.

I don't think the Wal-Mart model is a good model. But I do believe that, since they've pretty much taken over the (retail) world, when they do good things, it has gigantic impacts. And now Wal-Mart's CEO seems to think that his company is ushering in a Utopia. He's promising to decrease the company's greenhouse gases significantly at the same time as forcing their suppliers into making their products up to 25% more efficient. He wants to make health care affordable for their employees, and for their suppliers employees, and for all of America.

He went even further to say that Wal-Mart is working with major car companies on electric vehicle initiatives, hinting that they may someday have wind turbines in parking lots so that people can charge their EVs renewably. OK...yeah...that would be pretty cool.

CEO Lee Scott says that we live in a world where we no longer have faith in the government to make positive changes. So Wal-Mart is making that change their responsibility. OMG, do I live in a country where people have more faith in Wal-Mart than their government?

It's great that they're working to be a more environmental company. But does this sound kinda scary to anyone else? Almost like we're on the edge of being governed more by corporations than by government? Well, I guess that's a story for another blog...at EcoGeek we just have to be happy they're thinking about the environment for a change.

Read more at the NYTimes and see the speech from Wal-Mart

Comments (13)

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written by Ken Roberts, January 24, 2008

I don't know why you're so concerned about Walmart doing its part to help the environment. That is what is really needed in this country: individual responsibility for societal problems. This sounds absolutely great to me. One of the largest companies in the world is doing its part to help out with some collective problems. When the rest of the S&P500 join in, I think you'll see a huge change in the environment. If you think the government can just pass a few laws and clean up the environment for us, then you're way off track. Government initiatives are by definition inefficient. Just look at the ethanol subsidies as an example.

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Wow!
written by Preston, January 25, 2008

Hank, you're hitting it right on the head, but seriously, we never knew you worked for the Walton Empire. Traitor!!! Just joking.

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written by EV, January 25, 2008

Hank, time to go read a book on George Westinghouse. He treated his employees very well and took good care of them. He was pained when he had to lay people off. Not sure about Henry Ford, but he's probably a bit similar given that he paid vastly more than the prevailing wage for his workers as well.

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but...
written by kd, January 25, 2008

why is it that while the truth about the environment is plain for all to see, we as Individuals seem to be the only ones really doing anything?

What I fear is that tokin corporations (like walmart) are using the word GREEN and anything coloured GREEN (haha, funny... hank green!) as their newest marketing & PR buzzwords, with little actual overall affect.

I agree Hank, the level of urgency is not where it needs to be (high) from the people it should be coming from (our leaders). It's sad really, i always thought our leaders were there to look out for us, but they are the only ones NOT doing anything at this point. (I wrote a paper about the celebrity as the new human rights activist last year; on a very similar vein.)

talking about changing the world, and actually committing to/helping our world are years and years apart. And frankly, that scares me. Thank goodness for the retiring of the baby bomers - good riddence.

dftba
k

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Yes WalMart's seen the light, and thanks
written by Tim Green, January 25, 2008

;D Well, well, who would have thought what the high cost of a low price could develop into...

Lee Scott and Co are trying to make nice with the world. Refreshing. We would be remiss to forget that centralized power over the (retail) world depends entirely on an oil-powered society. WalMart may be biting the dust in about 15 years unless they don't change now, and they know it.

And for everyone who didn't already know that corporations govern us more than the feds-- take the blue pill! One dollar = one vote, kids.

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call anything "Green"
written by chaka khan, January 25, 2008

Agreed,...slap the label "Green" on anything and somehow you get good PR (even if you are a ginormous douche-bag corporation-Walmart)! ....hmmmm is "Green" your real last name, Hank?!!!!!!!! Joking! Nice week of info homey.

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WALMART WORLD
written by brian Goldner, January 26, 2008

ALL HAIL KING SAM WALTON!

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Wal-Mart in charge
written by Marilyn Terrell, January 26, 2008

I'm trying hard to think of a case where the government does a better job than private enterprise. Hmmm.... Let me think..... Mail delivery? No. Education? No. Health care? No. Train service? No. Huh. Nothing comes to mind!

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Check out early William Gibson novels
written by Anne Libby, January 27, 2008

If you haven't read the early "cyberpunk" works of William Gibson (Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, etc.) they envision a world where multi-national corporations run things...kind of interesting, and one of the more cynical thoughts I had when I read Scott's speech.

But I do want to think that what's happening now is the emergence of a better part of human nature in business.

Thanks for your post and be well!

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Wal-Mart as Government?
written by Kyllein, January 27, 2008

While it is a good thing that the private sector has decided to do something, Wal-Mart is so universally disliked that for them it seems to be a last ditch ploy for acceptance.
Note: Wal-Mart isn't doing a thing, other than trying to force their captive manufacturers to adhere to some sort of "Green" policy.
Nice words, but short on substance.

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Forcing a "green" policy?
written by Marilyn Terrell, January 27, 2008

I don't know, but I think it's more than greenwashing. I read this article in FastCompany last year about Wal-Mart's commitment to sell at least one CFL to every single one of its 100,000 customers, even though by doing so it will undercut its own business of selling incandescent bulbs. If they succeed in getting 100,000 people to swap their 60-watt bulbs for a CFL, "the energy saved would be enough to power a city of 1.5 million people." http://www.fastcompany.com/mag...bulbs.html
And they're not raising anybody's taxes to accomplish this.

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written by Russell Reynolds, July 02, 2008

Sounds like Shadowrun to me....

Turbines in the parking lot would be cool too... if only to give you something to find your vehicle easier.

"I am parked over by the blue one thats only faces north since that gull got too close to it a while back."

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written by sarah, October 02, 2008

nice article, theres a video about the wind turbine deployment here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2b1D5w82yU

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