Walmart CEO Says, “We Are Not Green”
Walmart CEO Lee Scott Jr. discussed the retail giant’s green efforts at this week’s ECO:nomics conference in California. During his speech, Scott acknowledged that Walmart is trying to reduce its carbon footprint but also needs to keep growing.
Read more about his comments here.
I couldn’t agree more with Mr. Scott.
I did some research on Wal-Mart’s site after I read about their green initiative, and I’ve also checked with Wake Up Wal-Mart. The verdict — I think their green effort is nothing more than a PR stunt cooked up by Edelman.
Have we forgotten that Wal-Mart stores take up more square millage nationwide than the island of Manhattan?
Virginia–
I also agree with Mr. Scott… and think more CEOs and other executives should be careful about calling themselves “green.” That’s a worthy goal, but one very few companies have reached.
But I disagree with your opinion that this is “nothing more than a PR stunt.” Wal-Mart, despite problems, has taken legitimate steps towards greening itself, and I don’t think we can easily dismiss those steps. “Going green” is a journey, not a destination, and I think we’ve got to commend the world’s largest retailer for getting on this path.
That doesn’t mean we should applaud everything they do, or not point out problems with business elements like land usage (one issue that concerns me, for instance, is the company’s practice of building new instead of expanding/renovating existing stores). But let’s not also take the route of dismissing their efforts out of hand. There’s an awful lot to be gained by a company like Wal-Mart embracing green business practices… so we need to encourage their legitimate steps (like dealing with waste, improving energy efficiency, etc.) while keeping an eye on the big picture.
Thanks so much for chiming in…