Ann Arbor lights by day
Ann Arbor Lights by NightOur very own Roadie, Terry Dube, who now resides near Bentonville Arkansas sent us this link about a very green and enlightening initiative in Ann Arbor Michigan:
Maybe whats good for Ann Arbor can be good for all of us. Ann Arbor Planners have just committed to installing over 1000 LED street lamps which joins them to Raleigh North Carolina and Toronto Ontario in the LED City Initiative. Ann Arbor is going to be first at converting an entire downtown to LED streetlights in the U.S.A.
Here's What it Means and Here's What they get
They are projecting a full payback in less than 4 years and are shooting to cut their public lighting costs by 50%. Ann Arbor's greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 2,425 tons of CO2 annually. This is the equivalent of taking 400 cars off of the road for one year!
These LED street lamps burn five times longer than the bulbs they replace and require less than one half of the energy. Each of these lamps draws only 56 watts and will last approximately 10 years. The current lights chew up 120 watts and only last two years.
Congratulations Ann Arbor! Something for Windsor to look at for sure.
The Other Green Initiative from Arkansas
Since Wal-Mart announced it's very aggressive Green Initiative in 2005 they have been sending huge ripples through the pond. Even though their motive is somewhat profit oriented (they are saving tons and tons of money) their efforts are having huge impacts already. The $312.4 billion retailing giant has launched an aggressive program to encourage "sustainability" of the world's fisheries, forests and farmlands, to slash energy use and reduce waste, to push its 60,000 suppliers to produce goods that don't harm the environment, and to urge consumers to buy green. For the first time, Wal-Mart reported on its carbon dioxide emissions — the "greenhouse gases" that cause global warming. Worldwide the corporation emits 20.8 million tons, an amount greater than what's released by an auto manufacturer but far less than what is released by a major utility company. Wal-Mart is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2012—the Kyoto Protocol called for a 7 percent cut by the United States by that date, while targeting 100% renewable energy and zero waste. Who wants to argue with that?
Walmart Garden Center Canopy generates 14, 585 kilowatts per year
In 2005 Wal-Mart also opened two experimental "green" superstores in McKinney, Texas and Aurora, Colorado. The environmentally-friendly buildings are powered by renewable energy—including photovoltaic solar panels and wind turbines—to reduce carbon emissions and feature water-saving and pollution-reduction technologies. The Texas store is aiming to help reduce the store's demand on the local electrical power grid. The Garden Center canopy is estimated to generate 14,585 kwh per year, which is enough electricity to power 486 single-family homes for one day and reduces greenhouse emissions by an estimated 22,100 pounds per year.
Other Impacts
Walmart has slashed gasoline use by its trucking fleet, one of the largest in the USA, and uses more hybrid trucks to increase efficiency by 25% over the next three years and double it within 10 years. That will save $310 million a year by 2015.
Walmart will buy 100% of its wild-caught salmon and frozen fish for the North American market only from fisheries that are certified as "sustainable" by the non-profit Marine Stewardship Council within three to five years. That designation means areas of the ocean aren't fished in ways that destroy fish populations.
The company will cut energy use at its more than 7,000 stores worldwide by 30% and cut greenhouse-gas emissions at existing stores by 20% in seven years. That said, Wal-Mart is the largest private electricity user in the USA.
They are working to reduce solid waste from U.S. stores by 25% within three years.
The company, second-largest in revenue in the world behind ExxonMobil, has vowed to invest $500 million a year in energy-saving technologies.
They have switched to corn based plastics which break down in landfills which impacts packaging in a huge way.
How big is all of this? The ripple effect alone from a giant like Walmart sets the stage for forced or voluntary initiatives world wide. Suppliers have to comply with packaging, manufacturing and material specs., and the amount of environmental load from the giant itself is enormous. Think of every store having a minimum of 50,000 square feet of green roof. Every manufacturer or retail institution now has a clear map to follow for reducing costs and minimizing their carbon footprint.
What could this Mean for Windsor and Surrounding Communities?
Try this. Walmart wants to be in every community(right now they are scoping out the Lasalle area). What if Planning Departments demanded a little more from Walmart? Would Walmart object to localized green initiatives? Probably not. Planners should be dictating for all they can get. What's wrong with a green roof, solar power, greened parking lots, and specific building materials? How about Arkansas Terry's LED lighting. It's all there for the asking. What's wrong with riding the big green wave? Here is more background material about how big this Walmart thing really is:
17 comments:
Walmart is going solar at 22 sites in California and Hawaii which will generate as much as 20 million kWh (kilowatt-hours) per year and cut their emisions by 8300 metric tons. If done right, the shear size of this company could be the catalyst that environmentalists only dream of. Hopefully this isn't greenwash.
All at the expense of the employees. Poor wages, subpar benefits, discrimination against women in both pay and promotions, violating overtime laws and refusing to let workers organize. Not to mention exploited workers in other countries who provide the products Walmart sells.
Yes anonymous 'cause there's no profit potential in any of the items you mention. Glad you read through all the propaganda that MOM is feeding us with posting this article.
And ...Wal-Mart has just anounced 10-30% discount on over 1000 items for Super Bowl weekend.
Make sure you get out and see the new Amherstburg Store. It has some of the Green features Terry and M.O.M. describe.
Walmart has already done these things. Changed their truck fleet, built green roofs, added solar and wind power, recycle, smarter packaging...
Where's the propaganda in that?
Walmart is the devil.
As for lights, The DWBIA has put themup but Enwin keeps shutting parts of it down. Some trees have lights while others don't. I tried to call to see why they keep turning some portions off but I got shuffled around so much, with finally leaving a voicemail with someone, I gave up. Typical Windsor, typical Windsor run corporation. If my business gave such poor customer service it would be closed.
Bad choice of words... Let's say smokescreen rather than propaganda.
A Woman was weed-eating her lawn. She accidentally cut off the tail of her favorite Cat.
She rushed her Cat along with the tail over to the new Wal-Mart! You might ask, why Wal-Mart ?
Wal-Mart is the largest Re-tailer in town !!!
Over 60% of Canadians say they shop at Walmart. They pay about a dollar less than their retail competition (for a person with 5 yrs. seniority)but they pay more for various levels of education and experience. We all like to hate em don't we.
I bet the same percentage applies to people who love and hate microsoft.
d.d. we like to hate them because they deserve it for their human rights track record. It speaks for itself and this "green smoke screen" doesn't cut it for me. Which is why I never have and never will step foot in a Walmart regardless of the "price drop savings" or how green the store is. As for Microsoft, the percentages of love/hate may be comparable but that's where the comparison ends. The Bill and Melinda Gates foundation does tremendous work for humans 'round the world. Nuff said.
Interesting comment about Microsoft, but here is a little something that show they are no different:
"A third challenge facing the immigrant rights movement is that corporate interests are fighting ferociously for “reform” legislation that includes a new and expansive guestworker program. In his writings, David Bacon describes how companies like Oracle Corporation and Microsoft Corporation were looking for ways to revive the most recent Senate bill, which contains a massive guestworker program.
Such a program, explains Bacon, treats immigrants only as a reserve of cheap labor. It sets up contract labor programs, allowing employers to recruit migrants, who must remain employed or else be deported. In exchange for the promise of legalization, the recent Senate bill required undocumented workers to spend more than a decade as contract workers with few rights and no incentive to complain about exploitative working conditions."
WALMART CHARITABLE GIVING
The Wal-Mart Foundation is ranked first in total giving among corporate givers by Newsweek, having increased its giving by almost 70 percent from 2002 to 2004, with its 2004 giving totaling $170 million. The Walton Family Foundation, on the other hand, is the 25th largest foundation in terms of giving ($106 million in 2003), and maintained an average payout rate of 10 percent over the past five years.
Wal-Mart increases charitable donations
by Marcus Kabel
Associated Press
Tuesday Mar 27, 2007
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. increased its U.S. charitable giving 10 percent last year to $272.9 million, the world’s largest retailer said Tuesday, likely defending its position as the country’s largest corporate donor of cash.
The rate of growth was lower than a year earlier, when Hurricane Katrina relief helped push the annual rise to 19 percent, but it was ahead of Wal-Mart’s 7 percent rise in net profit last year. The company’s profit for the fiscal year that ended Jan. 31 was $12.2 billion.
Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart released its annual donation numbers a few days after publicizing its annual bonuses to hourly store workers as it seeks to counter union-led critics by defending its record as a corporate citizen.
Wal-Mart said most of its U.S. giving was in cash, about $250 million, versus $22.9 million of in-kind donations.
Wal-Mart was ranked the country’s top corporate cash donor in 2005 by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, a biweekly newspaper that tracks the nonprofit business. The 2006 ranking is not yet available.
"It’s pretty sure that they’ll get the same for 2006. They’re pretty far and away the highest" cash donor, said Chronicle senior writer Ian Wilhelm.
Most major corporations increased their charitable giving last year as the economy and the stock market remained in good shape, Wilhelm said. Only companies and sectors in financial trouble typically cut back, he said.
Internationally, Wal-Mart said its donations in 13 countries where it has stores were also up 10 percent, to $28.9 million.
Wal-Mart said U.S. donations went to organizations including the National Teacher of the Year program, hospital aid group Children’s Miracle Network, the Salvation Army, United Way and food bank America’s Second Harvest.
Wal-Mart said the majority of donations are made at the local level by its 4,000 Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club stores to charities they pick.
"Supporting our local communities is at the very heart of Wal-Mart’s corporate giving philosophy. Our stores and clubs are empowered to support the issues and causes that are important to their neighborhoods," Wal-Mart spokeswoman Shannon Frederick said.
Union-backed critic WakeUpWalMart.com said the increase in giving did nothing to dampen their claims that Wal-Mart exploits its workers.
"Charity is always good, but what is not good is Wal-Mart forcing poorly paid and uninsured workers to depend on charity," WakeUpWalMart.com spokesman Chris Kofinis said.
Wal-Mart has repeatedly denied those claims, defending its wages as competitive and its health coverage as affordable.
So because Wal-mart gives to charities it should be able to screw the small business man and worker?
As for the money...big deal? Does a man with $50 in his pocket who decides to give $25 to charity any less of a person? I didn't think so.
It is all in context people, all in context.
I am quite phased by the general gist of these comments. Although I have no issues with Wal-Mart (I do understand the fight) I did not expect responses to be so neutral. Perhaps others see this as I do: That if any organization can rev up a greener movement it just might be Wal-Mart. Just because of critical mass. The jury is still out but as long as they are offering we may as well go along even if begrudgingly.
Please. Walmart is doing what it is permitted to do.
The comment regarding charitable giving was in reference to the comparison to Microsoft.
To me said: Just to be sure. we are not talking about the christmas lights here. We are talking about the actual light standards which are LED technology.
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