Comments for Personal Nature

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by Nancy Fifer

Nancy Fifer — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:34:44 +0000

I loathe Walmart and my friends laugh because I boycott the "evil empire". I admire your efforts,but it will take a lot more than "green" to convince me that the greedy Walmart family has changed its spots. Too many egregious offenses to mention. Nancy Fifer

Comment on Religion and Climate Change by SherryContreras27

SherryContreras27 — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 20:46:58 +0000

All people deserve good life time and personal loans or bank loan can make it much better. Because people's freedom is based on money.

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by Pat

Pat — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:54:20 +0000

Folks, can we back up a minute on this topic? WalMart is in it for the money – yes, of course. Maybe you don't want to shop there. Maybe you don't want to buy new stuff. But millions of people do both of those things and they do them at WalMart. And a lot of them don't care about the environment. This retailer is making their products cleaner, and that's a choice that their customers don't have to make – the company will do it for them. Is it so difficult to say that this move on their part is better than if it didn't put these policies in place? Think about, please.

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by Gregg Lavoie

Gregg Lavoie — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 23:21:05 +0000

The debate that has been going on about global warming in my opinion is complete idiocy. One side stating global warming is a result of human pollution, the other side arguing global warming is not a result of human pollution. Both sides clearly acknowledging the existence of extreme human pollution of the planet. So it does not matter whether global warming is the result of human pollution, it just matters that there is extreme human pollution and we all know it is damaging our environment. Why waste our time arguing whether it is causing global warming or not. How about we spend our time cleaning up our messes and preventing them in the future! A much better use of our time!

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by darlene carter

darlene carter — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 21:00:28 +0000

Those of us in small communities allowed Wal Mart to come into our rural areas based on the premise that they were a "BUY AMERICAN" based company. They drove out all the small businesses with their price point and left us "hog tied" with no where else to go unless we drove to a larger community.
Once they got us "Hooked" they no longer buy American made, they don't hire enough people in the community, proof; look at the lines of people. They have 12 cash registers to get you out but only have 4 open. Their pay is minimum, they are increasing prices while reducing size, they do not contribute to our community with regards to their profit. I went and asked for some bags of dog and/or cat food for our animal shelter and was refused. They claimed they only bring the ones that are busted or open. I was told by an employee that the people in the warehouse take them home. They wouldn't even contribute 1 bag. I buy for my pets and the shelter every month from them and spend abaout $100. All the other people in the county do the same thing. They should be so ashamed not to help the shelter when we all buy from them.
I have nothing good to say about them. I am the voice for everyone I know here in Grant County.

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by Steven Goldstein

Steven Goldstein — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:14:23 +0000

Good job EDF.Now if only someone can only get Walmart to have a majority of their employees as full time employees so they are eligible for health insurance. Walmart has circumvented the insurance issue by hiring part time employees. Greed has motivated their going "green". Greed has also kept the majority of their employees fron attaining health benefits.

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by A. Hoffman

A. Hoffman — Sat, 13 Mar 2010 09:18:00 +0000

The statement by Walmart's president that America needs "comprehensive legislative policy that addresses energy, energy security, the country's competitiveness and reducing pollution." is so incredibly Orwellian, hypocritical and oxymoronic coming from him, that it makes me wonder how stupid does he actually think people are to not see how utterly transparent that statement is. Walmart was THE major force that forced American industry to close their plants and set up shop in countries with minimal (or no) environmental laws, weak or non-existant labor laws, and toxic and hazardous materials, all so Walmart could maximize their profits and enrich the Walton family to the tune of billions. I wonder how much the president of Walmart would support legislative policy that reduced pollution if that legislation clamped down on the wasteful and polluting shipping of cheap, throw-away, useless crap from halfway around the world?

Come on EDF, give me break! After reading this Walmart promo piece, I feel like throwing up! Americans need to face the hard facts: Americans make up 5% of the world's population but consume 24% of the world's resources. On average, one American consumes as much energy as 2 Japanese, or 6 Mexicans, or 13 Chinese, or 31 Indians, or 128 Bangladeshis, or 307 Tanzanians, or 370 Ethiopians! If undeveloped countries consumed at the same rate as the US, four complete planets the size of the Earth would be required! And this is the lifestyle that Walmart, and apparently EDF promotes here and abroad!

So go on and make all of your centrist, corporatist, environmentalist supporters feel like they are helping the planet by buying DVD's with thinner packaging, clothes with different labels, and concentrated laundry soap. It's like fiddling while Rome burns. As you do that, the mass consumption and gluttony of resources promoted by Walmart and companies like them will only continue to help us swirl ever faster towards the drain.

Global warming is very real, and undeniable, as is toxic waste from the unregulated production and use of hazardous chemicals and pesticides that Walmart encourages. If you really stand for "Environmental Defense", you should be pushing for much more drastic and serious steps to save humanity and the species that cohabitate the planet with us, because if we continue our reckless lifestyle, the planet will shake us off like the annoying and useless fleas that we are.

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by R Collins

R Collins — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:42:20 +0000

Perhaps EDF could also approach WalMart about not coming in and dominating the local economy of entire communities. All the CFL, packaging changes and green office materials in the world can NEVER make up for the devastation they employ with the products the actual products they put on the market,the communities they irreparably change by FORCING their way through the Local Government process, by the good local economies they destroy.By supplanting,present and future produced local and INDIGENOUS in place products.
And what of cradle to cradle ?

Walmart's are equivalent to the giant ocean trawlers – is that who you want to give a platform for a pro bono green washing to ? They not only create a market for literally tons of cheap non recyclable crap,and make re localization of our economy impossible in the process they destroy our culture as well. The local 'market' is one of the foundations of culture. All these issues have enormous ghg consequences attached l that far outstrip the new WalMart changes.

I believe our job is to help people understand why the 3 E's Environment,Equity, Economy are critical to our survival here on earth – Walmart will never pass that test they only want to green up it for marketing sake. I think we understand getting a big bang for GHG emmissions buck – but don't you think you should also acknowledge the whole picture, otherwise that is not a well rounded education for 'your members' and the watching public.The message EDF is giving is that those particular ghg reductions make up for all the above – that is why it is called green washing in the first place.

Across the country many organizations exist that are working to re- localize and the actions of the big non profits legitimizing the big corporations or at the very least self censoring themselves from talking about the local consequences of giant corporate has an impact on our work down here in the knitty gritty.The 'trench' where the shops shut down , the 5 acre green belt forest gets cut for a huge heat island,the Town Council hits a corporate lawsuit wall -all for the plastic ware distributing WalMart to have it's identical building in our town. And our unique home now looks like anywhere America with storm water pouring off the acres big parking lots.

And then when the doors open and the community comes in with a request for something slightly unusual or more 'green' that we used to get at 'Jim's Hardware' we are told by the part time stressed out store manager that it's out of his hands and we must contact corporate headquarters . . . .

We have now been fully 'transformed' alright,

R Collins

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by D Lamont

D Lamont — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:15:40 +0000

How about that 18 wheeler in the photo? And, the fact that most people who shop big box stores drive long distances in their SUVs to stock up on all those cheap products from China! Then they tend to overbuy, so create waste.

Let's have a little reality here.

D Lamont

Comment on Walmart Amps Up the Green Light by Danielle

Danielle — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 18:27:25 +0000

As per the Center for Biological Diversity (see below) their change is the result of settling a lawsuit brought against them by the CBD.

Suit Forces Walmart to Slash Greenhouse Gas Pollution

Settling lawsuits filed by the Center for Biological Diversity, late last week Walmart agreed to adopt significant anti-global-warming measures in constructing two new Supercenters in Southern California. The settlement requires the nation's largest retailer to install three 250-kilowatt rooftop solar facilities and incorporate cutting-edge efficiency measures at planned stores in Perris and Yucca Valley, as well as to start a refrigerant audit and improvement program to reduce emissions at certain existing California Walmart stores. Walmart will also contribute $120,000 to the Mojave Desert Land Trust for land-conservation purposes. The big-box chain agreed to employ similar CO2-reduction measures for a proposed Supercenter in Riverside.

The settlement adds to the Center's list of successes in upholding California's premier environmental and land-use law, the California Environmental Quality Act, to improve new development, reduce greenhouse gas pollution, save energy, save money, and promote a vibrant green economy. In the words of Center Senior Attorney Matt Vespa, "If big-box stores are to be built in California, measures like the installation of solar-power systems must be adopted to minimize the projects' greenhouse gas pollution."

Get more from the Los Angeles Times.