[Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: WalMart goes Green

[RONALD CASCIO]

I don't care how "green" they try to be, they've got a long way to go to 
make up for all the damage they've done to the planet and communities. I'll 
never spend a thin dime there.

Ron


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lawrence Lile" <LLile at projsolco.com>
To: <Greenbuilding at listserv.repp.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] [BULK] Re: WalMart goes Green


>
>
>>Thanks for the heads up. Interesting presentation. My first reactions
> are:
>
>>1) They should do more.
>>2) I'm not convinced that they'll really do what they say they will
>>(corporate
>>distrust and all that).
>>3) I hope I'm wrong about #2.
>
> My company does engineering work for Wal-Mart, and believe me, they are
> doing these things.  Recent utility price increases have writ the
> writing on the wall in large, blinking neon letters.  Wal-mart was
> already focused on energy conservation several years ago, and people
> inside the organization have begun to really see paybacks and benefits.
>
> Thousands of their stores have worn out air conditioners that were put
> in when SEER 8 was hot stuff.  Moving to modern high efficiency AC is a
> no-brainer for these guys, and going to save them millions in utility
> costs.  Much of that 20% decrease in energy will come from replacing AC
> wholesale.
>
> When an organization is growing fast, energy efficiency doesn't make
> much sense to the bean counters. (That's why I don't count beans)  A
> dollar spent on a new store in a new town gets them much quicker payback
> than a dollar spent on an efficient light bulb.  New stores get a lot of
> attention, and people pack into them in droves.  These guys might
> literally pay back the cost of a new store in months.   But as a company
> matures, it ceases to grow at such a rapid rate, and it has all this old
> infrastructure that needs attention.  Bean counters start looking for
> paybacks of 1-2 years or less, and energy efficiency starts to look very
> attractive.
>
> Yes, I wish they could do more, but I'll bet they've put a real sharp
> pencil to these 20 or 25% reductions, and these are the best payback
> they can muster.
>
>
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