11/03/05 The greening of a giant

In a move that could deflower the "hoity- toityness" of natural food grocery stores, discount retail giant Wal-Mart is taking sustainalbity o the masses. No longer only for the affluent consumer, now the average Joe will partake in environmental consciousness when Wall-Mart makes its switch November 1st to plant based plastic containers instead of the traditional petro based plastic. Some analyst's project that Wal-Marts switch to corn based packaging alone could save the equilivant of 800,000 gallons of gasoline a year. And Wal- Mart's isn't stopping there; additional environmental goals include a massive move to reduce energy consumption in its stores and trucks. Wal-Marts move to sustainalbity doesn't come cheap; the changes will nearly double the cost of packaging. Yet Wall-mart is well aware that they can set the standards for other companies and more on board will bring expenses in-line. Plastic made from corn is biodegradable yet breathable, but most important benefit for a company that believes in American agriculture that the move to plant based products not only helps the environment but our farmers as well. Source: ENN news.com October 20, 2005 New York Times Tuesday October 25, 2005 Wal-mart to Seek Savings in energy