The Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) is a non-profit organization with a mission “to provide innovative strategies, working models and timely information to support environmentally sound and equitable community development.” They work with communities of varying demographics to spur effective growth and lessen a town’s environmental impact.
One of their areas of focus is the big-box retailer and where there is talk of big-box retailers there is talk of Walmart.
The ILSR released a report analyzing Walmart’s attempts at sustainability. Needless to say they think the retail giant’s attempts are insincere. Stacy Mitchell, the report’s author and a senior researcher at ILSR, is calling it as she sees it: “greenwashing.”
"Walmart's sustainability campaign has done more to improve the company's image than to help the environment," says Mitchell who is also the author of Big-Box Swindle.
business. Most of these companies also set in-house policies to boost sales and provide superior service and products. These directives and laws could be seen as a hinderance to workers but the core of these policies are the same: to lead consumers in the right direction and to the cash register.
that began in 2005. Walmart has agreed to purchase and preserve one acre of wildlife habitat in the United States for every acre of land they develop through the year 2015. So far Acres for America has projects in twenty-four states and is protecting more than 687,000 acres of land. The program protects migration routes and connects fragmented ecosystems while providing access for people to experience nature to foster a love of the outdoors. Walmart hopes to help rural economies that depend on the land for forestry, tourism and recreational purposes.
