Big Green Brother
When Wal-Mart tells its workers to live and breathe sustainability, is it (a) creepy, (b) innovative, (c) greenwashing, (d) all of the above?
Every weekday morning, between 7 and 8 a.m., Tom Custard fishes through the trash at the gas station at the Sam's Club in Hermantown, Minnesota. Armed with two shopping carts, the 61-year-old goes through the six garbage cans by the pumps, sometimes in 40-below windchills, carefully separating out bottles and cans tossed by customers who can't be bothered to walk to the recycling bin.
But if you figured the man in the gloves and fedora for a scavenger, you'd be wrong. Custard is a gas station attendant for the big-box store, which is owned by Wal-Mart; picking through the trash is a task he thought up himself. "I think it's the right thing to do, and I feel that I'm doing something for the environment before I retire," says Custard, who is due to hang up his yellow reflective vest at the end of the year.
Custard is one of hundreds of thousands of employees partaking in an initiative Wal-Mart calls the Personal Sustainability Project, a.k.a. psp. Since 2007, all Wal-Mart employees in the US have been asked to take a simple, concrete step to benefit their health, their local community, or the earth. psp pledges, which can involve work or home life or both, have included vows to drive the speed limit (to save gas), clean up trash, quit smoking, switch to a reusable bottle, or turn off the tap when toothbrushing. Since last year, Wal-Mart claims, 45 percent of its workers in the United States have taken on a Personal Sustainability Project; workers receive no financial incentive, and many of the projects take place after hours, off the clock.
The project is the brainchild of former Sierra Club president Adam Werbach, who is now ceo of the Saatchi & Saatchi marketing agency's green branch. (Werbach declined to comment for this story.) It's part of a sweeping sustainability effort Wal-Mart launched in 2005—a campaign that has seen the company do everything from pledging to double the efficiency of its truck fleet to pushing General Mills to shrink Hamburger Helper boxes by replacing crinkly noodles with straight.
So, is the psp one of the quickest ways to get large numbers of people to go green—or just another way for Wal-Mart to extend its tyranny over workers' personal lives? The answer just might be both. Wal-Mart's enormous impact—via its 1.9 million associates, 200 million customers, and the staggering 10 percent of all retail spending that takes place in its stores—is well documented; the company literally transformed the business landscape with its ruthless focus on price, notes Charles Fishman, author of The Wal-Mart Effect. "If Wal-Mart is serious about sustainability, it can have an incredible impact on how the economy operates," he says.
The psp also suggests that Sam Walton's successors envision the workplace as more than where you toil to get a (however meager) paycheck and (ditto) health insurance—as, instead, a catalyst for personal growth and social change, where "psp captains," cheerleading coworkers, spur you on toward your goals. The program, says Fishman, is an example of corporate America filling a role akin to churches and community organizations—and that's not a bad thing in his view: "As long as it doesn't drift in the direction of being some kind of compulsion, it's wonderful."
Then again, compulsion is a real concern. This is, after all, the same company that held mandatory meetings for managers and department heads this summer, warning that Democratic victories would hurt its business by bolstering unions.
Besides, critics argue, if Wal-Mart cares about making employees' lives more sustainable, why not start with their paychecks—or its infamous labor practices, which have resulted in lawsuits over sex discrimination, anti-union tactics, mandatory overtime, and more? On sites like Wal-Mart Blows, employees can be found announcing that their psp is to get a new job—somewhere else. The primary gripe on the message boards: Why should Wal-Mart be telling me how to live my life?
But that criticism doesn't register with Hope Aubuchon, a 33-year-old who is a department manager at the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Colorado Springs. She says she's grateful for the psp suggestions offered at daily store meetings; she and her son Zeno, 10, and daughter Lacey, 14, have adopted more than a dozen Personal Sustainability Projects, from packing school lunches in reusable (and Wal-Mart-branded) bags to religiously turning off the lights when they leave the room. "I have saved so much money just doing the little tips that it makes making it through each month easier," says Aubuchon, a single mother who has worked for Wal-Mart for nine years. "Buying school supplies this year wasn't as hard."
For Wal-Mart itself, the psps also mean big savings. Darryl Meyers, who works in the Burlington, North Carolina, store, thought that the 24-7 lights inside the vending machines in the break rooms were wasteful. He suggested turning them off, and the company has saved nearly $1 million because of it. "When associates get engaged personally, they do start getting more engaged with sustainability at work," says Janelle Kearsley, a Wal-Mart executive at company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, who was until recently the director of sustainability and strategy running the program. Kearsley's psps? Exercising more and eating local, which has inspired her to grow tomatoes and green beans in her backyard.
Wait. A Wal-Mart exec who grows her own produce? Isn't that a form of retail heresy? It's one of the ironic twists of the psp program that it invites employees to reduce use of some of the very products the company hawks, from cigarettes to gasoline—though of course, as Kearsley notes, Wal-Mart also sells bicycles, organics, and reusable shopping bags.
Back in Hermantown, Tom Custard's main worry when he started his psp was what the customers would think when they saw him rooting around in the trash by the pumps. Most of them, it turns out, loved the idea. Some of the regulars, who live in rural areas that don't have recycling, save up their bottles and cans all week to add to his shopping cart.
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Beta is slow
could be me, but I bet it is you. Everything else so far alright.
Why must mojo, once again, take the doomsday path? I don't like walmart either, but this is VERY GOOD NEWS. Stop whining in the house!
The low wage structure used by Walmart for it's employees, albeit not the primary reasoning for said low wages, is, by necessity, a "low-impact" policy on the environment because their workers must conserve their meager resources. Ah Walmart, so ahead of it's time!
god I hate humanity.
God forbid that the world's largest retailer would use its perch to actually do anything about the slave labor sweatshops dumping rivers of pollutants into the Chinese landscape... to produce cheap plastic crap... to be barged halfway around the world and marketed to poor people whose towns have been destroyed by the store's existence.
Nah... just tell your employees to give up smoking. How courageous!
Given how crappy Walmart pays their regular employees while the upper management lives high on the hog, they should be paying these people for any extra hours spent on these greeen projects which often are saving the company money.
indeed, how about the guy
indeed, how about the guy mentioned in the article who has saved the company $1 million (and counting)... at other companies (non-retail), the guy would be getting royalties for something they think up that saves or makes the company money.
e. Effing Awesome
You can't change the world until you get the masses behind it (pardon the pun). This is excellent news for all people.
Wow, that is just totally insane!
Whats more surprising is the stuff they actauly throw away. Sometime perfectly good items get thrown away. Walmart being green is a farce.
Walmart has the potential to reach people many environmental organizations couldn't. To see that Walmart uses its power to encourage sutainability and to give people a sense that their actions matter is very good news indeed.
Even when we disagree with some of Waltmart's actions we should not fail to recognice a move in the right direction.
there's actually a lot more to this story. jump over to stuffididlastnight.com
Jealousy is rearing its not so fabulous face I see. Cant you just be happy that they are trying? No, of course not. See the glass half empty why don't you?
perfectly good items like product and food get thrown out because they are outdated you cant sell them or give them away
because if you give them away someone could come sue you for getting sick
so think some more before saying that
It's sad that he big benefit sited by Hope Aubuchon, a 33-year-old who is a department manager at the Wal-Mart Supercenter, is the money saved allows her to buy her children's school supplies. Bonus irony: I bet the only place she can afford to buy them is WalMart.
You KNOW the scenario below is being played out at Walmarts across the country.
Ted earns 7 dollars an hour at Walmart, has no health insurance, a car payment, a school loan payment and he lives with 5 other people just to survive.
His supervisor, Steven, comes into the Walmart break room and playfully taps Ted on the shoulder and enquirers how his PSP project is going. Teds eyes wander from his chest and the degrading blue smock that's slowly sapping his humanity only to meet that toothy, sickly sweet smile on Steven's face. Ted mumbles something about rooting around in the trash outside the store and loving the environment and hopes Steven will just leave him in peace for the rest of his break. Steven looks pleased and encourages Ted to remember that 'your part of the solution here at Walmart.'
Ted makes sure to flip Steven off after his boss turns to walk out the door.
Social justice before environmental. Environmentalists will enslave us all to save a penguin.
So, Walmart employees are fearful of being mistaken for hobos while rooting around in the trash outside the store .... hmmmm.
Well, I guess if I had their salary and benefits package I'd be fearful of that label too.
"Ted earns 7 dollars an hour at Walmart, has no health insurance, a car payment, a school loan payment"
Ted went to college and all he can do is part-time work at Walmart?
Yeah, I don't get the negativity. If Walmart is pushing being Green, by all means, push push push!
don't know why everyone has to be so harsh
they are trying..most companies aren't
as to the comment about about the sweatshops...they do ethical audits of all factories at least 4 times a year, and they shut you down if there's any serious infractions
they're doing their part, many stores in bentonville are testing both solar power and wind power potential, as well as initiating subtle changes with their suppliers relating to sustainability
i sat next to werbach at a conference recently, and believe me, i was all but against wal-mart going in, but hearing him lead them and seeing actions they are taking has definitely allowed me to see how they will not only lead us from the recession, but also do it as environmentally friendly as possible
Frankly, I don't see how any big box chain can be green. Think about how large those buildings are. How much energy is needed to cool a Walmart supercenter? Now think about it during the summer on a hot, busy day with people coming in and out all day. The doors are effectively open all day so the store is in a sense trying to cool down the air around it instead of just the store.
Wal-Mart, though seen as evil at its core for a multitude of reasons, does have the capacity to effect the lives of millions - perhaps positively. If this PSP leads to a genuine shift in mindsets of its staff and eventually customers, then it really may end up doing some good in the world. I know this is only offsetting the abuses of the past and present, but we need big organizations like this one to help us tackle environmental imperatives.
Plus, I work for an engineering consulting firm that does cool projects for Wal-Marts; it seems they are actually willing to take the plunge and invest in renewables and complex, innovative technologies and apply them to their operations. Works for me! But hey, the people who have suffered because of Wal-mart here and abroad should not be forgotten and people need to speak up to ensure this institution reconciles social injustice.
Sustainability is actually a three-pronged plug, and we can't get the juices flowing until we get the triple bottom line right. Wal-Mart, pay your workers right and quit having double standards!
Does progress kill? Actually it is all about increasing populations and increasing demands of food and other goods. Technologies brought to solve some problems bring some problems to deal after the ones taken care of are solved. This vicious cycle kills.
I am not sure if this is a sign that the antichrist truly has been reborn, as Wal-mart still and will always remain the last dying link I have towards religion..It proves their might well be a Devil. They need to take that same effort they promote onto their employees and take a step into sustainability themselves.
umm... so why is it that when wallmart does one nice thing everyone just wants to forget about all the communities that lost their barbers, hardware stores, dry cleaners, and numerous small business that were owned and run locally. So now everyone within 60 miles of Kellyville has one single mega place to go. Walmart asking its workers to be sustainable is just like asking a fox to watch your hen house. It's a complete oxymoron. And for those of you that wanna say we see the glass half empty, go buy more diamonds and eat more chocolate, and just keep ignoring the truths of your comsumerism!
For crying-out-loud, let's give Walmart credit for what it does right, in addition to busting its chops for what it does wrong. Or just STF up and quit whining.
Switzer. Right on. People can get jobs other than at walmart. People can shop other places than walmart. We forget that all the time. Someday though, we may not have the option. Sounds like Ted didn't really learn anything in college.
Social before environmental? Uh, what planet are you living on, Bub? It's all part of the same system.
Don't let Walmart into your town. Period. Here in Eureka, Ca., we didn't. But then, we're a bunch of Fascist Enviro's. When Mall Wart does something significant to offest all the damage they've wrought, like reclaim, clean and reforest an abandoned surface coalmine in their back yard, I'll acknowledge their b.s. greenwashing in the press. But only for what it truly is. And for God's sake Ted, quit your job before you get poked with a dirty hypo or something.
Why would Walmart wanna help the environment when they have a problem paying women the same wages as they pay men? They need to take care of their own environment, in their stores, before tackling something else. Don't the Idiots know that bacteria and germs live in trashcans? I am sure they don't want their employees missing work because they are sick.
Does Tom Custard get PAID bt Wal-Mart for recycling at work (GOOD), or does he do this dumpster-diving on his own time (BAD)?
Knowing how tangibly Wal-Mart supports its employees' green projects makes a big difference, and the story seems unclear on this point.
It does not appear that the program is costing Wally World any money. The folks do this on their own time. Notice it is the break-room where they economize. It's like the Lord of the Manner allowing the peasants to rake the leaves for free.
When the locals here passed a property tax cut, claiming it saved us little people money, that tax cut saved our local Wally $100,000 a year.(THAT part was left out of the campaign) I am sure Wally will donate that savings to the homeless shelter or the now-defunded schools. Yeah, right.
I applied for one of those "green teaching" jobs in SF and almost had it. Then they told me that I would be working in corporations like Walmart. I made the mistake of saying I thought it was a little antithetical to teach sustainability, which means decreased consumerism to the icon of consumerism. I said I thought it would be a challenge and thought, but didn't say, that to really make any real green progress we would need to green Walmart, not just the employees, and that, in my opinion would require them to adopt fair trade practices, and some environmental responsibility which would be their demise. To be a good capitalist and get rich you have to exploit something: employees, the consumer, the environment. To be a GREAT capitalist (filthy rich) you exploit all three. It goes counter to their being to choose to make less money. "Green" is loosing its soul and meaning the more it gets absorbed into the establishment as a new marketing tool. Just like the words "peace" and "natural" have lost meaning. As we empty these words and concepts of their meaning we empty ourselves. Why do we humans have to commodify everything?
I personally know a lady who works for a marketing firm who has Walmart as one of it's clients. She is constatntly frustrated as she actually sees how Walmart takes advantage of it's suppliers to get their "cheap" products for next to nothing! These people are control freaks and they could in reality give a crap less about the environment. Wake the hell up people! The only people who defend companies like Walmart are brain-washed idiots.
If you are truly serious and care about going "green" the first thing to do is jump on the Internet and google "natural cleaners" and eliminate all the unnecessary chemicals that you willingly pollute your homes with on a daily basis.
While you're at it, stop buying Walmart's "cheap" processed foods too, that will save everyone loads in the long run.
I like to ask what is the head family of Wal Mart is doing to save and help its employees. They are good at talking the talking but not walking it. Their medical insurance is really bad and they don't really help their employees. As far as what we do to help in our own family. Well we have been collecting cans for years and put the money in our grandchild savings account for college. We have always tried to help to save money. It wasn't with the help of WalMart that is for sure. I know people that work there and are there because they have no other place to work at. WalMart pushes their will on their employees.
We live in a small rural town that has a Super Wal Mart. There are no other choices of places to work.
Alas! You still need to spend to save at Wal*Mart. To me, "WM" is like Oakland. "There is no there there." Recycling sure helps, but better yet. Reduce and reuse.
Walmart is doing it right.
Give them credit for it for once.
Wallmart supports their employees for doing this in the press so they get free publcity while their own track recored on the environment is abysmal. If Wallmart actually employed some sustainability practices in the way they conduct business then we would probably see a measurable difference in the environment. Something that amounts to a little bit more than lip service.
"Wal-Mart", Green, ...who says Americans won't do dirty jobs!
Glad tidings for once (no offense, MoJo, I mean in our recently beleaguered era)--this story about Walmart's PSP program. I appreciate MoJo's intelligent, watchful eye for any drift into dystopias. And readers' posts on other areas Walmart needs to improve. But overall, the PSP thing sounds like the most realistic--and therefore exciting-- program I've heard about recently to help quicken mass mindfulness and action about the environment. Many of the comments below are so wind-baggy and high that high liberal horse (says I, a certifiable liberal kook and idealist). But this easy-answer, glazed over liberalism has got to stop. We're all in together. (Like it or not, voice in Eureka. Check out the post from Southern Yankee.) We can't afford Balkanization anymore. More importantly, let's be realistic. Power/capital is largely in the hands of corporations. Period. There's no like it or not in this. So to turn this domesday boat around, it helps if they get on board. Yeah, Walmart sucks for any number of reasons we can footnote infinitely. Yeah, they've done tremendous harm. Yeah it's good that something good is happening. Let's just keep going!
Do as those at Wal-Mart say and not as they do? For those of you who find it commendable that the "uppers" in Wal-Mart are telling the "lowers" in Wal-Mart how to be environmentally friendly, rethink your praise. When Wal-Mart itself, as a company, begins to reduce it's own greenhouse emissions by stopping the process of trucking tomatoes (and whatever else) hundreds and hundreds of miles away, and builds it's own buildings with sustainable practices in mind, and stops supporting businesses in foreign countries that have little or no environmental regulations, and addresses ALL of its own social justice issues, then the rest of us will join in on the praise. Until then, Wal-Mart is nothing but a life-sucking, filthy, selfish whore who will do anything to anyone for a dollar. Wake up!!!
A million bucks, just on vending machine lights, perhaps they'd provide more comprehensive, attainable benefits to it's employees with those savings.
BTW- taking charge of your 22%, saves U money and gets U healthy at the same time. Now THAT'S empowering! Here's to 'nose thumbing' in unison at "The Grid".
the article is not taking a negative stance on the issue. and theyre right. it's a bit creepy, but for the mot part, seems like a good thing. doesn't hurt to see a company do well with more scrupulous business practice.
In today's economic environment, sometimes people who have lost jobs to downsizing and company closings must resort to anything in order to keep their family together and under a roof.
Ten years ago, I commented to my wife that I wanted to start a movement called "Stop Shop". I'd request that everyone in the US stop shopping (except for necessities) for one day.; I believed it would teach the corporations a lesson. Ironically, I feel it's happening nowadays without my help. Wow! I must a prophet...
Target's prices are just about comparable to Wal-Mart's. I did a side-by-side of basic necessities and Target was only $4.23 more for $75.00 worth the products.
