New York Times, April 13, 2012 An environmentalist in Bentonville sounds like the premise for a low-budget reality show, but Wal-Mart has been courting environmental groups and seeking their input on its policies in the seven years since it first announced a sustainability program. The company, the nation’s biggest retailer, has met some environmental goals… Continue reading

Neighborhood Notes, April 2, 2012 Are multi-million dollar public investments to woo corporations to our city in the best interest of our local economy? Who is responsible for job creation? The president, local government, entrepreneurial business people? As we expressed last month in the first installment in our Thinking Local series, you don’t have to… Continue reading

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, March 28, 2012 Chris Dilla figures somebody must like the posters she puts up in the bathrooms of her Bocktown Beer and Grill restaurant in Robinson, because a few have disappeared. Rock star images? Andy Warhol prints? No. Just marketing materials from The 3/50 Project, a low-key effort to get consumers to think… Continue reading

Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer, March 24, 2012 Supercenters, which average more than four times the size of a typical grocery store, sell everything a regular Walmart store does, plus baked goods, deli items, frozen foods, meat, dairy, snacks and produce.  In many communities it’s a problem when the big box retailer moves their operation somewhere… Continue reading

Publisher’s Weekly, March 23, 2012 Like the Austin Independent Business Alliance, begun by Steve Bercu, co-owner of BookPeople, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, many early shop-local initiatives were started to keep Borders out. In Austin, Borders attempt to move across the street from Bercu’s store also led him to enlist Dan Houston… Continue reading

Andrew Sullivan’s The Dish, March 16, 2012 Pamela Ravasio wonders if we are designating our land resources appropriately: [T]he plantations of the three largest cotton growers – the US, China and India – alone account for 50 million acres, 42% of all agricultural land. In contrast, food crops amount to some 40 million acres and fuel… Continue reading

The Raw Story, March 15, 2012 Although Walmart has heavily promoted its sustainability initiatives, the company has given millions to lawmakers who oppose stricter environmental regulations.  “Walmart talks big about sustainability, but doesn’t put its campaign money anywhere near where its mouth is,” states a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. “Whatever the company… Continue reading

Treehugger.com, March 12, 2012 Perhaps no other corporation elicits such strong reactions in the environmental community as Walmart—thanks largely to the impact the mega-retailer has on communities’ small businesses and development patterns, contrasted with pledges to green up their act and potential market impact if the reality ever meets the rhetoric. The latest independent assessment… Continue reading

Triple Pundit, March 12, 2012 A report by the Minneapolis-based Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) entitled “Walmart’s Greenwash” examines the retail giant’s environmental impact and finds that the results are falling far short of the promises. According to senior researcher and author Stacy Mitchell, “Walmart’s sustainability campaign has done more to improve the company’s image… Continue reading