Policy Mic, April 16, 2012 A new report by the nonprofit Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) has accused Walmart of greenwashing. In recent years, the retail giant has won praise from everyone from Al Gore to Environmental Defense Fund President Fred Krupp for its efforts to green its global supply chain. But the ILSR says,… Continue reading

Los Angeles Times, April 14, 2012 Bringing together strangers, often through social media, the events aim to support locally owned merchants. The upshot: stores get a windfall, and ‘mobsters’ learn more about their city and meet new friends. The crowd stood at the corner of San Pedro and Boyd streets, a bustling shopping area near… Continue reading

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