Last week we received some great information from Thom Marak about organic gardening at home and this warmer weather has certainly put gardening season into full swing!  This week I am turning the focus onto changing corporate values related not only to organic products, but ‘green’ or sustainable product development - an envelope that is being pushed by none other than Wal-Mart stores.  I was encouraged to read more about this shifting attitude in last week’s Norman Transcript on Saturday, March 25, 2006. (Marcus Kabel - AP). But first I want to better define what a green business actually is (as defined by Co-op America):

"Green businesses operate in ways that solve, rather than cause, both environmental and social problems.  These businesses adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, their employees, communities, and the environment. For every category of conventional consumer goods and services, there are green businesses that can meet your needs. You can find thousands of green businesses in the National Green Pages (www.coopamerica.org/greenbusiness/whatis.cfm)."

To give an idea of what Wal-Mart is attempting I would like to share an excerpt from Kabel’s article:

"Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is throwing its weight behind organic products, a move that experts say could have the same lasting effect on environmental practices that Wal-Mart has had on prices by forcing suppliers and competitors to keep up.   Putting new items on the shelf this year, from organic cotton baby clothes to ocean fish caught in ways that don’t harm the environment, is part of a broader green policy launched last year to meet consumer demand, cut costs for things like energy and packaging and burnish a battered reputation.  'Like many big companies, they have figured out it is just good marketing and good reputation building to be in favor of things that Americans are increasingly interested in', [Alice] Peterson (president of Chicago-based consultancy Syrus Global) said."

The article continues: “Wal-Mart’s Lee Scott is not the first chief executive to advocate sustainability, a term for the corporate ethos of doing business in a way that benefits the environment. Industrial giant General Electric Co., for example, last year launched a program called “Ecomagination” to bring green technologies like wind power to market.   What makes Wal-Mart’s efforts unique, sustainability experts say, is the retailer’s sheer size and the power that gives it in relations with suppliers. Wal-Mart works closely with suppliers to shape their goods, if they want them on the shelves of Wal-Mart’s nearly 4,000 U.S. stores and over 2,200 internationally”.

I am glad to know that nationally this is occurring and certainly, was pleased to hear that here, in Norman, a group of concerned citizens has created and put out a survey asking local  business owners what are the existing limitations that deter them from making decisions to be a green business.  The group’s hope is to be able to address these concerns and make it both more profitable and accessible for the small business owner to choose to be ‘green’.   This is certainly a good step towards discovering what potential exists here to better our own communities.

Next issue we will discuss green business with a local organic health food store, The Earth, located in Norman.

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