Ambitious sustainability goal is already attained by some

Being supplied by 100% renewable energy sounded like a lofty goal when it was identified as one of Walmart’s top three sustainability priorities in late 2005, but as other retailers have demonstrated, it is an attainable goal.



The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is out with its annual list of top “green power” purchasers, which shows a company’s renewable energy usage as a percentage of total domestic energy consumption. At Kohl’s and Whole Foods, green power sources already account for 100% of energy consumption while such retailers as Starbucks and Staples are at a reduced level of 55% and 52%, respectively. Green power accounts for 8% of Walmart’s total electricity use, according to EPA, compared with 11% at Best Buy, 2% at Lowe’s and 3% at Safeway.