Tuesday News Round-up
Always: Walmart is hosting a sustainability summit in Brazil and using Twitter to drive people to the conference. Can Walmart really be sustainable, though? Check out the video above featuring the founder of Patagonia Yvon Chouinard as he discusses Walmart's possibly greener future.
But not so fast, some argue that the definition of "sustainable" should extend to how a corporation treats their employees. Jeffrey Pfeffer of Stanford University writes: "Consider the case of Wal-Mart. The company which seems very concerned about its effects on the physical environment appears much less interested in the welfare of its employees. For example, in 2005, 46 percent of Wal-Mart employees‟ children were either uninsured or on Medicaid, a state program to provide medical care to low-income people (Rosenbloom and Barbaro, 2009). The company offered health insurance to a relatively small proportion of its employees and it paid its associates so badly that many of its workers were eligible for various income supplement and social welfare programs provided by the states in which it operated."
Greenwashing: Speaking of shopping, a report in the Guardian says that 98 percent of "environmentally friendly" products in US supermarkets aren't so. Companies that claim to be eco-friendly are supposed to follow guidelines set by the Federal Trade Commission, but they don't.
Grassroots: Researchers at Arkansas State University say switchgrass can be grown to protect local water supplies and enrich soil. Check out the article in Arkansas Business.
To-Do: Meet fellow canoeing enthusiasts near you! Join the Central Arkansas Canoe Club tonight at 7 p.m. at the Oyster Bar in Little Rock. See GreenAR by the Day for more info.
Cuts: Chesapeake has cut 50 jobs at its corporate headquarters in Oklahoma City.
