On Thursday, March 13 at the ECO:nomics conference in California, the president and CEO of Wal-Mart, Lee Scott Jr., clearly stated in an interview:
“We are not green.” - Lee Scott Jr.
However, Wal-Mart has very publicized efforts to reduce their carbon footprint, even dedicating a whole section of there website to this effort.
“Focusing on the environment is key to our mission to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Environmental leadership is critical to our future ability to grow and thrive as a company.” - Wal-Mart
But it is very clear that Wal-Marts focus is to save money, not please environmentalists.
“It really is about how you take cost out, which is waste.” - Lee Scott Jr.
Is coal clean? Is coal cheaper & better than renewable energy? Possibly, in 10 years with a billions of dollars of research. However the coal industry still attempts to sell carbon sequestration technology.
In the small mining town of Ely, Nevada the coal industry lobby for a new construction of “clean” coal plants. The residents resist and are upset that it would double the greenhouse gas emissions of the town.
“In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to solve the democracy crisis.” - Al Gore
At the closing session of the Technology, Entertainment and Design conference (TED) in Monterey, California on Saturday, March 1st, Al Gore delivered a speech insisting that the public become more active and insistent about the environmental problems we are facing in order to force politicians out of their complacency.
“As important as it is to change the light bulbs, it’s more important to change the laws.” - Al Gore
Mary Lou Jepsen gives an awesome presentation on at the Greener Gadgets 2008 conference in New York on One Laptop Per Child.
“By trying to do the right thing and by designing for the poorest people in the world, we’ve made the greenest laptop in the world. And that’s not just the color!” - Mary Lou Jepsen
In the video below, Mary Lou illustrates how the OLPC laptop, also known as XO or the $100 laptop, is a new model for energy-efficient electronics, consuming just 2 Watts of energy.
Rex Murphy talks about his “Point of View” of global warming on the CBC’s (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) flagship nightly news program, The National.
Which presidential candidate has the best plan for our global warming and climate change problem? The answers are in with the Climate Cup 2008 tournament. Check out these videos that seed the hopefuls, and weigh the issues in this eco-friendly winner-take-all tournament.
Vice President Al Gore has recently completed renovations to his Nashville, Tennessee home in response to the criticism of his high electric bills. All improvements were focused on making his home more energy efficient.
Since the renovation, Gore’s natural gas usage is down 93 percent and his electricity is down 11 percent during a period in which average usage increased 20-30% due to a Nashville heat wave.
Gore has also said he invests in renewable energy such as solar and wind power to balance 100 percent of his electricity usage.
Kim Shinn of the U.S. Green Building Council gave the house its second-highest rating for sustainable design.
The 11th Hour is a new documentary film narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film examines the human relationship with earth from its earliest glimmers of innovation, to the challenges humanity faces in the present, to the possibilities of the future.
The 11th Hour is the last moment when change is possible. This film explores how we’ve arrived at this moment — how we live, how we impact the earth’s ecosystems, and what we can do to change our course.
The film features experts from all over the world, including former Soviet Prime Minister Mikhail Gorbachev, renowned scientist Stephen Hawking, former head of the CIA R. James Woolsey and sustainable design experts William McDonough and Bruce Mau in addition to over 50 leading scientists, thinkers and leaders who discuss the most important issues that face our planet & people.
