Interview with Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott - Grist Magazine

[Leigh Meyers <leighcmeyers@xxxxxxxxx>]

Don't Discount Him
An interview with Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott
By Amanda Griscom Little

12 Apr 2006
Last week, Wal-Mart joined leading energy executives in their startling
call for mandatory caps on greenhouse-gas emissions. The heart of this
monolithic retail Grinch grew three sizes that day -- or so it seemed to
many environmental Who's.

For many enviros, the name "Wal-Mart" has always triggered a shudder.
The world's biggest retailer has been charged with exacerbating suburban
sprawl, burning massive quantities of oil via its 10,000-mile supply
chain, producing mountains of packaging waste, polluting waterways with
runoff from its construction sites, and encouraging gratuitous
consumption. (And those are just the environmental complaints.)

But it's precisely Wal-Mart's size and reach that could make it a
powerful force for good for the planet, say market observers and a
growing number of activists. The company controls so much of the retail
market, and has such sway over manufacturers, that any green initiatives
on its part have huge ripple effects. And it's certainly CEO H. Lee
Scott's intention to make waves.
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http://grist.org/news/maindish/2006/04/12/griscom-little/?source=weekly

Leigh
http://leighm.wordpress.com/