Comments schutzmobile has made

Not a concession, but a survival technique

I agree.  I think that Walmart is doing very little to try and reduce vehicle miles travelled (VMTs) or promote Smart Growth or Livable Communities initiatives.  You hate to scold someone for doing something good, but energy conservation makes business sense, and I think that Walmart is joining the LEED bandwagon for  ECOnomic reasons, but spinning it as ECOlogical...which isn't necessarily bad.  Milton Friedman would likely point out that fair competition generally produces positive results all around.  The problem is, we've subsidized big box development for over 50 years now through public infrastructure construction and zoning policy, thus taking away the competitive advantage of small-scale proximate retail.  Add to that consumers who are so busy driving around town they spend money without the slightest care of where those dollars end up, and we've got ourselves quite a pickle.

I think that this article hit the nail on the head.  Big box stores have so many negative side effects on walkable communities, free market competition, fair wages, housing affordability, automobile emmissions, etc., the best thing we can do is to spend our money at other businesses....but its gotten so bad, that if I want to buy a bath towel, I hardly know where to go but to a big box retailer.

What's the quickest way to alter our course?...I would say changes to zoning policy.  What's the best way?...I think market forces such as conciencious consumers and property taxes that account for infrastructure cost and environmental impact.  At the rate we are using up non-renewable resources and going into debt (individually and nationally), I just hope we can find balance so as to minimize the economic and environmental consequences.On The impossibility of a green Wal-Mart posted 2 years, 8 months ago 27 Responses