<![CDATA[Grist - Comment Feed for Werbach and Wal-Mart]]> Grist Comment Feed en Comment #1 by sunflower http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/ Thu, 17 Aug 2006 11:40:49 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/1 Fantastic SF article!


Goodwill is a line item on the balance sheet.  Wal-Mart was hemorrhaging goodwill.

The green environment became important from the top down because it became important from the bottom up, the customer.

I salute the environmentalists for this stunning victory.

Don't carpool alone.


]]> Fantastic SF article!


Goodwill is a line item on the balance sheet.  Wal-Mart was hemorrhaging goodwill.

The green environment became important from the top down because it became important from the bottom up, the customer.

I salute the environmentalists for this stunning victory.

Don't carpool alone.


]]> Comment #2 by bookerly http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/ Thu, 17 Aug 2006 13:48:09 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/2 Werbach


  Of course he should be saluted, and so should Walmart.

  Progress is progress.  And frankly, for all my problems with Walmart, I am delighted to hear the stories about the desire for real change, and kudos to them!

  And to Adam Werbach for being able to do something that makes a difference.

  The world will NOT be saved from Global Warming by those who refuse to do what they can.

patrick

]]> Werbach


  Of course he should be saluted, and so should Walmart.

  Progress is progress.  And frankly, for all my problems with Walmart, I am delighted to hear the stories about the desire for real change, and kudos to them!

  And to Adam Werbach for being able to do something that makes a difference.

  The world will NOT be saved from Global Warming by those who refuse to do what they can.

patrick

]]> Comment #3 by Bart Anderson http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/ Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:04:07 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/3 Not time yet for Kumbaya

We need to keep in mind that Werbach is not personally responsible for Wal-Mart's change of heart. It's the non-stop criticism of Wal-Mart that has softened them up, so they can begin to act reasonably.  

They still have quite a ways to go, as other Gristmill posters have rightly maintained:bad labor relations destruction of local businesses a business model that depends on cheap fuel .. we know the issues.

So, yes, let's celebrate the fact that Wal-Mart is making progress. But let's keep the pressure on.

]]> Not time yet for Kumbaya

We need to keep in mind that Werbach is not personally responsible for Wal-Mart's change of heart. It's the non-stop criticism of Wal-Mart that has softened them up, so they can begin to act reasonably.  

They still have quite a ways to go, as other Gristmill posters have rightly maintained:bad labor relations destruction of local businesses a business model that depends on cheap fuel .. we know the issues.

So, yes, let's celebrate the fact that Wal-Mart is making progress. But let's keep the pressure on.

]]> Comment #4 by Jonathan Rees http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/ Fri, 18 Aug 2006 02:23:23 -0700 http://www.grist.org/article/werbach-and-wal-mart/4 Look at the whole article

David:

I understand where you're coming from on this and I know we both want what's best for the planet, but I think your entire Wal-Mart position is horribly misguided.

This is from the Guardian article:

The test pool the company has given him is a field of associates at eight stores, because the people who work there are a lot like the 92 percent of Americans (according to company calculations) who walk through the front doors steering shopping carts. Through workshops and retreats, Werbach is sitting down with associates and asking them what their goals are. Losing weight? Quitting smoking? Spending more time with their families? Those are real-world challenges that Werbach helps them see in a broader context and tackle with a tool set that considers the basic tenets of sustainability.

Sounds good, right?  What you have to remember is that Wal-Mart has a turnover rate of at least 45% and as they just capped the salary of long-term associates last week, it is headed much higher.  Why in the world would an employee change drastically change his or her lifestyle at the behest of what is essentially their temporary employer?

Werbach THINK he is making a difference, but why did they stuck him in a dead end project?  Any fool could have told Wal-Mart to change its lightbulbs.  What Wal-Mart really needed is his environmental credibility, and if you ask me he sold it pretty cheap.

JR

]]> Look at the whole article

David:

I understand where you're coming from on this and I know we both want what's best for the planet, but I think your entire Wal-Mart position is horribly misguided.

This is from the Guardian article:

The test pool the company has given him is a field of associates at eight stores, because the people who work there are a lot like the 92 percent of Americans (according to company calculations) who walk through the front doors steering shopping carts. Through workshops and retreats, Werbach is sitting down with associates and asking them what their goals are. Losing weight? Quitting smoking? Spending more time with their families? Those are real-world challenges that Werbach helps them see in a broader context and tackle with a tool set that considers the basic tenets of sustainability.

Sounds good, right?  What you have to remember is that Wal-Mart has a turnover rate of at least 45% and as they just capped the salary of long-term associates last week, it is headed much higher.  Why in the world would an employee change drastically change his or her lifestyle at the behest of what is essentially their temporary employer?

Werbach THINK he is making a difference, but why did they stuck him in a dead end project?  Any fool could have told Wal-Mart to change its lightbulbs.  What Wal-Mart really needed is his environmental credibility, and if you ask me he sold it pretty cheap.

JR

]]>