Walmart commits to high energy efficiency
Washington— Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.’s
commitment to energy efficiency, including a plan to reduce by 20
percent the amount of energy used in all its existing stores, has
earned the retailer the Alliance to Save Energy’s 2006 Chairman’s
Award.
The award also recognizes the company’s
existing energy practices and commitment to design and open a viable
prototype store within 4 years that is 25 to 30 percent more energy
efficient and reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 percent.
“As the nation’s largest private electricity
consumer, Wal-Mart recognizes that it can have a huge impact and
be a powerful force for change in the private sector by reducing
its energy use and contributing to environmental sustainability,”
said Alliance president Kateri Callahan.
As part of Scott’s 2005 challenge to make
preservation of the environment a core company objective, Wal-Mart
Stores made a commitment to invest some $500 million a year in energy
efficiency and sustainable technologies, reduce green house gas
emissions from existing stores and distribution centers by 20 percent
over the next seven years, increase the efficiency of its heavy-duty
truck fleet by 25 percent in three years and 100 percent in 10 years.
They will implement a “green company”
program in China and initiate programs that show preference to suppliers
that set their own sustainability goals and aggressively reduce
their own green house gas emissions.
In addition, Wal-Mart has a wide range of existing
energy-efficiency and green house gas reduction policies in place.
These include:
- Outfitting the company’s entire truck fleet with auxiliary
power units that reduce annual GHG emissions by 100,000 metric
tons and save 10 million gallons of fuel;
- Increasing to 100 the number of hybrid-electric vehicles in
the company’s corporate car fleet, with plans to add at
least 100 more such vehicles each year;
- Using produce packaging at Sam’s Club that saves the
equivalent of 800,000 gallons of gasoline and reduces greenhouse
gas emissions by more than 11 million pounds;
- Making a commitment to explore energy-saving technologies and
materials at two experimental stores;
- Using “daylight harvesting” — skylights with
computer-controlled continuous dimming — at more than 2,000
locations and newer, more energy-efficient lighting at nearly
all older stores, resulting in a 15 to 20 percent reduction in
energy load;
- Using cool roof technology to reduce the cooling load by 10
percent;
- Implementing an extensive waste heat capture system at more
than 2,000 facilities that uses captured waste heat from refrigeration
equipment to heat water for stores’ kitchen prep areas.
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