Eco-Consulting Inc Introduction
Members of the Eco-Consulting Inc. team conducted a sustainability study on the recently opened Wal-Mart Green Demonstration store in Burlington, Ontario. The following factors were studied: Transportation; Outlet and Building Energy Sources; Overall Community Impact; Public Perspective in Burlington, Ontario; and Solid Waste Management. This report includes background information on the store and its location, the research methods used, and the recommendations and conclusions that we propose to ensure that this "environmental test store" respects the highest standards of sustainability in relation to its impacts on the surrounding community and on the environment. Links to further information and references are included throughout the report.
Our client, the Wal-Mart Demonstration Store in Burlington, Ontario, is leading the way for big box format retail stores to adapt environmentally sustainable methods of operation. By implementing innovative environmental innitiatives, this location has realized 60% lower energy use as compared to other Wal-Mart locations. The site location is unique given that it is situated next to the most used transit hub in Burlington, and therefore customers have to choice of taking public transit to the store. Eco-Consulting Inc has been hired to review practices and policies in use now that the location has been open for two months, and provide recommendations for additional environmental measures that can be taken.
Our Mission
EcoConsulting Inc. provides realistic analysis and recommendations for the various Wal-Mart green technologies / approaches and their effectiveness and practicality from a Sustainable Community Development perspective. Recommendations are made with the increasingly eco-savvy consumer and local community in mind. "Eco-savvy" consumers constitute an increasing proportion of the Canadian population. Such individuals are aware of the ethical and social impacts of the products they buy and the need to protect the Earth's natural resources and reduce pollution by choosing products judiciously. With the current economy, "green" solutions with real impact, balanced by affordability are essential. This requirement applies not only to products, but to companies' entire operations systems.
General Approach
With an increasing emphasis on ecological sensitivity, many firms such as Wal-Mart are
implementing massive sustainability policies to ensure a competitive edge. Often seen critically as
“green-washing”, these progressive measures can backfire if not researched properly. Increasing
scrutiny on the part of social and environmental advocacy group means corporations will have to
implement real and robust green measures in order to flourish. EcoConsulting specializes in a
multi-perspective approach to assessing the feasibility of such sustainability policies. As one of the
first “Green” Wal-Marts, the Burlington location provides an excellent opportunity for 3rd party
assessment and recommendation.
Environmental impacts are examined from the following five perspectives to ensure more robust and effective solution development. (See the "Sub-Topics" section for more details)
Transport
(Nigel Tunnacliffe)
Congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and smog are significant issues related to the typical single occupant vehicle Wal Mart shopping experience. This section will focus on increasing the efficiency of transportation for our clients customers and staff.
Outlet/Building Energy Sources
(Chris Mennell)
Increased reliance on renewable sources has resulted in a boon in the green energy technology sector. Our clients energy sources are evaluated based on the three tenets of sustainability. In the age of rampant "green" development, truly sustainable energy is becoming harder and harder to source.
Overall Community Impact
(Mimi AuYeung)
A comparison is drawn between our client and other similar large scale stores to provide an indicator of how successful their efforts of environmental stewardship have been.
Public Perspective
(Jia Hui Thong)
Public opinion regarding the "greening" of business is a crucial consideration in the modern market place. We provide medial and news research to discover public attitudes regarding our clients efforts. This provides an alternate framework for analysis. The topic of sustainability is assessed through a public lens.
Waste Management
(Katherine Bemben)
The management of waste produced by a corporation is an important factor in assessing its impacts on the local environment and community. Research in this area explores the feasibility of adapting various environmentally friendly options for waste management that would ensure that the environmental footprint and impacts are kept to a minimum.
Our team:
Chris Mennell completed the film program at Simon Fraser University in 2007. He has been actively involved with the Organic agriculture community in the south Similkameen Valley for over 15 years. His passion for the British Columbia wilderness has manifested in many forms. Working with B.C. Parks and local broadcaster Knowledge Network in 2006, he was part of the team that produced the acclaimed television series "Wild At Heart" which promoted local tourism.Over the last decade he has worked with several conservation groups throughout B.C., these include Wildsight (Kimberely), Columbia Basin Trust, and the Creek Protection Society (Victoria). Recent developments in green energy development in B.C. has been a driving force in Chris' work.
Mimi AuYeung is dedicated to environmental and cultural issues in Canada and abroad. She studied resource management at the University of Western Ontario and is currently doing her post-baccalaureate in Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University. She has also recently completed her MA in Advanced Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield in England, where she pursued her English to Japanese translation skills, as well as her interest in social issues such as environment, discrimination and women's studies. She owned and managed "Bar Soul Flower" in Osaka, Japan for four years, which was a base for the expatriate community. There were local art and music exhibitions held regularly to help promote the local talent. She is a volunteer for the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo as the Osaka area Warden, who is a contact point between the Embassy and Canadians the the Osaka area in case of an emergency, such as natural disasters or political upheaval. She is a dedicated teacher at Tezukayama Gakuin High School, teaching students communication skills through debating social issues. She is also the director of an International School's Saturday programme.
When she is not studying or working, she enjoys travelling to experience new and different cultures and meeting new people.
Nigel Tunnacliffe is a serial social entrepreneur. He has launched five startups to date, including a social housing initiative, a commercial waste vegetable oil collection and processing project, and GE-Free Solutions, a verification agency for non-genetically engineered foods. He has a degree in Communication from Simon Fraser University, and he is currently completing a certificate in Sustainable Community Development at that institution. Nigel's current volunteer positions include Vice Chair, Vancouver Biodiesel Coop; Steering Committee Member, Society for a GE-Free BC, and Young'uns Program Founder/Director, West Vancouver Yacht Club.
In his spare time, Nigel leads an international level sailing team which is set to compete at the world J24 championships in Annapolis, Maryland this May. He also climbs, skis and generally spends time outdoors.
When he is not riding his bike, Nigel is driving the GE-Free Solutions Jetta, which runs on waste vegetable oil and recycled biodiesel. gefree.ca - currentcoffee.ca - vofuels.ca - undoge.org
Jia Hui Thong is concerned with community economic development that will help to improve standard of living within the community. She is currently in BA Economics with SFU and graduating this summer. Since she is interested in community economic development she loves where she works right now. It is a small non-profit but it does a lot of community economic development. For example, they organize events throughout the year to encourage the locals to be more involved in the area and to know their neighbors. With this, they are able to increase the security in the community or neighborhood. This is a very new involvement of her in this field; she said that she is a budding learner in SCD and CED. She has grown great passion for Capoeira because to her, this is not simply a martial art but it incorporates a lot of cultures and learnings in the martial art itself. Capoeira is a slave art. Katherine Bemben holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Ottawa. During university, she co-authored and illustrated a guidebook on indigenous ecotourism in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. She has volunteered for various wildlife conservation projects in Greece, Madagascar and on Sable Island, N.S. Her love for experiencing new cultures led her to spend a few years teaching English as a foreign language in Krakow, Poland. As an employee with Environment Canada’s outreach programs she liaised with various community environmental groups from across the country that were taking action at a local level. She currently works for the values and ethics section of Environment Canada in Ottawa. Her studies at SFU are enabling her to explore her interest in finding ways to empower individuals and communities to find the solutions that will enable them to take care of the planet and one another, through sustainable community development and facilitation techniques such as Art of Hosting. Her hobbies include Polish folk dancing, photography and curling.
Sub-Topics
Transportation
By Nigel Tunnacliffe
They key issues in the area of personal transportation are traffic congestion and pollution. These two issues can be addressed both when dealing with customer transportation and employee transportation. This section examines the issues surrounding personal transportation and offer solutions specific to the Burlington Wal-Mart SuperCentre.
According to the 2003 Transportation Tomorrow Survey, Fairview Street, where the Wal-Mart is located, is a common alternative to the highway system for through traffic. As such, congestion on Fairview prior to opening the Wal-Mart SuperCentre was already quite high. To make matters worse, to building the SuperCentre, two new stoplights had to be added in order to facilitate traffic turning into the Wal-Mart. Public opposition to this new Wal-Mart location was often centered around the choice of location, and the impact it would have on congestion. As such, to build community support, Wal-Mart should invest in solutions to decrease congestions in and around their new SuperCentre.
Furthermore, the increased traffic driving to the new Wal-Mart location, both from employees driving to and from work and from customers doing their shopping, will increase the greenhouse gas emissions and the smog produced in the area. In order to truly be a green store, Wal-Mart has to look at transportation solutions to decrease this impact on the environment.
Burlington is town which largely relies on the automobile for transportation. The average resident makes 10 one-way trips by public transit per year, which accounts for about 3% of all trips made, and the average household has 1.7 cars. The car, by far the most preferred mode of transportation, accounts for 91% of trips made by Burlington residents. The most common reasons for Burlington residents to not take transit are a preference for using a car, a feeling that public transit is too inconvenient and that a car was a requirement for the transportation undertaken. (http://cms.burlington.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=7321).
The Wal Mart in question is located within a 5 minute walk from the busiest transit hub in Burlington, the Burlington Go Station which services approximately 3000 boardings/alightings per 24/hour period. In addition, the third, fifth and sixth busiest transit hubs, at 1500, 650, and 500 boardings/alightings per 24hour period respectively, are within 2kms of the new Burlington Wal-Mart. Offering pickup and dropoff service to the Burlington GO Station and the other three hubs would make transit more convenient, and would make some customers feel that a car is not necessary for shopping at Wal-Mart. By addressing two of the three most common reasons for driving, Wal-Mart could substantially decrease the number of single-occupant vehicles driven to the SuperCentre.
Employee trips to work also have a considerable impact on pollution and congestion. To address staff transportation needs, and to encourage staff to consider alternative transportation, a number of small changes need to be made. A best-practice for alternative employee transportation strategies is demonstrated by Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (VanCity). Their initiatives include discounted employee transit passes, supporting carpooling through an online rideshare system, facilities for cyclists including showers and secure storage, and a guaranteed ride home program, where if an employee has to make an emergency ride home they are reimbursed for the cost of the bus or a cab. As a result of VanCity’s programs, more than half of their staff use alternative transportation, as compared with 33% in Metro Vancouver. By implementing VanCity’s innovative programs, and by extending the proposed free shuttle service to employees, Wal-Mart could offer superior value to their staff, while decreasing congestion and pollution created by staff transportation needs.
Outlet/Building Energy Sources
by Chris Mennell View as .Pdf file Introduction: The purpose of this assessment is to test the strength of Wal-Mart Burlington’s sustainability claims and initiatives and ultimately make recommendations based on any weakness’ found. Specifically, research for this final report was targeted towards Wal-Mart Burlington’s renewable energy source, Bullfrog Power as well as other energy use strategies employed by this location. EcoConsulting Inc. makes it a priority to ensure that a corporation’s sustainability program will not become a liability should it prove to be unsubstantiated.
Following analysis of the energy supply chain, this report goes on to make recommendations for both corporate policy and infrastructure improvements in order to achieve the highest level of true sustainability with regards to renewable energy sources.
Report Focus and criteria:
Wal Mart Burlington, has implemented a number of demand side measures to reduce energy use, an important first step with regards to sustainability.
The focus of this report however is on the sustainability of the supply of renewable energy sources to the Burlington location. Using the services of Bullfrog Power, Wal-Mart makes the claim that the “store is powered 100% by renewable power sources like wind and low-impact water power through Bullfrog Power.”¹ By simply looking past the glossy cover of Bullfrog Power’s claims, this fundamental aspect of the Burlington store’s sustainability was found to be too weak to provide a truly strong notion of sustainability.¹ The risk of losing public support due to flimsy policy is high. The following analysis indicates how EcoConsulting came to this conclusion and then makes recommendations based on the findings.
Criteria for analysis are:
1. Environmental Impacts: Are Wal-Marts energy sources as green as they claim?
2. Local benefits: do the various energy producers build positive community and strive for social justice?
3. Economic viability: Do the suppliers provide economic benefit for local communities?
Private Power Backgrounder:
Following the 2004 restructuring of the Ontario Electricity Board, Ontario experienced a boom in the growth of private renewable power.¹ Suddenly an entire private energy industry was born, and the previously public power system was becoming increasingly privatized. It has been argued that this situation leaves behind any effective public policy tools regarding these developments (Calvert, p.209). Sustainability policy was left in the hands of the private companies who’s primary goal is economic growth. This has been proven, as in the case of British Columbia, to be largely detrimental to environmental sustainability (Calvert, p.205). Bullfrog’s primary power provider is the private corporation Brookefield Renewable Power which operates 164 hydroelectricity generating stations throughout North and South America.¹
Report Findings: Renewable Sources:
When research began it became clear that although Wal-Mart and Bullfrog both make strong claims for sustainability, ultimately these claims proved weak at best.
Wal-Mart announced in press releases that Bullfrog was providing 100% renewable, low-impact hydro and wind power. Bullfrog was defining the power as “low-impact” based on its EcoLogo certification program.¹ According to EcoLogo’s own data only 18 of the 29 Brookefield hydro dams in Ontario and Quebec are actually certified as “environmentally preferable.”¹ The power from Brookefield’s dams is indeed renewable, but is not 100% “low-impact” as the company claims.
Further, the EcoLogo certification criteria nowhere claims that low impact is anyway related to the scope of the project.¹ These supposedly green projects can be any size. In total Brookefield Renewables is responsible for the flooding of 29,539 km² of Ontario and Quebec, an area only slightly smaller than Vancouver Island.¹ The cumulative impacts of these projects must be taken into consideration if they are to be deemed sustainable.
From a social perspective, Brookefield also comes up short. In the past it has been accused of abandoning the communities in which it has previously provided employment in, such as the case of the Katahdin paper mills in Maine.¹
Currently the company is aggressively pushing through hydro developments in the sensitive Patagonia region of Chile, laying 2300 km of power line through a previously undeveloped area.¹ ² Brookefield’s sustainability brochures amount to little more than green-washing, even having the audacity to proclaim that essential safety features at their dam facilities were built for the community by choice, rather than out of necessity.¹
Bullfrog makes a confident assertion that its power stream is 100% renewable and low-impact, but further research indicates that the calculation methods to determine Bullfrog’s power mix are at best vague assumptions, and in no real way provide accurate descriptions of where Wal-Mart is really investing its money; Wal-Mart may very well be buying nuclear and coal powered energy.¹
Sustainability Ideology:
After minimal research into Wal-Mart’s own sustainability platform via its website, EcoConsulting found that all energy reduction and renewable energy initiatives were focussed on one goal: cost saving for the corporation of Wal-Mart.
Several messages were clear:
That green initiatives were “ win-win financially.”
That these actions were “ about competing in the marketplace”
And despite the fact that Wal-Mart is “considered the largest private power purchaser in the world” its efforts to reduce usage ultimately amounted to “energy savings.”(Videos:Sustainability 1.0 and 2.0)
Wal-Mart’s choice to not pursue other energy options also reflects this economic focus. As it stands, hydro and wind are some of the cheapest form of renewables. Solar on the other hand remains an expensive albeit legitimate energy production source.¹ State of the Environment reports to Burlington municipal council have in the past encouraged the use of PV technology among its business’.(SOER.pdf) Although it is a pricier option, it ensures that environmental impacts are minimized and concentrated on the building site itself. Solar also ensures that energy supply is more diversified. The environmental risk of overdeveloping one resource , i.e. Rivers, is reduced if energy can be gathered from various sources.
A central issue at the moment is that the renewable power gold rush mentality is precipitating a sense of hyperdevelopment that currently lacks any sustainable foresight. The social, and environmental benefits of private hydro projects developed within this zeitgeist are arguably limited. As outlined in a municipal report on the Ledcor development of the Ashlu River near Squamish, B.C., the local social benefits of these projects are rarely realized.(Calvert, p.158) The vast majority of the money generated by these projects (75 cents for each dollar) ends up leaving the communities in which they are located, resulting in social unsustainability.¹ Real sustainability will require careful and significant economic investment in green technologies across the board, not just cheap and easy technologies that can be readily deployed to sway public opinion.
Conclusions:
Currently Wal-Mart’s initiatives, although a good first step, are placing ecological and social concerns secondary to economic profitability.
In EcoConsulting’s opinion, Bullfrog Power does not provide a robust enough source of truly sustainable power. Both Wal-Mart and Bullfrog are guilty of buying into an unsustainable renewable energy rush. Research into the renewable energy supply chain has concluded that the type of sustainability championed by Wal-Mart is superficial rather than substantial. With a continued sole focus on cutting costs and economic growth, Wal-Mart, in our opinion, will ultimately fail at making positive environmental change. This results is lackluster policy implementation, as well as hollow intentions and should be remedied if Wal-Mart wishes to remain competitive.
Overall Community Impact
by Mimi AuYeung
how does the parking lot affect the surrounding community
assess the Burlington stores efforts to be environmentally sustainable to the model SCD company, IKEA
Parking Lots
How does the parking lot affect the community?
"Parking lots cover a significant portion of the and in our cities, and consequently have a large affect on the quality of our environment. The acres of pavement in a city’s parking lots can increase the severity of flooding, destabilize streambeds, reduce ground water recharge, degrade water quality, raise summer air temperatures, fragment natural habitat, segregate the city into islands of separate activities and increase car use and this air pollution. Proper design of lots can help reduce this harm." (Childs, 1999)
The main problem with paved parking lots is the amount of water that would have been absorbed during the rainstorms has nowhere to go. The rain pours off the parking lot, taking chemicals that are on the pavement, such as “phosphorous, nitrogen, road salt, sediments, hydrocarbons from motor oils and fuels, heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides”(Mitchell, 2006) with it. The runoff flows into nearby waterways, such as rivers, ponds and lakes, increasing temperatures, and changing the ecology of the ecosystem. (Mitchell, 2006)
The city of Toronto has implemented eco-friendly parking policies by adding more native trees and greenery with irrigation using the runoff water. (http://www.thestar.com/News/article/272869 ) While these intentions are good, there is a better way to deal with the monster parking lots. The Landmark Design Group in Williamsburg Virginia has designed an eco-friendly parking lot that allows for a hard parking surface that also is porous. The advantage to this parking lot is that high-density runoff water can be avoided, and therefore dangerous levels of pollutants will not be injected into the ecosystem at once, but can be absorbed by the ground at a natural rate. The water is also used to irrigate the surrounding flora and fauna. ( http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/parking-lot-big-big-and-ecofriendly ) “This type of pavement has a void content of 15 percent to 30 percent, equating to a flow rate of 3 to 5 gal per minute per square foot, or 270 to 450 in./hour.” ( http://www.estormwater.com/Space-Saving-Drainage-article10092)
Community Impact- A Comparative Study of Wal-Mart and IKEA
What is a “Sustainable Business”? According to SustainableBusiness.com, it is “Business that contributes to an equitable and ecologically sustainable community.” A sustainable company considers the businesses different areas of infrastructure, energy and water usage and disposal, processing, materials, transportation and agriculture. They are committed to low, renewable energy sources, clean and efficient processing and waste disposal and lessening their ecological footprint. Protecting the environment while improving their economy is of utmost importance.
While many companies say that they are dedicated to protecting the environment, their actions do not always have a low ecological impact. The impact of a company in a community is not only economical, but also has environmental, social and moral impacts. This study will examine the impacts of IKEA and Wal-Mart on their communities based on their environmental practices. Why IKEA?
IKEA and Wal-Mart have many things in common. They are both huge, multi-national companies that employ millions of workers, directly and indirectly. Both chains use the big box store format that requires large areas of land use for the building itself as well as parking lots. (Christopherson, S., 2005) IKEA is one of the leading big box stores with regards to the environment and sustainability. Like Wal-Mart, IKEA is dedicated to giving the customer the best prices and customer satisfaction. However, since a major setback in 1981 in Denmark, where IKEA was found to be using illegal levels of formaldehyde in its children’s bookshelves, they have been committed to improving the quality of products for the customer and employees, starting at the most basic level of production.
IKEA’s motto is “low prices, but not at any price”. They do not expect an overnight change, however they do expect commitment to improving the environment and sustainability, within their company as well as the companies that are contracted to produce IKEA goods. IKEA realized early on that by contributing to a cleaner environment, was good for the company as well as their customers. By working with Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert from the Natural Step Institute, IKEA became one of the first large companies to adopt the method. Although IKEA is no longer with the Natural Step, they focus on climate change, preventing child labour, employee working conditions, forestry & wood and community involvement through partnerships such as WWF and UNICEF.
IKEA joined the Natural Step (TNS) in 1991 after a one-year trial period. ( HYPERLINK "http://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:pRhj4uafAxMJ:www.naturalstep.org.nz/downloads/International_Case_Study_pdfs/TNSI_Ikea_Denmark.pdf+The+Natural+Step+IKEA&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a" ) IKEA’s top management realized after its assessment with TNS that “what we are doing is actually transforming resources into waste. The process is measured at the cash register where we measure turnover. What we are actually measuring there is the rate at which we are transforming resources to waste.” ( HYPERLINK "http://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:pRhj4uafAxMJ:www.naturalstep.org.nz/downloads/International_Case_Study_pdfs/TNSI_Ikea_Denmark.pdf+The+Natural+Step+IKEA&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a" )
TSN helped IKEA realize that just by producing a few products that had a lower ecological footprint, it would be better for the company to look at its most popular products and make them more sustainable. While IKEA products bay be seen as disposable, the company is striving to redevelop its products with “Kingston University in the UK to look at designing furniture from an environmental perspective including concepts of dematerialization and design for disassembly” (TSN Case Summary, p6), as well as to “last for many years” (Dahlvig, Facts and Figures IKEA Group 2007, HYPERLINK "http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea_new/about/read_our_materials/index.html#FF")
Wal-Mart
IKEA
Similarities
Big Box Retailer
Multi-national Employer
"Lowest Price" policy
Large Parking Lots for customers
Big Box Retailer
Multi-national Employer
"Low Price, but Not at Any Price"
Large Parking Lots for customers
Labour Policies
All Wal-Mart employees receive above minimum wage in all provinces in Canada.
(Eligible hourly workers can receive bonuses)
(In the U.S.) takes 7 years to become fully vested
1/2 of Wal-Mart employees in the US are eligible the company health care plan (many are not eligible due to a lack of working hours. Full time employment is considered over 28 hours per week.)
60% of eligible workers signed up for company health care (Quinn, 2006)
Many managers work "off the clock" to avoid overtime
No unions in Wal-Mart. The Jonquiere Quebec store was unionized through a court order, Wal-mart closed the store.
"Wal-Mart employee cost tax payers $2,103/year in public assistance... for healthcare, food stamps, housing and energy subsidies (Konzelmann, 2006)
Pays good wages, gives full benefits and provides health care benefits to anyone working 20 hours a week or more. (Konzelmann, 2006)
"suppliers are required to provide a healthy and safe working environment, to pay the legal minimum wage or the local industry standard and compensate for overtime..
prohibited from preventing workers from associating freely with any workers association or group of theri choosing or collective bargaining. (Konzelmann, 2006)
Environmental Policies
Sustainability Goals
1) 100% renewable energy
2) zero waste
3) provide environmentally friendly products to customers
Three cornerstones in IKEA’s environmental work:
1) Cost consciousness and resource efficiency result in less usage of raw material and less waste and discharges.
2) The extensive use of wood in our products. Wood is a recyclable, biodegradable and renewable material and it is excellent from an environmental point of view.
3) Training and engaging our co-workers to work with environmental issues. http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/social_environmental/environment.html
Burlington location- 60% reductions in energy due to geothermal and other renewable energy and energy saving sources.
(New stores aim to save 30% with new technology)
next to Burlington Go Train Station and bus stops (convenient mass transit access for public)
Parking Area-
more green areas
low lighting for parking area to decrease light given off around the store
natural colour scheme to blend in to the community
15 km of geothermal piping under the parking lot used for pumping heat into the building in the winter and pumping back out in the summer
25% improved energy efficiency from 2005 levels.
long term goal- 100% renewable energy use
promote public transportation to stores including free shuttle buses in some locations (for employees and customers)
CFC light bulb recycling programmes in place
CFC light bulb recycling programmes in place
Women in Leadership Group
to promote women in leadership roles
Work with local charities
Children's Miracle Network, Breakfast Network, Canadian Red Cross, Juno Beach Centre, Salvation Army, etc.
Scholarships ~ $115,000 total for 81 students (Canada)
Working with WWF for forest conservation programmes and cotton harvesting practices.
Works with Save the Children and UNICEF
to eliminate child labour
to promote education for children €6.9 million since 2003
to empower women
From the above chart, we can see that the Wal-Mart Demonstration store in Burlington Ontario is up to par with IKEA, one of the world's leading big box retailers which is also considered to be an example of a economic and environmentally sustainable company. With respect to community environmental impact, Wal-mart has shown exemplary decision making with the building's infrastructure inside and out to reduce the impact on the surrounding community.
Current Environmental issues in Burlington City
by Jia Hui Thong
Watch closely in Environmental Quarterly Report by City of Burlington. This quarterly report accounts for up-to-date environment initiatives. The initiatives consist of corporate sustainability, community outreach and projects, and future initiatives and events.The feasibility of the issue to conduct research. Addressed and proposed recommendations regarding current initiatives or environmental issues.
Work together with Burlington Sustainable Development Committee, a city advisory board to council, to deal with sustainable, environmental, and community development concerns. These concerns will be directed and reported to WalMart Burlington with the aim of reducing environmental impact and footprint. Recommendations will be proposed. Is an on-going process.
Consult with WalMart in supporting community based program for the better quality of life of the residents in City of Burlington.This proposal will fulfill WalMart's goals towards contributions to Canada's Community. Is an on-going process.
Statistics information will be circulated accordingly to the required sub-topics.
Current Environmental Issues
According to Environment Quarterly Report of January 2009 by City of Burlington, a local resident spoke on the issue on banning bottled water alongside with the reduction usage of plastic bags. This issue was reported to Community & Corporate Services Committee of City of Burlington.
Tea Room’s sources also found an astounding 80 per cent of water bottles are not recycle.
John Rhodes, supervisor of solid waste disposal for the City of Kingston, said single-use bottles aren’t always a good idea from a waste perspective. Though he said a proportion of water bottles do get recycled, that doesn’t mean they are environmentally friendly. ((Tapping into bottled water concerns)
Recommendations
A completely safe and economical alternative to bottled water is tap water
To reduce bottled water consumption, Walmart can sell water by the litre, this is similar to Safeway Canada, mineral water is sold by the quantity avoiding the use of small bottled water.
Reusable glass water bottle. WalMart can encourage glass water bottle purchase, this will be more eco-friendly to the environment.
WalMart should work closely with City of Burlington to reduce bottled water usage by creating environment awareness and precent the danger of using bottled water.
Simple solution to plastic water bottled is to encourage home water filtration because this is the most healthy and ecocomical way of drinking water and reduce pollution. (Bottled Water - Healthy or Hoax)
Solid Waste Management
by Katherine Bemben
One of the aims of the Burlington Wal-Mart environmental demonstration site is to divert 85% of its waste from going into the landfill. In addition, Wal-Mart Corporation has announced in its "Greener Good' report launched in 2007, a goal of Zero Waste. Following are criteria that were used by EcoConsulting Inc. to assess the sustainability of Burlington Wal-Mart's Solid Waste Management practices and determine how it can attain its goals:
Reduce: Are Burlington Wal-Mart's inputs/products as "environmentally friendly" (sustainable) as they can be, at source (on social, environmental and economic levels)? What types of resources are used? Are they from sustainable sources? What is the impact of extracting these resources? In what ways can excessive packaging or produce be minimized, to reduce the production of waste?
Reuse/Recycle/Recuperate: How can the "life" of existing materials/products be extended, to avoid disposing of them in the landfill? What is the current carrying capacity of the Halton landfill (the one that serves the City of Burlington)? What possibilities exist for various materials/products being re-used by the local community? What recycling facilities exist in the region? What gaps exist regarding local recycling options? How can materials/products be recuperated once they have been used, to be used again (perhaps for a completely different use)?
Linkages ("closing the loop"): What partnerships or linkages have been made with potential markets/clients for their materials, to ensure that that materials are diverted from the landfill/remain in a "closed loop"? What potential waste solid management "clusters" opportunities exist for the Burlington Wal-Mart to join up with (in line with the? If no such clusters do exist, what linkages could Burlington Wal-Mart play a leadership role in spearheading?
In April 2007, Wal-Mart Canada Corp. launched its "For the Greener Good" report. Of the three priority areas contained in the report, two touch on the lifecycles of
products and waste generation: to produce zero waste; and to provide environmentally friendly products to customers. Though various initiatives were launched, including various packaging reduction strategies and the "Greener Good" label (for sustainably-sourced products, such as organic cottons and third-party certified materials), various areas remain lacking. The labelling initiative covers a wide range of products, from jewelery and seafood to lightbulbs and paper products. The November 2007 progress report as follow-up to the Green Good initiative states:
We believe we have made progress towards our zero waste goal in the United States, but the reality is we don’t have an accurate measurement
of how much waste we have reduced. We do not have the systems in place to measure or weigh the waste coming from the back of our facilities.
We know we have reduced dumpster pick-ups from the back of our stores, but we are unsure of how full they are now as compared to before the launch
of these initiatives.
In other words, there is a lack of baseline data with regards to how much waste was originally generated. Without this data, it is very difficult to assess progress towards the optimistic goals that Wal-Mart is promoting. By contrast, Mountain Equipment Coop stores in Canada have been monitoring their progress on reaching their own Zero Waste goal over the past few years. So far, their results have been very promising. In 2007, the retailer had surpassed their milestone of achieving 90% waste diversion from landfills, with a total diversion rate of 92% (of the total 913 tonnes of waste generated, only 70 tonnes went to landfill). The company also noted in their Accountability Report that these reductions in waste generation proved to be equally profitable from a cost perspective, saving them over $216,000. This was due in large part to the fact that landfill costs averaged $325 per tonne, whereas recycling costs were a mere $68 per tonne in comparison.
In terms of reducing and recycling, Wal-Mart has shown strides in a favourable direction. One major initiative involves the creation of "plastic sandwich bales", which is the insertion of various types of recyclable plastics that are "sandwiched" between cardboard, and sent for recycling. So far, this initiative has been adopted in over 3,000 stores, and have resulted in the recycling of 5,734 tonnes of plastic since 2005. Other efforts include introducing concentrated laundry detergent in smaller packaging to reduce waste and reducing the packaging of electronics equipment in its Sam's Clubs by 50%. While these are steps in the right direction, they may not be sufficient.
A particularly interesting example of a recent Wal-Mart initiative could serve as an example for how the stores can encompass a "cradle-to-cradle" approach. With a recent change in employees' dress codes, over 1 million blue vests were no longer needed. An initiative was therefore launched to recuperate these vests and to provide them with a "new llife" - many different lives, in fact. The vests were sent to a plant that made them into over 3,000 lbs of fibre. This fibre was then used to create greeting cards for troops overseas, blankets for veterans, boxes and bags for shipping and wheelchair caddies for carrying things on. Some of the vests were even sent to museums to commemorate a moment in retail history. The importance of building linkages with potential markets for recycling one's potential waste products is underlined, as well as the thinking creatively, and in a full-cycle manner. Mountain Equipment Coop introduced another example of the "cradle-to-cradle" approach, with their recuperation program for used climbing ropes, which are shipped to companies that convert them into dog leashes and filling and padding (e.g. for mattresses). Bins are available at store locations to collect customers' used rope donations.
In the Province of Ontario and in the Burlington Region, stringent regulations are in place with regards to waste management. The provincial Ministry of the Environment introduced waste regulations under the Environmental Protection Act (102/94 and 103/94) that require retail establishments to undergo third-party waste audits once a year, to establish and update action plans and to reduce the amount of waste generated as source. The Halton Region Waste Management Site serves the City of Burlington. Its very effective policies and programs have already shown results, in extending the lifespan of the landfill site. Through initiatives such as Blue Box recycling, Green Cart organics collection and composting, yard waste collection, re-use centres, container waste (much of which is recycled) and the Take it Back! program that encourages local businesses to recuperate and recycle products that they sell, proven results have been apparent. Case in point, the 131-acre landfill site was opened in 1992. At the time, the project life span of the site was 20 years (until 2012). However, due to strong programs and citizen participation, the projected life expectancy was extended until 2023. Recently, this figure has been pushed even further into the future, due to a very successful Green Cart program launched in April 2008, which sees the landfill as lasting until 2031.
These measures, along with the strong policies and programs established by the Halton Region at its Waste Management Site, provide a solid framework and infrastructure for waste diversion initiatives that Wal-Mart Burlington's environmental demonstration site has currently on-site, and could improve, according to the recommendations mentioned below, to be even more effective in reaching its optimistic waste reduction and diversion targets. Examples and Precedents
Current Environmental Issues (as of January 9, 2009):
According to Environment Quarterly Report of January 2009 by City of Burlington, a local resident spoke on the issue on banning bottled water alongside with the reduction usage of plastic bags. This issue was reported to Community & Corporate Services Committee of City of Burlington.
Success Story -- Arkansas, USA: A Wal-Mart in Fayetteville, Arkansas has recently been adopting sustainability principles. Since the decade or so that it has been in place, the retailer has attracted many companies to the area, which are now joining its lead to form an eco-friendly "cluster" of industries, which appears to be along the lines of Ecological Industrial Design (EID) theory. The University of Arkansas and the City of Fayetteville are now encouraging local businesses and start-ups to adopt sustainable practices. Their aim is, in their words, to "become the Green Valley for sustainability". This example demonstrates the strong potential for the Burlington Green Demonstration Store to become a leader in creating partnerships or "clusters" and inspiring local businesses to adopt similar sustainable practices within the region.
Prime Outlets Shopping Mall- Willamsburg Va. Landmark Design Group created a permeable parking lot that covers 7 acres of land. There is a complex water capture system underneathe the parking lot in which the rainwater is stored in zip tie crates and has a slow release hole system used for irrigation. The desired result, less runoff water and pollution entering natural water systems.
Recommendations
Transportation
1) Wal-Mart should offer a free shuttle service to and from the Burlington GO Station, the Downtown Station, the Mapleview Mall, and the Burlington Mall. By offering shuttle service to customers, Wal-Mart can increase the number of elderly, immobile, and non-driving customers, make use of a new advertising platform, and decrease the number of single occupant vehicles driving to the Burlington Wal-Mart SuperCentre. The net effect will be reduced congestion in the area and reduced greenhouse gas and smog.
2) Wal-Mart should power the proposed shuttle bus with the waste vegetable oil produced on the premis. By doing so, Wal-Mart will be diverting and reusing their waste (see Solid Waste Management 2 and 3) which would contribute to their long-term goal of producing zero waste, and would be using a carbon-neural renewable energy source, which contributes to their long-term goal of souring 100% of their energy from renewable sources.
3) Using an online tool similar to the Jack Bell Ride-Share program used by Vancity, Wal-Mart should provide organizational support to their employees to encourage carpooling.
4) To encourage the use of public transit given the close proximity to Burlington's busiest trasit hub, Wal-Mart should offer subsidized transit passes for employees and extend the free shuttle service to employees.
5) To facilitate bicycle use, Burlington Wal-Mart should offer bicycle storage, lockers and showers.
Outlet/Building Energy Sources
1) Continued energy use reduction should be a central goal. Demand side reductions are a great way to reduce the need for potentially harmful energy sources.Wal-Mart should strive for green building certifications, such as the LEED Green Building Rating System. Increased reliance on 3rd party certifications will go a long way in improving Wal-Mart’s credibility.
2) Investment in localized, community based power can achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability and ensure healthy communities.¹² Increased investment in private solar power generation will also help Wal-Mart reach its sustainability goals. Wal-Mart Burlington took the time to install skylights and roof insulation. With more investment, the Burlington store could utilize a photovoltaic array to harness sun that could power a portion of its LED lighting. These measures will cost more, but the long term savings still exist and will ultimately do more for Wal-Mart’s public image than its current superficial sustainability. Real sustainability was never about saving money, but investing in positive change for the planet.
3) Wal-Mart should work towards influencing all elements of its energy supply chain to develop stronger sustainability programs. As well as critically analysing its own impacts, Wal-Mart should begin to apply pressure to its suppliers to do the same. True sustainability needs champions, there is room for Wal-Mart to fill this role.
4) As our site visit has indicated, Wal-Mart has not gone to enough lengths to ensure that all stores will be sustainable into the future. Although our focus is on the Burlington store, EcoConsulting feels that it is in Wal-Mart’s best interest to focus on making the entire corporation as sustainable as possible. Part of the problem is reliance on homegrown sustainability frameworks that are too strongly based on economics. Wal-Mart must adopt third party sustainability frameworks. The Natural Step is one such framework that has worked effectively in other regions of Canada.¹ It ensures a holistic, systems based approach for planning and policy development and if adopted on a large scale can ensure robust sustainability.
Solid Waste Management:
1) Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to consult with local experts in Environmental Engineering, etc. (possibly from local NGOs, consulting firms and/or the University of Toronto or York University) to determine ways of extracting and producing products/materials in a sustainable manner (inputs) as well as ensuring that their lifecycle follows a continuous loop (outputs), to be reused/recycled/recuperated as much as possible. 2) In collaboration with EcoConsulting Inc.'s Waste Management expert and a team of Wal-Mart staff, Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to launch a baseline data study by monitoring current solid waste streams produced by the store, including the quantity and composition of the waste produced over a given period of time. This data will then be used to produce a critical path with milestones (including the 85% waste diversion goal set out for this store) and on-going monitoring/evaluation to assess the efficiency of the approach. This will lead up to the "Zero Waste" end target that was announced by Wal-Mart Corporation. 3) Halton Waste Diversion Office and provincial Ministry of the Enironment representatives to work alongside Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to determine strategies for reducing/reusing/recycling/recuperating materials based on the results of the solid waste stream study. This might include developing programs and policy to address commercial waste in the Burlington City region as a whole. 4) Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to collaborate with the Chair of the Burlington Business Bureau and the City of Burlington's Environmental Advisor and Community Liaison to foster partnerships and linkages with local businesses and organizations in determining local sources for products/materials for the Wal-Mart store as well as markets/clients for the after-use (reducing/reusing/recycling/recuperating) of the products/materials, in order to divert them from going to the landfill. A possible linkage "close to home" could be between the Wal-Mart McDonalds and free customer shuttle buses that we recommend in the "Transportation" section of this report. Used cooking oil from the restaurant could serve as fuel for the buses.
Community Impact
1) Use Eco-parking lots by Landmark Design Group when parking areas need repair or replacement. The porous concrete land cover allows rainwater to filter into the ground at natural rates. By using porous concrete for the Wal-Mart parking lots, it would help ensure the community's water safety. According to a study by Brattebo and Booth (2003), on porous concrete pavement versus asphalt, there was "almost no surface runoff. The infiltrated water had significantly lower levels of copper and zinc than the direct surface runoff from the asphalt area. Motor oil was detected in 89% of samples from the asphalt runoff but not in any water sample infiltrated though the permeable pavement....Infiltrate measured 5 years earlier displayed significantly higher concentrations of zinc..." It is highly recommended that Wal-Mart implement this type of porous concrete parking lot to keep in line with its commitment to protecting the environment at this demonstration store.
2) Labour Unions and Wages
By allowing Wal-Mart employees to join a union, will help Wal-Mart ensure their employees are paid fairly and earn living wages. Increasing wages for the workers will help promote and standardize a healthy working and living environment in Burlington.
Additional Statistics
The average Burlington resident takes 10 one-way trips by public transit (2006).
The average Burlington household has 1.7 cars (2004).
Of the trips made in Burlington in 2001, 75% were by automobile drivers, 16% were by automobile passengers, 1% were on local transit, 2% were on GO-Transit (a regional transit system), and 6% were walking, cycling or other.
In Metro Vancouver, 33% of trips are made by alternative transportation.
One kilogram of plastic bottles requires 17.5 kilograms of water to be used in the production proces
Parking lot runoff data http://www.pwconserve.org/links/graphics/runoff.gif
Brookefield’s Total Assets: $95 Billion
Social project contributions over 3 years: $4 Million towards 30 local projects.
Percentage of assets devoted to social causes: less than a half a percent (for 3 years) (BRPI_Sustainable.pdf@http://www.brookfieldpower.com/environment_progress.html)
Percentage of corporate owned power in Ontario: > 99%
Percentage of community owned power in Ontario: < 1% (www.ontario-sea.org/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1251&SiteNodeID=202&BL_ExpandID=44)
Wal-Mart’s rank among retailers who are using green power : 3rd
Wal-Mart’s rank among national companies who are using green power : 15th
Wal-Mart’s rank among international retailers: 1st (3 times larger than the 2nd ranked company) (walmartstores.com/download/3399.pdf, http://www.worldb2blink.com/worldtop100retailers.htm)
Burlington Wal-Mart Sustainability Consultation
Eco-Consulting IncIntroduction
Members of the Eco-Consulting Inc. team conducted a sustainability study on the recently opened Wal-Mart Green Demonstration store in Burlington, Ontario. The following factors were studied: Transportation; Outlet and Building Energy Sources; Overall Community Impact; Public Perspective in Burlington, Ontario; and Solid Waste Management. This report includes background information on the store and its location, the research methods used, and the recommendations and conclusions that we propose to ensure that this "environmental test store" respects the highest standards of sustainability in relation to its impacts on the surrounding community and on the environment. Links to further information and references are included throughout the report.
Client: Wal-Mart SuperCentre Green Demonstration Store, Canada, Burlington, Ontario
Fairview St, Burlington, Ontario
Background
Our client, the Wal-Mart Demonstration Store in Burlington, Ontario, is leading the way for big box format retail stores to adapt environmentally sustainable methods of operation. By implementing innovative environmental innitiatives, this location has realized 60% lower energy use as compared to other Wal-Mart locations. The site location is unique given that it is situated next to the most used transit hub in Burlington, and therefore customers have to choice of taking public transit to the store. Eco-Consulting Inc has been hired to review practices and policies in use now that the location has been open for two months, and provide recommendations for additional environmental measures that can be taken.Our Mission
EcoConsulting Inc. provides realistic analysis and recommendations for the various Wal-Mart green technologies / approaches and their effectiveness and practicality from a Sustainable Community Development perspective. Recommendations are made with the increasingly eco-savvy consumer and local community in mind. "Eco-savvy" consumers constitute an increasing proportion of the Canadian population. Such individuals are aware of the ethical and social impacts of the products they buy and the need to protect the Earth's natural resources and reduce pollution by choosing products judiciously. With the current economy, "green" solutions with real impact, balanced by affordability are essential. This requirement applies not only to products, but to companies' entire operations systems.
General Approach
With an increasing emphasis on ecological sensitivity, many firms such as Wal-Mart areimplementing massive sustainability policies to ensure a competitive edge. Often seen critically as
“green-washing”, these progressive measures can backfire if not researched properly. Increasing
scrutiny on the part of social and environmental advocacy group means corporations will have to
implement real and robust green measures in order to flourish. EcoConsulting specializes in a
multi-perspective approach to assessing the feasibility of such sustainability policies. As one of the
first “Green” Wal-Marts, the Burlington location provides an excellent opportunity for 3rd party
assessment and recommendation.
Environmental impacts are examined from the following five perspectives to ensure more robust and effective solution development. (See the "Sub-Topics" section for more details)
(Nigel Tunnacliffe)
(Chris Mennell)
(Mimi AuYeung)
(Jia Hui Thong)
(Katherine Bemben)
Our team:
Chris Mennell completed the film program at Simon Fraser University in 2007. He has been actively involved with the Organic agriculture community in the south Similkameen Valley for over 15 years. His passion for the British Columbia wilderness has manifested in many forms. Working with B.C. Parks and local broadcaster Knowledge Network in 2006, he was part of the team that produced the acclaimed television series "Wild At Heart" which promoted local tourism.Over the last decade he has worked with several conservation groups throughout B.C., these include Wildsight (Kimberely), Columbia Basin Trust, and the Creek Protection Society (Victoria). Recent developments in green energy development in B.C. has been a driving force in Chris' work.Mimi AuYeung is dedicated to environmental and cultural issues in Canada and abroad. She studied resource management at the University of Western Ontario and is currently doing her post-baccalaureate in Sustainable Community Development at Simon Fraser University. She has also recently completed her MA in Advanced Japanese Studies at the University of Sheffield in England, where she pursued her English to Japanese translation skills, as well as her interest in social issues such as environment, discrimination and women's studies. She owned and managed "Bar Soul Flower" in Osaka, Japan for four years, which was a base for the expatriate community. There were local art and music exhibitions held regularly to help promote the local talent. She is a volunteer for the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo as the Osaka area Warden, who is a contact point between the Embassy and Canadians the the Osaka area in case of an emergency, such as natural disasters or political upheaval. She is a dedicated teacher at Tezukayama Gakuin High School, teaching students communication skills through debating social issues. She is also the director of an International School's Saturday programme.
When she is not studying or working, she enjoys travelling to experience new and different cultures and meeting new people.
Nigel Tunnacliffe is a serial social entrepreneur. He has launched five startups to date, including a social housing initiative, a commercial waste vegetable oil collection and processing project, and GE-Free Solutions, a verification agency for non-genetically engineered foods. He has a degree in Communication from Simon Fraser University, and he is currently completing a certificate in Sustainable Community Development at that institution. Nigel's current volunteer positions include Vice Chair, Vancouver Biodiesel Coop; Steering Committee Member, Society for a GE-Free BC, and Young'uns Program Founder/Director, West Vancouver Yacht Club.
In his spare time, Nigel leads an international level sailing team which is set to compete at the world J24 championships in Annapolis, Maryland this May. He also climbs, skis and generally spends time outdoors.
When he is not riding his bike, Nigel is driving the GE-Free Solutions Jetta, which runs on waste vegetable oil and recycled biodiesel.
gefree.ca - currentcoffee.ca - vofuels.ca - undoge.org
Jia Hui Thong is concerned with community economic development that will help to improve standard of living within the community. She is currently in BA Economics with SFU and graduating this summer. Since she is interested in community economic development she loves where she works right now. It is a small non-profit but it does a lot of community economic development. For example, they organize events throughout the year to encourage the locals to be more involved in the area and to know their neighbors. With this, they are able to increase the security in the community or neighborhood. This is a very new involvement of her in this field; she said that she is a budding learner in SCD and CED. She has grown great passion for Capoeira because to her, this is not simply a martial art but it incorporates a lot of cultures and learnings in the martial art itself. Capoeira is a slave art.
Katherine Bemben holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies from the University of Ottawa. During university, she co-authored and illustrated a guidebook on indigenous ecotourism in the Ecuadorian Amazon region. She has volunteered for various wildlife conservation projects in Greece, Madagascar and on Sable Island, N.S. Her love for experiencing new cultures led her to spend a few years teaching English as a foreign language in Krakow, Poland. As an employee with Environment Canada’s outreach programs she liaised with various community environmental groups from across the country that were taking action at a local level. She currently works for the values and ethics section of Environment Canada in Ottawa. Her studies at SFU are enabling her to explore her interest in finding ways to empower individuals and communities to find the solutions that will enable them to take care of the planet and one another, through sustainable community development and facilitation techniques such as Art of Hosting. Her hobbies include Polish folk dancing, photography and curling.
Sub-Topics
Transportation
By Nigel TunnacliffeThey key issues in the area of personal transportation are traffic congestion and pollution. These two issues can be addressed both when dealing with customer transportation and employee transportation. This section examines the issues surrounding personal transportation and offer solutions specific to the Burlington Wal-Mart SuperCentre.
According to the 2003 Transportation Tomorrow Survey, Fairview Street, where the Wal-Mart is located, is a common alternative to the highway system for through traffic. As such, congestion on Fairview prior to opening the Wal-Mart SuperCentre was already quite high. To make matters worse, to building the SuperCentre, two new stoplights had to be added in order to facilitate traffic turning into the Wal-Mart. Public opposition to this new Wal-Mart location was often centered around the choice of location, and the impact it would have on congestion. As such, to build community support, Wal-Mart should invest in solutions to decrease congestions in and around their new SuperCentre.
Furthermore, the increased traffic driving to the new Wal-Mart location, both from employees driving to and from work and from customers doing their shopping, will increase the greenhouse gas emissions and the smog produced in the area. In order to truly be a green store, Wal-Mart has to look at transportation solutions to decrease this impact on the environment.
Burlington is town which largely relies on the automobile for transportation. The average resident makes 10 one-way trips by public transit per year, which accounts for about 3% of all trips made, and the average household has 1.7 cars. The car, by far the most preferred mode of transportation, accounts for 91% of trips made by Burlington residents. The most common reasons for Burlington residents to not take transit are a preference for using a car, a feeling that public transit is too inconvenient and that a car was a requirement for the transportation undertaken. (http://cms.burlington.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=7321).
The Wal Mart in question is located within a 5 minute walk from the busiest transit hub in Burlington, the Burlington Go Station which services approximately 3000 boardings/alightings per 24/hour period. In addition, the third, fifth and sixth busiest transit hubs, at 1500, 650, and 500 boardings/alightings per 24hour period respectively, are within 2kms of the new Burlington Wal-Mart. Offering pickup and dropoff service to the Burlington GO Station and the other three hubs would make transit more convenient, and would make some customers feel that a car is not necessary for shopping at Wal-Mart. By addressing two of the three most common reasons for driving, Wal-Mart could substantially decrease the number of single-occupant vehicles driven to the SuperCentre.
Employee trips to work also have a considerable impact on pollution and congestion. To address staff transportation needs, and to encourage staff to consider alternative transportation, a number of small changes need to be made. A best-practice for alternative employee transportation strategies is demonstrated by Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (VanCity). Their initiatives include discounted employee transit passes, supporting carpooling through an online rideshare system, facilities for cyclists including showers and secure storage, and a guaranteed ride home program, where if an employee has to make an emergency ride home they are reimbursed for the cost of the bus or a cab. As a result of VanCity’s programs, more than half of their staff use alternative transportation, as compared with 33% in Metro Vancouver. By implementing VanCity’s innovative programs, and by extending the proposed free shuttle service to employees, Wal-Mart could offer superior value to their staff, while decreasing congestion and pollution created by staff transportation needs.
Outlet/Building Energy Sources
by Chris MennellView as .Pdf file
Introduction:
The purpose of this assessment is to test the strength of Wal-Mart Burlington’s sustainability claims and initiatives and ultimately make recommendations based on any weakness’ found. Specifically, research for this final report was targeted towards Wal-Mart Burlington’s renewable energy source, Bullfrog Power as well as other energy use strategies employed by this location. EcoConsulting Inc. makes it a priority to ensure that a corporation’s sustainability program will not become a liability should it prove to be unsubstantiated.
Following analysis of the energy supply chain, this report goes on to make recommendations for both corporate policy and infrastructure improvements in order to achieve the highest level of true sustainability with regards to renewable energy sources.
Report Focus and criteria:
Wal Mart Burlington, has implemented a number of demand side measures to reduce energy use, an important first step with regards to sustainability.
The focus of this report however is on the sustainability of the supply of renewable energy sources to the Burlington location. Using the services of Bullfrog Power, Wal-Mart makes the claim that the “store is powered 100% by renewable power sources like wind and low-impact water power through Bullfrog Power.”¹ By simply looking past the glossy cover of Bullfrog Power’s claims, this fundamental aspect of the Burlington store’s sustainability was found to be too weak to provide a truly strong notion of sustainability.¹ The risk of losing public support due to flimsy policy is high. The following analysis indicates how EcoConsulting came to this conclusion and then makes recommendations based on the findings.
Criteria for analysis are:
1. Environmental Impacts: Are Wal-Marts energy sources as green as they claim?
2. Local benefits: do the various energy producers build positive community and strive for social justice?
3. Economic viability: Do the suppliers provide economic benefit for local communities?
Private Power Backgrounder:
Following the 2004 restructuring of the Ontario Electricity Board, Ontario experienced a boom in the growth of private renewable power.¹ Suddenly an entire private energy industry was born, and the previously public power system was becoming increasingly privatized. It has been argued that this situation leaves behind any effective public policy tools regarding these developments (Calvert, p.209). Sustainability policy was left in the hands of the private companies who’s primary goal is economic growth. This has been proven, as in the case of British Columbia, to be largely detrimental to environmental sustainability (Calvert, p.205). Bullfrog’s primary power provider is the private corporation Brookefield Renewable Power which operates 164 hydroelectricity generating stations throughout North and South America.¹
Report Findings:
Renewable Sources:
When research began it became clear that although Wal-Mart and Bullfrog both make strong claims for sustainability, ultimately these claims proved weak at best.
Wal-Mart announced in press releases that Bullfrog was providing 100% renewable, low-impact hydro and wind power. Bullfrog was defining the power as “low-impact” based on its EcoLogo certification program.¹ According to EcoLogo’s own data only 18 of the 29 Brookefield hydro dams in Ontario and Quebec are actually certified as “environmentally preferable.”¹ The power from Brookefield’s dams is indeed renewable, but is not 100% “low-impact” as the company claims.
Further, the EcoLogo certification criteria nowhere claims that low impact is anyway related to the scope of the project.¹ These supposedly green projects can be any size. In total Brookefield Renewables is responsible for the flooding of 29,539 km² of Ontario and Quebec, an area only slightly smaller than Vancouver Island.¹ The cumulative impacts of these projects must be taken into consideration if they are to be deemed sustainable.
From a social perspective, Brookefield also comes up short. In the past it has been accused of abandoning the communities in which it has previously provided employment in, such as the case of the Katahdin paper mills in Maine.¹
Currently the company is aggressively pushing through hydro developments in the sensitive Patagonia region of Chile, laying 2300 km of power line through a previously undeveloped area.¹ ² Brookefield’s sustainability brochures amount to little more than green-washing, even having the audacity to proclaim that essential safety features at their dam facilities were built for the community by choice, rather than out of necessity.¹
Bullfrog makes a confident assertion that its power stream is 100% renewable and low-impact, but further research indicates that the calculation methods to determine Bullfrog’s power mix are at best vague assumptions, and in no real way provide accurate descriptions of where Wal-Mart is really investing its money; Wal-Mart may very well be buying nuclear and coal powered energy.¹
Sustainability Ideology:
After minimal research into Wal-Mart’s own sustainability platform via its website, EcoConsulting found that all energy reduction and renewable energy initiatives were focussed on one goal: cost saving for the corporation of Wal-Mart.
Several messages were clear:
That green initiatives were “ win-win financially.”
That these actions were “ about competing in the marketplace”
And despite the fact that Wal-Mart is “considered the largest private power purchaser in the world” its efforts to reduce usage ultimately amounted to “energy savings.”(Videos:Sustainability 1.0 and 2.0)
Wal-Mart’s choice to not pursue other energy options also reflects this economic focus. As it stands, hydro and wind are some of the cheapest form of renewables. Solar on the other hand remains an expensive albeit legitimate energy production source.¹ State of the Environment reports to Burlington municipal council have in the past encouraged the use of PV technology among its business’.(SOER.pdf) Although it is a pricier option, it ensures that environmental impacts are minimized and concentrated on the building site itself. Solar also ensures that energy supply is more diversified. The environmental risk of overdeveloping one resource , i.e. Rivers, is reduced if energy can be gathered from various sources.
A central issue at the moment is that the renewable power gold rush mentality is precipitating a sense of hyperdevelopment that currently lacks any sustainable foresight. The social, and environmental benefits of private hydro projects developed within this zeitgeist are arguably limited. As outlined in a municipal report on the Ledcor development of the Ashlu River near Squamish, B.C., the local social benefits of these projects are rarely realized.(Calvert, p.158) The vast majority of the money generated by these projects (75 cents for each dollar) ends up leaving the communities in which they are located, resulting in social unsustainability.¹ Real sustainability will require careful and significant economic investment in green technologies across the board, not just cheap and easy technologies that can be readily deployed to sway public opinion.
Conclusions:
Currently Wal-Mart’s initiatives, although a good first step, are placing ecological and social concerns secondary to economic profitability.
In EcoConsulting’s opinion, Bullfrog Power does not provide a robust enough source of truly sustainable power. Both Wal-Mart and Bullfrog are guilty of buying into an unsustainable renewable energy rush. Research into the renewable energy supply chain has concluded that the type of sustainability championed by Wal-Mart is superficial rather than substantial. With a continued sole focus on cutting costs and economic growth, Wal-Mart, in our opinion, will ultimately fail at making positive environmental change. This results is lackluster policy implementation, as well as hollow intentions and should be remedied if Wal-Mart wishes to remain competitive.
Overall Community Impact
by Mimi AuYeungParking Lots
How does the parking lot affect the community?
"Parking lots cover a significant portion of the and in our cities, and consequently have a large affect on the quality of our environment. The acres of pavement in a city’s parking lots can increase the severity of flooding, destabilize streambeds, reduce ground water recharge, degrade water quality, raise summer air temperatures, fragment natural habitat, segregate the city into islands of separate activities and increase car use and this air pollution. Proper design of lots can help reduce this harm." (Childs, 1999)
The main problem with paved parking lots is the amount of water that would have been absorbed during the rainstorms has nowhere to go. The rain pours off the parking lot, taking chemicals that are on the pavement, such as “phosphorous, nitrogen, road salt, sediments, hydrocarbons from motor oils and fuels, heavy metals, pesticides and herbicides”(Mitchell, 2006) with it. The runoff flows into nearby waterways, such as rivers, ponds and lakes, increasing temperatures, and changing the ecology of the ecosystem. (Mitchell, 2006)
The city of Toronto has implemented eco-friendly parking policies by adding more native trees and greenery with irrigation using the runoff water. (http://www.thestar.com/News/article/272869 ) While these intentions are good, there is a better way to deal with the monster parking lots. The Landmark Design Group in Williamsburg Virginia has designed an eco-friendly parking lot that allows for a hard parking surface that also is porous. The advantage to this parking lot is that high-density runoff water can be avoided, and therefore dangerous levels of pollutants will not be injected into the ecosystem at once, but can be absorbed by the ground at a natural rate. The water is also used to irrigate the surrounding flora and fauna. ( http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/parking-lot-big-big-and-ecofriendly ) “This type of pavement has a void content of 15 percent to 30 percent, equating to a flow rate of 3 to 5 gal per minute per square foot, or 270 to 450 in./hour.” ( http://www.estormwater.com/Space-Saving-Drainage-article10092)
Community Impact- A Comparative Study of Wal-Mart and IKEA
What is a “Sustainable Business”? According to SustainableBusiness.com, it is “Business that contributes to an equitable and ecologically sustainable community.” A sustainable company considers the businesses different areas of infrastructure, energy and water usage and disposal, processing, materials, transportation and agriculture. They are committed to low, renewable energy sources, clean and efficient processing and waste disposal and lessening their ecological footprint. Protecting the environment while improving their economy is of utmost importance.
While many companies say that they are dedicated to protecting the environment, their actions do not always have a low ecological impact. The impact of a company in a community is not only economical, but also has environmental, social and moral impacts. This study will examine the impacts of IKEA and Wal-Mart on their communities based on their environmental practices.
Why IKEA?
IKEA and Wal-Mart have many things in common. They are both huge, multi-national companies that employ millions of workers, directly and indirectly. Both chains use the big box store format that requires large areas of land use for the building itself as well as parking lots. (Christopherson, S., 2005) IKEA is one of the leading big box stores with regards to the environment and sustainability. Like Wal-Mart, IKEA is dedicated to giving the customer the best prices and customer satisfaction. However, since a major setback in 1981 in Denmark, where IKEA was found to be using illegal levels of formaldehyde in its children’s bookshelves, they have been committed to improving the quality of products for the customer and employees, starting at the most basic level of production.
IKEA’s motto is “low prices, but not at any price”. They do not expect an overnight change, however they do expect commitment to improving the environment and sustainability, within their company as well as the companies that are contracted to produce IKEA goods. IKEA realized early on that by contributing to a cleaner environment, was good for the company as well as their customers. By working with Dr. Karl-Henrik Robert from the Natural Step Institute, IKEA became one of the first large companies to adopt the method. Although IKEA is no longer with the Natural Step, they focus on climate change, preventing child labour, employee working conditions, forestry & wood and community involvement through partnerships such as WWF and UNICEF.
IKEA joined the Natural Step (TNS) in 1991 after a one-year trial period. ( HYPERLINK "http://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:pRhj4uafAxMJ:www.naturalstep.org.nz/downloads/International_Case_Study_pdfs/TNSI_Ikea_Denmark.pdf+The+Natural+Step+IKEA&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a" ) IKEA’s top management realized after its assessment with TNS that “what we are doing is actually transforming resources into waste. The process is measured at the cash register where we measure turnover. What we are actually measuring there is the rate at which we are transforming resources to waste.” ( HYPERLINK "http://209.85.175.132/search?q=cache:pRhj4uafAxMJ:www.naturalstep.org.nz/downloads/International_Case_Study_pdfs/TNSI_Ikea_Denmark.pdf+The+Natural+Step+IKEA&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=firefox-a" )
TSN helped IKEA realize that just by producing a few products that had a lower ecological footprint, it would be better for the company to look at its most popular products and make them more sustainable. While IKEA products bay be seen as disposable, the company is striving to redevelop its products with “Kingston University in the UK to look at designing furniture from an environmental perspective including concepts of dematerialization and design for disassembly” (TSN Case Summary, p6), as well as to “last for many years” (Dahlvig, Facts and Figures IKEA Group 2007, HYPERLINK "http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_CA/about_ikea_new/about/read_our_materials/index.html#FF")
Multi-national Employer
"Lowest Price" policy
Large Parking Lots for customers
Multi-national Employer
"Low Price, but Not at Any Price"
Large Parking Lots for customers
(Eligible hourly workers can receive bonuses)
(In the U.S.) takes 7 years to become fully vested
1/2 of Wal-Mart employees in the US are eligible the company health care plan (many are not eligible due to a lack of working hours. Full time employment is considered over 28 hours per week.)
60% of eligible workers signed up for company health care (Quinn, 2006)
Many managers work "off the clock" to avoid overtime
No unions in Wal-Mart. The Jonquiere Quebec store was unionized through a court order, Wal-mart closed the store.
"Wal-Mart employee cost tax payers $2,103/year in public assistance... for healthcare, food stamps, housing and energy subsidies (Konzelmann, 2006)
"suppliers are required to provide a healthy and safe working environment, to pay the legal minimum wage or the local industry standard and compensate for overtime..
prohibited from preventing workers from associating freely with any workers association or group of theri choosing or collective bargaining. (Konzelmann, 2006)
1) 100% renewable energy
2) zero waste
3) provide environmentally friendly products to customers
1) Cost consciousness and resource efficiency result in less usage of raw material and less waste and discharges.
2) The extensive use of wood in our products. Wood is a recyclable, biodegradable and renewable material and it is excellent from an environmental point of view.
3) Training and engaging our co-workers to work with environmental issues.
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_US/about_ikea/social_environmental/environment.html
(New stores aim to save 30% with new technology)
next to Burlington Go Train Station and bus stops (convenient mass transit access for public)
Parking Area-
more green areas
low lighting for parking area to decrease light given off around the store
natural colour scheme to blend in to the community
15 km of geothermal piping under the parking lot used for pumping heat into the building in the winter and pumping back out in the summer
long term goal- 100% renewable energy use
promote public transportation to stores including free shuttle buses in some locations (for employees and customers)
to promote women in leadership roles
Work with local charities
Children's Miracle Network, Breakfast Network, Canadian Red Cross, Juno Beach Centre, Salvation Army, etc.
Scholarships ~ $115,000 total for 81 students (Canada)
Works with Save the Children and UNICEF
to eliminate child labour
to promote education for children €6.9 million since 2003
to empower women
Current Environmental issues in Burlington City
by Jia Hui ThongCurrent Environmental Issues
Recommendations
A completely safe and economical alternative to bottled water is tap water
To reduce bottled water consumption, Walmart can sell water by the litre, this is similar to Safeway Canada, mineral water is sold by the quantity avoiding the use of small bottled water.
Reusable glass water bottle. WalMart can encourage glass water bottle purchase, this will be more eco-friendly to the environment.
WalMart should work closely with City of Burlington to reduce bottled water usage by creating environment awareness and precent the danger of using bottled water.
Simple solution to plastic water bottled is to encourage home water filtration because this is the most healthy and ecocomical way of drinking water and reduce pollution. (Bottled Water - Healthy or Hoax)
Solid Waste Management
by Katherine BembenOne of the aims of the Burlington Wal-Mart environmental demonstration site is to divert 85% of its waste from going into the landfill. In addition, Wal-Mart Corporation has announced in its "Greener Good' report launched in 2007, a goal of Zero Waste. Following are criteria that were used by EcoConsulting Inc. to assess the sustainability of Burlington Wal-Mart's Solid Waste Management practices and determine how it can attain its goals:
In April 2007, Wal-Mart Canada Corp. launched its "For the Greener Good" report. Of the three priority areas contained in the report, two touch on the lifecycles of
products and waste generation: to produce zero waste; and to provide environmentally friendly products to customers. Though various initiatives were launched, including various packaging reduction strategies and the "Greener Good" label (for sustainably-sourced products, such as organic cottons and third-party certified materials), various areas remain lacking. The labelling initiative covers a wide range of products, from jewelery and seafood to lightbulbs and paper products.
The November 2007 progress report as follow-up to the Green Good initiative states:
We believe we have made progress towards our zero waste goal in the United States, but the reality is we don’t have an accurate measurement
of how much waste we have reduced. We do not have the systems in place to measure or weigh the waste coming from the back of our facilities.
We know we have reduced dumpster pick-ups from the back of our stores, but we are unsure of how full they are now as compared to before the launch
of these initiatives.
In other words, there is a lack of baseline data with regards to how much waste was originally generated. Without this data, it is very difficult to assess progress towards the optimistic goals that Wal-Mart is promoting. By contrast, Mountain Equipment Coop stores in Canada have been monitoring their progress on reaching their own Zero Waste goal over the past few years. So far, their results have been very promising. In 2007, the retailer had surpassed their milestone of achieving 90% waste diversion from landfills, with a total diversion rate of 92% (of the total 913 tonnes of waste generated, only 70 tonnes went to landfill). The company also noted in their Accountability Report that these reductions in waste generation proved to be equally profitable from a cost perspective, saving them over $216,000. This was due in large part to the fact that landfill costs averaged $325 per tonne, whereas recycling costs were a mere $68 per tonne in comparison.
In terms of reducing and recycling, Wal-Mart has shown strides in a favourable direction. One major initiative involves the creation of "plastic sandwich bales", which is the insertion of various types of recyclable plastics that are "sandwiched" between cardboard, and sent for recycling. So far, this initiative has been adopted in over 3,000 stores, and have resulted in the recycling of 5,734 tonnes of plastic since 2005. Other efforts include introducing concentrated laundry detergent in smaller packaging to reduce waste and reducing the packaging of electronics equipment in its Sam's Clubs by 50%. While these are steps in the right direction, they may not be sufficient.
A particularly interesting example of a recent Wal-Mart initiative could serve as an example for how the stores can encompass a "cradle-to-cradle" approach. With a recent change in employees' dress codes, over 1 million blue vests were no longer needed. An initiative was therefore launched to recuperate these vests and to provide them with a "new llife" - many different lives, in fact. The vests were sent to a plant that made them into over 3,000 lbs of fibre. This fibre was then used to create greeting cards for troops overseas, blankets for veterans, boxes and bags for shipping and wheelchair caddies for carrying things on. Some of the vests were even sent to museums to commemorate a moment in retail history. The importance of building linkages with potential markets for recycling one's potential waste products is underlined, as well as the thinking creatively, and in a full-cycle manner. Mountain Equipment Coop introduced another example of the "cradle-to-cradle" approach, with their recuperation program for used climbing ropes, which are shipped to companies that convert them into dog leashes and filling and padding (e.g. for mattresses). Bins are available at store locations to collect customers' used rope donations.
In the Province of Ontario and in the Burlington Region, stringent regulations are in place with regards to waste management. The provincial Ministry of the Environment introduced waste regulations under the Environmental Protection Act (102/94 and 103/94) that require retail establishments to undergo third-party waste audits once a year, to establish and update action plans and to reduce the amount of waste generated as source. The Halton Region Waste Management Site serves the City of Burlington. Its very effective policies and programs have already shown results, in extending the lifespan of the landfill site. Through initiatives such as Blue Box recycling, Green Cart organics collection and composting, yard waste collection, re-use centres, container waste (much of which is recycled) and the Take it Back! program that encourages local businesses to recuperate and recycle products that they sell, proven results have been apparent. Case in point, the 131-acre landfill site was opened in 1992. At the time, the project life span of the site was 20 years (until 2012). However, due to strong programs and citizen participation, the projected life expectancy was extended until 2023. Recently, this figure has been pushed even further into the future, due to a very successful Green Cart program launched in April 2008, which sees the landfill as lasting until 2031.
These measures, along with the strong policies and programs established by the Halton Region at its Waste Management Site, provide a solid framework and infrastructure for waste diversion initiatives that Wal-Mart Burlington's environmental demonstration site has currently on-site, and could improve, according to the recommendations mentioned below, to be even more effective in reaching its optimistic waste reduction and diversion targets.
Examples and Precedents
According to Environment Quarterly Report of January 2009 by City of Burlington, a local resident spoke on the issue on banning bottled water alongside with the reduction usage of plastic bags. This issue was reported to Community & Corporate Services Committee of City of Burlington.
Recommendations
Transportation
1) Wal-Mart should offer a free shuttle service to and from the Burlington GO Station, the Downtown Station, the Mapleview Mall, and the Burlington Mall. By offering shuttle service to customers, Wal-Mart can increase the number of elderly, immobile, and non-driving customers, make use of a new advertising platform, and decrease the number of single occupant vehicles driving to the Burlington Wal-Mart SuperCentre. The net effect will be reduced congestion in the area and reduced greenhouse gas and smog.2) Wal-Mart should power the proposed shuttle bus with the waste vegetable oil produced on the premis. By doing so, Wal-Mart will be diverting and reusing their waste (see Solid Waste Management 2 and 3) which would contribute to their long-term goal of producing zero waste, and would be using a carbon-neural renewable energy source, which contributes to their long-term goal of souring 100% of their energy from renewable sources.
3) Using an online tool similar to the Jack Bell Ride-Share program used by Vancity, Wal-Mart should provide organizational support to their employees to encourage carpooling.
4) To encourage the use of public transit given the close proximity to Burlington's busiest trasit hub, Wal-Mart should offer subsidized transit passes for employees and extend the free shuttle service to employees.
5) To facilitate bicycle use, Burlington Wal-Mart should offer bicycle storage, lockers and showers.
Outlet/Building Energy Sources
1) Continued energy use reduction should be a central goal. Demand side reductions are a great way to reduce the need for potentially harmful energy sources.Wal-Mart should strive for green building certifications, such as the LEED Green Building Rating System. Increased reliance on 3rd party certifications will go a long way in improving Wal-Mart’s credibility.2) Investment in localized, community based power can achieve ecological, economic and social sustainability and ensure healthy communities.¹ ² Increased investment in private solar power generation will also help Wal-Mart reach its sustainability goals. Wal-Mart Burlington took the time to install skylights and roof insulation. With more investment, the Burlington store could utilize a photovoltaic array to harness sun that could power a portion of its LED lighting. These measures will cost more, but the long term savings still exist and will ultimately do more for Wal-Mart’s public image than its current superficial sustainability. Real sustainability was never about saving money, but investing in positive change for the planet.
3) Wal-Mart should work towards influencing all elements of its energy supply chain to develop stronger sustainability programs. As well as critically analysing its own impacts, Wal-Mart should begin to apply pressure to its suppliers to do the same. True sustainability needs champions, there is room for Wal-Mart to fill this role.
4) As our site visit has indicated, Wal-Mart has not gone to enough lengths to ensure that all stores will be sustainable into the future. Although our focus is on the Burlington store, EcoConsulting feels that it is in Wal-Mart’s best interest to focus on making the entire corporation as sustainable as possible. Part of the problem is reliance on homegrown sustainability frameworks that are too strongly based on economics. Wal-Mart must adopt third party sustainability frameworks. The Natural Step is one such framework that has worked effectively in other regions of Canada.¹ It ensures a holistic, systems based approach for planning and policy development and if adopted on a large scale can ensure robust sustainability.
Solid Waste Management:
1) Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to consult with local experts in Environmental Engineering, etc. (possibly from local NGOs, consulting firms and/or the University of Toronto or York University) to determine ways of extracting and producing products/materials in a sustainable manner (inputs) as well as ensuring that their lifecycle follows a continuous loop (outputs), to be reused/recycled/recuperated as much as possible.2) In collaboration with EcoConsulting Inc.'s Waste Management expert and a team of Wal-Mart staff, Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to launch a baseline data study by monitoring current solid waste streams produced by the store, including the quantity and composition of the waste produced over a given period of time. This data will then be used to produce a critical path with milestones (including the 85% waste diversion goal set out for this store) and on-going monitoring/evaluation to assess the efficiency of the approach. This will lead up to the "Zero Waste" end target that was announced by Wal-Mart Corporation.
3) Halton Waste Diversion Office and provincial Ministry of the Enironment representatives to work alongside Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to determine strategies for reducing/reusing/recycling/recuperating materials based on the results of the solid waste stream study. This might include developing programs and policy to address commercial waste in the Burlington City region as a whole.
4) Burlington Wal-Mart's VP of Store Development to collaborate with the Chair of the Burlington Business Bureau and the City of Burlington's Environmental Advisor and Community Liaison to foster partnerships and linkages with local businesses and organizations in determining local sources for products/materials for the Wal-Mart store as well as markets/clients for the after-use (reducing/reusing/recycling/recuperating) of the products/materials, in order to divert them from going to the landfill. A possible linkage "close to home" could be between the Wal-Mart McDonalds and free customer shuttle buses that we recommend in the "Transportation" section of this report. Used cooking oil from the restaurant could serve as fuel for the buses.
Community Impact
1) Use Eco-parking lots by Landmark Design Group when parking areas need repair or replacement. The porous concrete land cover allows rainwater to filter into the ground at natural rates. By using porous concrete for the Wal-Mart parking lots, it would help ensure the community's water safety. According to a study by Brattebo and Booth (2003), on porous concrete pavement versus asphalt, there was "almost no surface runoff. The infiltrated water had significantly lower levels of copper and zinc than the direct surface runoff from the asphalt area. Motor oil was detected in 89% of samples from the asphalt runoff but not in any water sample infiltrated though the permeable pavement....Infiltrate measured 5 years earlier displayed significantly higher concentrations of zinc..." It is highly recommended that Wal-Mart implement this type of porous concrete parking lot to keep in line with its commitment to protecting the environment at this demonstration store.2) Labour Unions and Wages
By allowing Wal-Mart employees to join a union, will help Wal-Mart ensure their employees are paid fairly and earn living wages. Increasing wages for the workers will help promote and standardize a healthy working and living environment in Burlington.
Additional Statistics
The average Burlington resident takes 10 one-way trips by public transit (2006).
The average Burlington household has 1.7 cars (2004).
Of the trips made in Burlington in 2001, 75% were by automobile drivers, 16% were by automobile passengers, 1% were on local transit, 2% were on GO-Transit (a regional transit system), and 6% were walking, cycling or other.
In Metro Vancouver, 33% of trips are made by alternative transportation.
One kilogram of plastic bottles requires 17.5 kilograms of water to be used in the production proces
Parking lot runoff data http://www.pwconserve.org/links/graphics/runoff.gif
Brookefield’s Total Assets: $95 Billion
Social project contributions over 3 years: $4 Million towards 30 local projects.
Percentage of assets devoted to social causes: less than a half a percent (for 3 years)
(BRPI_Sustainable.pdf@http://www.brookfieldpower.com/environment_progress.html)
Bullfrog Power’s mix of renewable energies:
Wind: 20%
“Low impact” Hydro: 80%
Percentage of mix that is guaranteed: 0%
(http://www.bullfrogpower.com/about/premium.cfm)
Locally owned power generates 5 - 10 times the local economic benefits than do conventional ownership models.
Non-locally owned power sees ¢75-¢90 of each dollar leave the local economy.
(http://www.ontario-sea.org/Page.asp?PageID=751&SiteNodeID=202&BL_ExpandID=44)
Percentage of corporate owned power in Ontario: > 99%
Percentage of community owned power in Ontario: < 1%
(www.ontario-sea.org/Page.asp?PageID=122&ContentID=1251&SiteNodeID=202&BL_ExpandID=44)
Wal-Mart’s rank among retailers who are using green power : 3rd
Wal-Mart’s rank among national companies who are using green power : 15th
Wal-Mart’s rank among international retailers: 1st (3 times larger than the 2nd ranked company)
(walmartstores.com/download/3399.pdf, http://www.worldb2blink.com/worldtop100retailers.htm)
Additional Links, Resources, and References
City of Burlington Environmental Reports to Councilhttp://cms.burlington.ca/Page2893.aspx
http://hamptonroads.com/2008/03/parking-lot-big-big-and-ecofriendly
Brattebo, B. and Booth D (2003), "Long-term stormwater quantity and quality performance of permeable pavement systems", University of Washington
Christopherson, S and Lillie, N (2005) “Neither global nor standard: corporate strategies in the new era of labor standards”, Environment and Planning A37Download citation data in RIS format
Mitchell, Stacey, (2006) "Big-Box Swindle", Beacon Press, Boson
Sustainablebusiness.com HYPERLINK "http://www.sustainablebusiness.com" http://www.sustainablebusiness.com
Halton State of the Region: Towards a Sustainable Community (the Halton Waste Management Site services Burlington)
http://www.halton.ca/Council/documents/state_of_the_region_presentation.pdf
Public Oppostion to Burlington Wal-Mart
Public Oppostion to Burlington Wal-Mart
VanCity Employee Transportation Programs
Jack Bell Ride Share Program
Calvert J.(2007). Liquid Gold: Energy privatization in British Columbia, Halifax and Winnipeg: Fernwood.
The Economist (audio) – “Talking Rubbish”: Special Report, by Edward McBride (energy & environment correspondent), February 26, 2009
http://audiovideo.economist.com/?fr_story=65e245cb9a86bfe3413f79c0e7414625c88647c2&rf=bm
Ontario Ministry of the Environment - Environmental Protection Act, Ontario Regulation 103/94 - Industrial, Commercial & Institutional Source
Separation Programs:
http://www.thecompactorguy.com/downloads/waste-audit/EPA-Regulation-103.pdf
3Rs: A Guide to Waste Audits & Reduction Workplans for Commercial and Institutional Sectors, as required under Ontario Regulation 102/94:
http://www.thecompactorguy.com/downloads/waste-audit/guide-industrial-waste-102.pdf
Regional Municipality of Halton - Solid Waste Diversion Strategy - 2006-2010:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/strategy.htm
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/videos.htm
Halton Waste Management Site & Virtual Tour:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/HWMS-tour.htm
Halton Blue box and Green cart - where does it go? - Recyclables still being collected & recycled, despite tough economic times:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/bluebox-processing.htm
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/greencart/processing.htm
Halton Waste Management for Businesses:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/documents/2009BIACalendar.pdf
Conestoga-Rovers & Associates - environmental consulting firm working with Halton (Burlington) on landfill/waste management for over a decade:http://www.craworld.com/en/index.asp
Toronto - Waste reduction policies/practices:http://www.toronto.ca/wes/techservices/involved/swm/net/polprac.htm
New GreenLane landfill acquired for Toronto (for when Michigan contract expires in 2010):http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/green_lane.htm
Toronto Solid Waste Collection Bylaws:
http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/bylaws/index.htm
Toronto Commercial Yellow Bag program for Solid Waste: http://www.toronto.ca/garbage/commercial/index.htm
http://www.toronto.ca/yellowbag/e_criteria.htm (eligibility criteria for businesses)
Wal-Mart Smart publication (August 2007) re: sustainability issues
http://walmartstores.com/download/2628.pdf__
Wal-Mart sustainable packaging initiative (2007) and progress report
http://walmartstores.com/download/2339.pdf__.
Wal-Mart push for sustainability (2004):
http://green.yahoo.com/blog/amorylovins/13/wal-mart-s-push-for-sustainability.html__
Wal-Mart sustainable packaging initiative (2007) and progress report:
http://walmartstores.com/download/2339.pdf__.
Wal-Mart - Greening operations:
http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/623-Green-Commerce-Is-Good-Commerce__
Wal-Mart Canada - Greener Good Program & Label:
http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20090126-710895.html?mod=crnews__
Wal-mart: Progress toward Greener Good? - Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/15/AR2007111502519.html__
Article & LINK to REPORT - update re: Greener Good from W-Mart:
http://www.sustainablelifemedia.com/content/story/strategy/11162007_2__
Zero Waste - from WalMart website & Sustainability Links :
http://walmartstores.com/Sustainability/7762.aspx__
On Waste reduction (from the Report):
http://www.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP/idUSN1530614420071115?pageNumber=1__
Environment report (CSR) - Includes Waste Diversion:
http://www.walmart.ca/wms/microsite/CorpVal/Anual%20Report/WM_CSR08_En2.pdf__
Wal-Mart Sustainability Initatives (Includes stats on amounts of waste diverted - Canadian stores):
www.forthegreenergood.com
Environmental solutions for waste management (Halton region): transforming waste into energy:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/efw/
"Take it Back! Halton" - local businesses that take back their products for recycling:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/takeitback/default.htm
Container system for waste diversion/management:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/ContainerStation.htm
Halton "Re-use" centres:
http://www.halton.ca/ppw/waste/reuse.htm
http://www.toronto.ca/yellowbag/index.htm
http://www.toronto.ca/yellowbag/faq.htm
Waste Management Canada - Green Squad - Waste Audits:http://www.wmgreensquad.com/solutions/waste.asp
Wasteless - waste consultants Canada:http://www.wasteless.com/what_we_do.asp
Waste Reduction Week Canada - Resources for Businesses:http://www.wrwcanada.com/resourcesB.htm
Mountain Equipment Coop Accountability Report -- Waste Diversion (92% in 2007) - Recycling vs. Landfill dumping costs - diversion makes financial sense:
http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/pdf/accountability/MEC_Acct_Report_Ch5_v1_m56577569830738022.pdf__
“Closed-Loop Recycling” UK company – turn plastic bottles into food-grade plastic for containers - "cradle-to-cradle" approach:
http://www.closedlooprecycling.co.uk/About_Us
Solid Waste Stats (City of Burlington): http://cms.burlington.ca/AssetFactory.aspx?did=7320