Walmart is the last place Obama should be making a clean energy speech

[xchrom]

http://grist.org/climate-energy/walmart-is-the-last-place-obama-should-be-making-a-clean-energy-speech/

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Today President Obama is speaking about clean energy and energy efficiency at a Walmart in Mountain View, Calif. Of all the places he might give a big speech on energy, a Walmart supercenter is a baffling and disconcerting choice.

Walmart — despite its skill in attracting publicity like this — is a laggard on renewable energy and one of the biggest and fastest-growing climate polluters on the planet. While many competing retailers are already running on 100 percent renewable power, Walmart’s wind and solar projects supply just 3 percent of its U.S. electricity — and that’s down from 4 percent two years ago.

Walmart’s fossil fuel consumption and climate emissions, meanwhile, are growing rapidly. In the last year alone, Walmart’s climate emissions rose 2 percent, or more than 500 million metric tonnes. It now ranks just behind Chevron on the list of biggest climate polluters.

As if these facts were not troubling enough, a recent academic study has documented, for the first time, how the big-box retailing revolution led by Walmart and other big chains has dramatically increased the amount of energy we’re using to schlep consumer goods across the country and into our homes. The data is downright shocking. The movement of retail goods consumes 440 percent more energy today than 40 years ago. By contrast, overall energy use in the U.S. has grown just 45 percent. Transporting stuff — shampoo, jeans, television sets — to stores and then to homes now accounts for almost 7 percent of all the energy Americans use. (And this figure doesn’t even count shipping goods from overseas — just domestic freight.)

[n2doc]

1. Well, sacrifice is for the 99%

So maybe it is the right place. He can just fly around giving speeches on how we all need to sacrifice.

[djean111]

2. Maybe Walmart is where we will be required to buy our peas.

Definitely Walmart is important for campaign contributions, though. Get yer priorities straight!

[vi5]

3. This surprises anyone? (n/t)

[madokie]

4. If only

With all the walmart stores in this country if they'd put solar panels up over all their parking lots just think about the good that would do.

Our local VA center, Muskogee, Ok, put up solar panels over their parking lots a couple three years ago. Said it would save them somewhere around 80,000 bucks a year in electricity.
Plus it keeps our vehicles out of the hot sun and weather while we're parked under them.

[Omaha Steve]

5. I agree

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024927951

K&R!