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<DIV><SPAN class=648044322-25012006><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>I'm
not sure solar would be the end -all here, Chris. But the wind sure does blow a
lot, maybe Walmart could put up 5-6 wind turbines, painted like yellow smiley
faces of course!!!</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B>
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com]<B>On
Behalf Of </B>Chris Storhok<BR><B>Sent:</B> Wednesday, January 25, 2006 2:24
PM<BR><B>To:</B> 'Andy Boyd'; vision 2020<BR><B>Subject:</B> RE: [Vision2020]
Wal mart Green Store<BR><BR></FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Andy,<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I would hope the
community would press Wal-Mart on building a green store. Could you
imagine how much juice a 125,000 square foot roof covered with solar panels in
July could kick out? The second product claims 1KW per 100 sq feet; that
works our to 1250 KW for an average Wal-Mart. Check out : <A
href="http://www.powerlight.com/products/roof_top.shtml">http://www.powerlight.com/products/roof_top.shtml</A>
or <A
href="http://www.atlantisenergy.org/sunslates2.html">http://www.atlantisenergy.org/sunslates2.html</A>
for these newer solar products.<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Chris
Storhok<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial color=navy size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; COLOR: navy; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<DIV class=MsoNormal style="TEXT-ALIGN: center" align=center><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">
<HR tabIndex=-1 align=center width="100%" SIZE=2>
</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><B><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">From:</SPAN></FONT></B><FONT
face=Tahoma size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Tahoma">
vision2020-bounces@moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces@moscow.com] <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">On Behalf Of </SPAN></B>Andy Boyd<BR><B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wednesday, January 25, 2006 11:44
AM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> vision
2020<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Vision2020]
Wal mart Green Store</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"><o:p> </o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Here is an article from Waste News
(a trade journal) that may be of some interest. If we end up with
a Super Duper Wal-Mart, should the community at large push for
this?</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><STRONG><B><FONT face=Arial size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Wal-Mart outshines the
rest </SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG><B><FONT face=Arial size=4><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 13.5pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"><BR></SPAN></FONT></B><STRONG><B><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">By:</SPAN></FONT></B></STRONG><FONT
face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"> Brennan
Lafferty<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">December 05,
2005</SPAN></B><BR> <BR>Store manager Brent Allen knew his new Wal-Mart
in <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State> was special when a woman from
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oregon</st1:place></st1:State>
sought him out and gave him a great big hug. </SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``I am
just so impressed that you as a company would take the kind of time that you
are taking and the money it must have cost to build this store to test these
things,'' she said to Allen, who manages the green supercenter that opened in
McKinney, Texas, in July. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The woman
and her husband were struck by the sight of the store's wind turbine as they
drove near the intersection of Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 380. Curious,
they doubled back in their motor home to investigate.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Allen, a
14-year Wal-Mart employee, would eventually spend 30 minutes explaining not
only how the wind turbine generates 5 percent of the store's energy but also
the 25 other environmental experiments housed inside and outside the store.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``[The
store] has really captured the attention of people, in general,'' he said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Fans and
foes of the country's largest employer are easy to find. The $298 billion
retailer is even the subject of two films this fall that separately build up
and tear down the company. But some of Wal-Mart's biggest detractors -
environmental groups - are grudgingly singing the praises of Wal-Mart of late.
While these praises may not be a full-fledged hug, they are akin to an
``atta-boy'' slug to the shoulder of the Bentonville, Ark.-based company.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
editorial staff of <FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Waste
News</SPAN></FONT> has taken note as well. From January through November,
Wal-Mart unveiled several broad-ranging environmental initiatives that could
have lasting impact on the company, its suppliers and the retail sector. From
an ever-expanding plastic recycling project to the pledge of CEO Lee Scott to
reduce waste generation and greenhouse gas emissions, the company thrust
itself into a green hot spotlight this year. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">So for
its 2005 performance and for its future commitments, Wal-Mart has earned the
first <FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Waste News</SPAN></FONT>
Environmental <FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Award</SPAN></FONT>.
The <FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Award</SPAN></FONT> recognizes a
company that has made significant environmental progress in the way it
operates its business. While past performance and future pledges were
considered, <FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Waste News</SPAN></FONT>
staff gave the most weight to initiatives launched in 2005 when choosing its
winner. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
feeling is mutual <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">So what's
going on at Wal-Mart? Or more to the point, why has the mega-retailer made
this very public push into environmental management? The simple answer seems
to be that it makes good business sense. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``I
believe, in fact, that being a good steward of the environment and in our
communities, and being an efficient and profitable business, are not mutually
exclusive. In fact, they are one and the same,'' Scott said in an October
speech that outlined the company's environmental vision. The CEO, in the same
speech, tackled other high-profile issues like the federal minimum wage of
$5.15, calling the hourly rate ``out of date with the times.''
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Environmentally, Scott simplified Wal-Mart's
long-range plans, saying the company wants to be supplied by 100 percent
renewable energy, create zero waste and sell products that sustain resources
and the environment. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In the
short term, Wal-Mart will push multiple policies, including ones that decrease
waste generation by 25 percent and increase fuel efficiency by 25 percent in
its fleet of 7,100 tractors and 44,500 trailers. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">When Andy
Ruben, vice president of corporate strategy and sustainability, talks about
Wal-Mart's plans, he talks about efficiency. Redesigning a product and the box
it is shipped in, for example, not only eliminates waste and saves natural
resources, it allows for more items to be shipped and can improve aerodynamics
and fuel efficiency for the vehicle doing the shipping.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">This type
of efficiency, though, requires a commitment from the company's 60,000
suppliers. Ruben indicates that those folks are on board.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``As we
have made those changes, a number of suppliers, who in many cases are leading
the way, are starting to share more ideas with us,'' he said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wal-Mart
started down this path by first gathering input. Executives traveled around
the country and around the world. Scott, the CEO, visited <st1:place
w:st="on">Mount Washington</st1:place> to investigate climate data. Others
visited farms in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Kansas</st1:place></st1:State> to learn about carbon sequestration.
The company separately convened meetings that included some of its critics.
Members of those groups, which Wal-Mart is not identifying, described their
outlook to Ruben as cautiously optimistic. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``It's
our job to prove that right,'' he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Stephen
Hoch, a retail and marketing professor at the <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:PlaceType w:st="on">University</st1:PlaceType> of
<st1:PlaceName w:st="on">Pennsylvania</st1:PlaceName></st1:place>'s Wharton
School of Business, downplays Wal-Mart's financial investment in environment
management. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``This
really does not cost Wal-Mart very much at all,'' he said. ``So make the
one-time changeover cost and come up with a better policy that sort of helps
everybody in the long run. They are so humongous that anything they do is
going to have some sort of important economic impact.''
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Hoch also
isn't too concerned with Wal-Mart's motivation for its new environmental
stance. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``I think
it does set a precedent for others in the [retail] industry. We see that
everything that Wal-Mart does becomes, in some sense, standard operating
procedure for others, so why shouldn't this be the case too? So let's applaud
them and not worry about why they're doing it,'' Hoch said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Green
welcome mat <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
philosophy at work at Wal-Mart's new green supercenters in <st1:City
w:st="on">McKinney</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Texas</st1:State>, and
<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Aurora</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Colo.</st1:State></st1:place>, goes something like this: Test dozens
of environmental projects, share the technical data with one and all, and then
push the marketplace into adopting what works. That then drives down prices
for the currently expensive green technology. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The two
green supercenters are clearly Wal-Mart's most visible environmental
investment to date. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">On the
outside of these 206,000-sq.-ft. structures, stop signs and pedestrian
crossing signs run on solar power. Ponds collect rainwater that irrigate
plants in and around the supercenters. Inside the stores, maps and special
floor tiles direct customers to energy-efficient food coolers and waterless
urinals. Less visible are items like the oil recycling project that transfers
cooking byproducts from the deli and oil from the automotive center to the
store's boiler. Other highlights include one-time projects like the recycling
of 518 tons of concrete from a <st1:City w:st="on">Denver</st1:City> airport
that was used as the foundation in the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Aurora</st1:place></st1:City> store. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Don
Moseley, Wal-Mart's director of experimental stores, won't reveal how much
more it cost to construct the two stores. He contends the extra costs are not
relevant. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``They
have a broad variety of experiments. Some of them are at a scale to facilitate
the whole store. Others are at a scale sufficient to learn about a specific
component or vendor,'' he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The costs
increased even more because Wal-Mart built in what Moseley called an exit
strategy for its experiments. For example, the company placed plumbing behind
the walls of its waterless urinals in case the experiment doesn't prove
worthwhile. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Regardless of the cost, preliminary data shows the
green supercenter in <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">McKinney</st1:place></st1:City> is between 6 and 10 percent more
energy-efficient than another Wal-Mart in town that opened almost two years
ago, Moseley said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Monitoring the experiments for Wal-Mart are two arms
of the federal government. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory set up sensors in
both <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">McKinney</st1:place></st1:City>
stores to measure conservation and energy usage. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``We were
hired to say the good, the bad and the ugly,'' Jeffrey Christian of the
<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Oak Ridge</st1:place></st1:City> lab
said in July. His group will independently study the experiments for three
years just as the National Renewable Energy Lab in Golden, <st1:State
w:st="on">Colo.</st1:State>, will monitor the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Aurora</st1:place></st1:City> supercenter.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The goal
will be to intermittently share the results with anyone who is interested.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">To that
end, Allen, the <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">McKinney</st1:place></st1:City> store manager, says he's directed
about 25 tours for business leaders. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``I
looked up one day and there were about 45 Target people in my store. I forgot
where I was working,'' he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Allen
says that alone should tell everyone how serious Wal-Mart is in seeing their
environmental message filter through the business world.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``This is
bigger than Wal-Mart. And it's more important. The environment is what wins in
the end,'' he said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wal-Mart's green stores put it ahead of the curve.
There does seem to be a small but growing trend of retailers building green.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The U.S.
Green Building Council, which was not involved in the Wal-Mart supercenters,
has given some level of certification to nine retailers in 2004 and 2005.
Eight other companies, including Target, the Gap and Disney, have expressed
interest in gaining certification from the council, a spokeswoman said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Important
first steps <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Environmental and advocacy groups quickly acknowledge
the progress Wal-Mart has made in 2005. But they want more. They are
especially concerned when Wal-Mart develops on wetlands and farms.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``The big
box model of stores like Wal-Mart threaten our landscape and communities by
building on the fringe of town, paving vast areas for stores and parking lots
and often undermining the economic health of existing downtown shopping
areas,'' said Tanya Tolchin of the Sierra Club. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wal-Mart
Watch, a group that monitors its namesake's business practices and
environmental impacts, hopes that the company's initiatives are not ``a
distraction from their other public relations problems.''
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``Having
said that, Wal-Mart is a leader within the retail sector, and we hope that
these changes prompt other companies to implement environmentally friendly
practices,'' press secretary Nu Wexler said. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wexler is
particularly concerned about the two green supercenters. He worries they'll
close or be converted to regular stores, much like he said Wal-Mart did to an
environmentally friendly store it built in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City
w:st="on">Lawrence</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Kan.</st1:State></st1:place> <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">A
Wal-Mart spokeswoman said the company did operate three environmental stores
in the 1990s. The stores in <st1:City w:st="on">Lawrence</st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">Kan.</st1:State>, <st1:City w:st="on">City of
Industry</st1:City>, <st1:State w:st="on">Calif.</st1:State>, and <st1:place
w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Moore</st1:City>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Okla.</st1:State></st1:place>, tested one or two experiments per
store. Successful trials for skylights, low-mercury lamps and sensor-activated
faucets in those stores are now standard in many of today's stores, she said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">But
Wal-Mart will be much more open this time around with what it learns at its
two green supercenters. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``That's
why these outside [labs] have been hired, so that they can monitor and report
to the public, report to the industry and hold us accountable,'' she said.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Sierra
Club and Wal-Mart Watch spokesmen also said neither group was represented at
the meetings Wal-Mart executives convened in the past year to listen to and
address criticism of the company. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Wal-Mart
did run afoul of environmental regulators this year.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">In
August, Wal-Mart agreed to pay $1.15 million to settle alleged stormwater
violations at 22 of its <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Connecticut</st1:place></st1:State> stores. The state Department of
Environmental Protection accused the company of violating clean water
regulations on several occasions between 1996 and 2003. Wal-Mart pledged to
cooperate with the agency and avoid future occurrences.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
future <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Look for
more environmental progress from Wal-Mart next year.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">The
company plans to expand its innovative plastics recycling program. Through
October, its pilot project recycled 3.5 million pounds, or 1,750 tons, of
plastics at 10 percent of its stores. The program bales bags, film and
shrink-wrap between layers of cardboard. <o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Rocky
Mountain Recycling and Wal-Mart developed the ``plastic sandwich bale'' system
after Wal-Mart asked for assistance finding end uses for recovered plastics.
The pilot program will expand to Wal-Mart stores coast to coast in 2006, said
Jeff Ashby, sales and marketing manager at Rocky Mountain Recycling.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Whether
the subject is recycling plastics or investing in technologies to reduce
greenhouse gases, Wal-Mart leaders refer to 2005 as a beginning.
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">``I think
we're just scratching the surface,'' said Ruben, the company's sustainability
chief. ``And what happens is the more people that we work with and the more
educated we become along this journey, the more opportunity that we see.''
<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Contact
<FONT color=red><SPAN style="COLOR: red">Waste News</SPAN></FONT> managing
editor Brennan Lafferty at (330) 865-6174 or
blafferty@crain.com<o:p></o:p></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Andy Boyd<BR>Manager/Education
Coordinator<BR><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Moscow</st1:place></st1:City> Recycling<BR>208 882
0590</SPAN></FONT><o:p></o:p></P></DIV></DIV><BR><BR>__________ NOD32 1.1379
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