plenty Issue 14 Feb/Mar 2007 | Page 27

1IPUPCZ+BNFT)BOTFO 1IPUPTª5JN7JSFP1IUPHSBQIZ 5IFEFNBOEGPSUSPQJDBMXPPEJT UIFMFBEJOHGBDUPSJOUIF EFTUSVDUJPOPGUSPQJDBMGPSFTUT 5IF64JTUIFMBSHFTUDPOTVNFSPG SBJOGPSFTUXPPE Photovoltaic panels provide energy for Wal-Mart’s experimental store in Aurora, Colorado. 8IBUTUIFBOTXFS Wal-Mart has 1.8 million employees worldwide. Are you turning them all into environmentalists? Starting next year, we’re incorporating [awareness of sustainability issues] into employee evaluations. We’re also doing something called the Personal Sustainability Plan—encouraging people to ride their bikes to work, use compact fluorescent lightbulbs, carry a Nalgene bottle for drinking water. Is it working? For some employees and customers, this type of thinking is new. Take lightbulbs. On average, people spend less than seven seconds making the decision to buy a lightbulb, so getting them to change their habits isn’t as simple as you might think. But when you have 136 million people going through your stores every week, the potential impact is phenomenal. ■ R AINFOREST R ELIEF. 3BJOGPSFTU3FMJFGJTUIFMFBEHSPVQ XPSLJOHUPSFEVDF64EFNBOEGPS SBJOGPSFTUXPPE JOFWFSZUIJOHGSPN EFDLJOHUPGVSOJUVSFUPnPPSJOH +PJOVTUPEBZ   5PKPJOBOEmOEPVU NPSFBCPVUXIBU QSPEVD UTUPBWPJE  HPUPX X XSBJOGPSFTUSFMJFGPSH