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WAL-MART ANNOUNCES ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS FOR ITS STORES AND DISTRIBUTION CENTERS

Wal-Mart recently announced goals to invest $500 million in technologies that will reduce greenhouse gases from its stores and distribution centers by 20 percent over the next seven years; increase the fuel efficiency of its truck fleet by 25 percent over the next three years and double it within 10 years; and design a new store within four years that is at least 25 percent more energy-efficient. The company's new environmental initiative also includes improving energy efficiency at its 1,876 supercenters, which now consume an average of 1.5 million kilowatts of electricity annually, and encouraging its 60,000 suppliers to adopt environmentally conscious business practices. "Our most direct impact will be on suppliers," said H. Lee Scott, Wal-Mart chief executive. "If we request that our suppliers use packaging that has less waste or materials that can be recycled, everybody who buys from that manufacturer will end up using that package." The commitments to environmental sustainability come after what the company described as an intense, yearlong listening tour that took Mr. Scott and his top managers to a maple syrup farm in New Hampshire, where they studied the impact of rising world temperatures, and the cotton farms of Turkey, where they examined the role of toxins in clothing manufacturing. Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club and a board member of Wal-Mart Watch, a group critical of Wal-Mart, said that, from an environmental standpoint, Wal-Mart's stated goals would bring tangible improvements. But, he said, they had not addressed the land-use impact of locating new stores in rural areas, covering fields or wetlands and prompting customers to consume extra gasoline to reach them. Even so, "these are positive steps," Mr. Pope said. "If they do these things, it's not greenscamming. If they did what they say they will, it would be major shift."
The New York Times, 25 Oct 05, p. C1, by Michael Barbaro and Felicity Barringer.

PHTHALATES MAY THREATEN MALE REPRODUCTIVE DEVELOPMENT

Scientists are researching whether phthalates, a chemical used in a wide variety of products, including construction materials, may cause demasculinized effects in male offspring. Demasculinization can range from undescended testes at birth to low sperm counts and benign testicular tumors later in life. Scientists are raising questions about phthalates at a time when male reproductive disorders, including testicular cancer, are on the rise in many countries. Some think it may be due in part to exposure to phthalates and other chemicals that interfere with male sex hormones. It isn't surprising to find traces of phthalates in human blood and urine because they are used so widely. Nearly five million metric tons of phthalates are consumed by industry every year, 13% in the U.S. They are made from petroleum byproducts. The common varieties are used to plasticize, or make pliable, otherwise rigid plastics, such as polyvinyl chloride—known as PVC—in things like construction materials, clothing, toys and furnishings. With much still unknown about phthalates, scientists and regulators at the Environmental Protection Agency are moving cautiously. "All this work on the effects of phthalates on the male reproductive system is just five years old," says EPA's leading phthalate research, L. Earl Gray, Jr. In 2003, Japan banned certain types of phthalates in food-handling equipment after traces turned up in school lunches and other foods. The European Union has recently banned some phthalates in cosmetics and toys. The U.S. doesn't restrict phthalates and has lobbied the EU hard in recent years not to burden manufacturers with new regulations on chemicals.

ARMY CORPS OPENS WETLANDS TO DEVELOPMENT

Despite continued government pledges to protect wetlands, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently opened thousands of acres of wetlands to development. That's the finding of a report released by the Environmental Integrity Project, a Washington, D.C.-based environmental group. It used the Corps' own regional district reports that show more than 11,000 acres have been opened to draining during the past 18 months across 15 states. Those wetlands were deemed by the Corps as outside federal protection based on a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision. Justices ruled the federal Clean Water Act doesn't protect wetlands that aren't attached to navigable waterways. Eric Schaeffer, Environmental Integrity Project director, said the Corps was going beyond the Supreme Court decision by allowing wetlands to be developed that still should be protected. In some cases, he said, the Corps was ignoring the Endangered Species Act by allowing wetlands holding endangered species to be filled. Schaeffer also blamed President Bush and Congress for pledging to protect wetlands but failing to act strongly. Candy Walters, spokeswoman for the Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C., said lower courts have upheld eight of nine challenges to the Corps' wetlands decisions in recent years, indicating the Corps is interpreting the Supreme Court decision correctly. "We're focusing on protecting wetlands that we do have jurisdictional authority over," she said.
Duluth News Tribune, 17 Sep 05, by John Meyers.

IS IT TIME FOR A NATIONAL C&D RECYCLING POLICY?

Could a national recycling policy raise the stagnating construction-and-demolition recycling rate? About 70 percent of the more than 135 million tons of building-related construction and demolition (C&D) debris generated annually comes from demolition projects. Demolition contractors already recycle a sizeable portion of the demolition debris—estimated to be 40 percent. But the National Demolition Association would like to see a sizeable increase in that percentage. To that end, NDA is calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to take the critical step of developing a National C&D Recycling Policy. A national policy would ensure C&D debris is handled consistently from state to state—a condition that isn't happening now. Several of the larger states have posed a number of barriers that make it impractical and economically unattractive to participate in C&D recycling efforts. Examples include: Excessive fees for permits to operate a C&D recycling facility and over-regulation of procedures used at C&D recycling facilities. Elements of a national recycling policy should include: 1) National guidelines dealing with the movement of C&D material; 2) Standards for material quality, thereby increasing commodity marketability; 3) Promotion of recycled C&D materials in the marketplace; and 4) National inspection standards for C&D recycling facilities.
Resource Recycling Sep 05, p 30, by Michael R. Taylor.

BEYOND GREEN: TOWARD A SUSTAINABLE ART

This exhibit examine the influence of design's new awareness of green technology on contemporary art. Recent works, commissions, and previously presented work that has been "recycled" into new incarnations are on view, all relating to the sustainable, social, and aesthetic values of the current generation of artists. Exhibit runs until January 15, 2006 at the Smart Museum of Art, University of Chicago.

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About the Publisher
Sustainable design consultant Chris Hammer publishes GreenClips in San Francisco. Ms. Hammer helps her clients with environmentally responsible approaches to urban planning and development, and to building design, construction, and operation. Email or call for more information: chrishammer@greenclips.com; 415.928.7941. GreenClips is edited by Susan Vogt, a Portland, Oregon freelance writer with 25 years of experience in energy-efficient and sustainable buildings.

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