Wal-Mart has been cropping up lately in my environmental news feeds.  I have mixed feelings with my decision to blog about them, as I do not shop at their stores for a variety of reasons.  However, I applaud the company's move towards incorporating green building methods into its stores. 

 

Wal-Mart has a green building initiative, the Sustainable Buildings network.  "The Sustainable Buildings network helps us design and build more energy- and water-efficient stores and Clubs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining the shopping experience for our customers." Source: Wal-Mart

 

A few of the measures taken in recent building construction include the use of daylight harvesting systems, lighting sensors to determine if a room is occupied and needs lighting and the generous use of LED lights.  Wal-Mart states that the use of LED lighting saves 59,000 kWh per year for each Supercenter that has the lights installed.

 

The new Supercenters and Sam's Clubs building also use white roofs, heat reclamation devices, high efficiency plumbing and low VOC products.

 

For more information about the company's commitment to sustainability, visit the Wal-Mart corporate website.