Report Documents Walmart Heirs' Efforts to Destroy Rooftop Solar Revolution

"The Waltons’ money is limiting average Americans’ ability to go solar and control their own energy future," environmental group says

The Walton family—who, as heirs to the Walmart fortune, have more wealth than 42 percent of American families combined—are impeding the nation's transition to a clean energy future, a new study by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) finds.

"The Waltons claim to have a deep commitment to sustainability, but their support for anti-solar initiatives tells a different story," said Stacy Mitchell, a senior researcher at ILSR and author of How the Walton Family is Threatening America's Clean Energy Future(pdf). "The Waltons are investing in efforts that both undercut clean energy and prevent average Americans from benefiting economically from solar power."

The report reveals that since 2010, the Waltons have donated $4.5 million to more than 20 organizations, including the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Americans for Prosperity, and the American Enterprise Institute, which are leading state campaigns against clean energy polices such as those that encourage utilities to source a share of their electricity from renewables or allow customers with rooftop solar systems to feed any excess electricity they produce back into the grid and be paid the going retail rate for it.

One such organization, the Goldwater Institute for Public Policy in Arizona, has received half a million in Walton Family Foundation grants and insists "there is no such thing as clean energy." The Goldwater Institute has sued to overturn the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard policy, which mandates that utilities rely on renewable energy for some of their power and also says that a portion of this power must come from small-scale local sources, such as rooftop solar.

Read more: http://www.commondreams.org/news/2014/10/10/report-documents-walmart-heirs-efforts-destroy-rooftop-solar-revolution

Walmart says NO to international agreement

The world's biggest retailer says it won't join an international agreement to inspect and pay for upgrades

by Michael Smith (Veshengro)

While other large retailers, the in the light of the clothing factory collapse in Bangladesh, have created an international agreement to inspect the sites and pay for upgrades, etc., Walmart if one of the few who has said that it will not.

Old Mr. Walton would turn in his grave if he but knew what is successors, that is to say his offspring, have turned that company into.

Old Walton's rule was only to sell products and goods Made in USA but today's Walmart is driven by profits only and have, in the UK, destroyed one of the true old trading associations that once was ASDA (Associated Dairies).

All that Walmart is interested is to get stuff made as cheaply as possible abroad and then sell it at a nice profit in their stores, caring less about the conditions the workers in those countries of manufacture, whether Bangladesh or China or Vietnam, have to work and live under.

More than once now factories in China and the Indian Sub-continent have been found to use child labor with children well under ten being held in servitude.

Walmart is not alone in refusing to join the international agreement; another one is GAP, who also believe and pretend that everything is fine and hunky dory in its factories in the Far East.

The consumer, that is you and I, can, however, vote with our pocketbooks and tell those companies that they are not doing the right thing. It is quite simple though it may cost us a little more at times.

Let's do it and show those ignorant retailers that we, the people, will not stand for their unethical practices.

© 2013

New TerraCycle Products in Walmart Giveaway – Competition

TerraCycle is bringing new products to Walmart between April 5th and April 29th, about which you can read in the article that is found just below this entry.

As a way of spreading the message the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW is running a giveaway competition together with TerraCycle where one reader can win one of those new products.

Readers to the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW can win in this competition a mini-messenger bag from the accessories bag range. That is the bag in the picture below:

All you have to do is comment on the article about the new TerraCycle products and we will prick winner from all entries after the 15th of the month, when this competition will close. Just tell us what you like about TerraCycle and their products.

In order for us to get in touch with you – if you are a winner – we will have to ask you to somehow give a way where we can contact you so as to get a delivery address. Providing a valid email address will be the simplest way. The mini-messenger bag will be shipped directly to the winner of the competition from TerraCycle in Trenton, NJ.

One polite request: no spam posts of any kind as they will be deleted and will not count.

So, now get to it and Good Luck!

Editor – GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW

New TerraCycle Products in Walmart

New TerraCycle Products in Walmart between April 5th and April 29th

A whole bunch of brand new TerraCycle items will be available, during April for a limited time only, at every single Walmart across the country. Starting April 5th, nearly 60 TerraCycle products will be sold right next to the original items they were made from. Cheetos kites and tote bags made from Frito-Lay wrappers will be sold with bags of Frito-Lay chips, while notebooks and purses made out of skittles and M&M wrappers will be sold right next to bags of Mars Candy!

For those of you unfamiliar with the trash to treasure company, TerraCycle, here is a little background information:

TerraCycle collects traditionally non-recyclable waste from people all across the country by paying a non-profit of the person collectings choice, 2 cents for each piece they collect and mail to the company, with the use of a pre-paid shipping label they can print right from the TerraCycle website (www.TerraCycle.net). A majority of TerraCycle’s active participants are schools, because the students usually bring in the items TerraCycle collects during lunch; such as juice pouches, chip bags, and cookie wrappers, plus the money can go right back to the school. TerraCycle uses the waste it receives from its Brigade members to make hundreds of products that are not only eco-friendly, but are also very affordable because its made from waste!

Here are some of the new TerraCycle products you can expect to find at Walmart starting April 5th:

Kids Growing Kits

Teach kids about gardening and the environment at the same time with the TerraCycle Kid’s Growing Kits for Vegetables, Flowers or Herbs. The Kits use upcycled Stonyfield Yogurt Cups as planting pots and TerraCycle’s famous Worm Poop mixed with compost for the growing medium. The Kits come with growing instructions and the cardboard tray holding it all together is even embedded with the seeds needed to start the plants. Almost no part of these kits becomes waste and they come with everything you need to start growing right away. Stonyfield and TerraCycle run a free collection program that pays organizations 3 cents for every used Yogurt Cup they collect.

Eco-Kites

The world’s first standard Delta Kite to be made from food wrappers! These brightly colored kites are made from waste packaging of popular brands like M&M’s and Skittles and look great flying at the beach or above your picnic. Candy wrappers are made strong and light to protect your snacks, which makes them an ideal material to make these affordable, fun kites. So make a statement when you go fly a kite: that you can snack and help the planet! TerraCycle pays schools and non-profits nationwide to collect use packaging, join the 60,000 other groups collecting at www.terracycle.net

Printed Totes and Wristlets

For the first time, TerraCycle is proud to introduce a full line of bags made from upcycled food wrappers that are reserved to show the white or silver side, instead of the branded side with logos. Frito-Lay wrappers are turned inside out and have a variety of patterns ranging from flowers to skulls printed on each side. With handles and trim selected to match the patterns, no one will even know these bags are made from waste, until you tell them of course! The line includes a variety of tote bags, wristlets and clutches.

Notebooks, Folders, Pencil Cases and Journals

TerraCycle makes a full line of Journals, Folders and Notebooks made from used Mars candy wrappers from favorite brands like Skittles and M&M’s. These unique, bright items are great for school or personal use. Made from waste wrappers, all of TerraCycle school products have a drastically smaller carbon footprint than traditional products and are still just as affordable and fashionable as any other item!

Accessories Bags

This range of bags includes everything from camera and shoulder bags to backpacks and lunchboxes. Made from a variety of upcycled wrappers including Mars candy wrappers, Frito-Lay wrappers and Capri Sun drink pouches. The items are made from the same wrappers that will cover the very food they may hold on the way to school or work! All made with trim and handles which match the original logos product these bags are as fun and fashionable as they are eco-friendly!

This is exciting because not only will you easily be able to buy cool new TerraCycle products at Walmarts everywhere, but it will also make the average consumer think twice about where that chip bag or juice pouch is going after they are done using it. This will also give millions of students across the country collecting in a TerraCycle Brigade the opportunity to see their collection efforts come to life!