Today’s a big day for us – and we’re excited to share the latest on our sustainability efforts at Walmart. And the focus for today is energy. It’s one of our sustainability goals as a company: to be supplied 100 percent by renewable energy. We’ve been making great progress, but there’s always more we can do.
Many of us may take it for granted, but reliable power is important everywhere – and even a luxury in many parts of the world. By committing to renewables and energy efficiency, we can reduce demand and make power more accessible – and affordable – where we operate around the world.
We’re already recognized as a leader in renewables. And it makes sense. The renewable energy we buy today through our power purchase agreements (PPAs) either meets or exceeds non-renewable power prices. According to the Solar Energy Industry Association, we have more solar power capacity and more solar systems than any other company in America. We’ve also been cited by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as America’s leading user of onsite renewables, using more onsite renewable power than any other company in the U.S. In fact, we added nearly 100 renewable energy projects in 2012 alone, and the total number of projects in operation worldwide is fast approaching 300.
Cleaner energy is one of the ways we can make our business better, and it allows us to pass savings on to our customers. Lower electricity bills for our stores, Clubs and distribution centers help us make the products we sell more affordable. It’s something we can all feel good about, so we invite you to join us as we celebrate the progress we’ve made and the new commitments we’re making today.
We’ll be broadcasting live here on The Green Room, so tune in for the play-by-play or watch the replay. You can also catch updates from the event on Twitter by following @WalmartGreen and #WMTGreen.
