One of the more grating and counterproductive traits of some vegans is a kneejerk contempt directed towards large corporations. And of all the mega-corporations out there, Wal-Mart is undoubtably the most fashionable one to hate.
But with $375 billion in annual sales, the company is in an unequalled position to influence what consumers purchase — and what manufacturers produce. So to the extent that Wal-Mart goes green, much of America gets dragged along with it.
About four years ago, Wal-Mart decided it would take environmental initiatives seriously and use its economic clout to drive change. This New York Times piece does a great job of summarizing what the company has so far achieved. It’s damned impressive.
None of this is to suggest that Wal-Mart’s a totally benign presence. They’re still undoubtably the largest retailer of cheap Chinese plastic crap, and I could easily come up with a dozen more things I hate about Wal-Mart without breaking a sweat.
But I think the environmental crisis that’s gathering is too dire and too important to permit a simplistic view of a key economic player. And I think that as activists, the more open we are to perceiving nuances and shades of gray, the more effective we’ll be. Link.
