Walmart, Different Incentive To Go Green

For some power companies, going green isn’t about the community… it’s about the money.

Walmart’s former CEO Lee Scott spoke at Fortune’s Brainstorm Green Conference in California on Monday and revealed more ideas for Walmart to follow the “going green” trend.

Some ideas to stay green include, using more recycled material in the construction process, building in more urban areas and reducing packaging.

But, Walmart looked at the “going green” trend from a different standpoint. Scott and other board members thought, “at some point, the world is going to hold corporations responsible for the impact they had on the environment,” Scott said.

Walmart is the largest private consumer of electricity in the U.S. With this concern in mind, Walmart took the initiative to lower the company’s carbon dioxide impact. In 2005, it installed solar panels on 20 stores and invested in more efficient lighting.

For Walmart, “going green” isn’t always about image, but cutting costs in the long run.