Whole Life Times: Corporate Responsibility, My Friend, is Blowin’ in the Wind

March 2006 | Conscious Business

Corporate Responsibility, My Friend, is Blowin’ in the Wind

In the corporate race to go green, Whole Foods has once again taken the lead. The company recently announced its plan to offset 100 percent of its electricity needs by purchasing renewable energy credits. This milestone purchase of more than 458,000 megawatt-hours assures that the conventional energy used in operating the nationwide grocery chain will be fully replaced on the grid with wind energy. The move makes Whole Foods the largest corporate user of renewable energy in the US, and the only Fortune 500 company to offset all of its electricity use.

According to a Whole Foods press release, “This purchase will avoid more than 700 million pounds of carbon dioxide pollution this year. To have the same environmental impact, more than 60,000 cars would have to be taken off the road or more than 90,000 acres of trees would have to be planted.” Whole Foods Market has not only once again strengthened its commitment to the core values of its customers and to the planet, but has also set an example for energy suckers worldwide. Who knows where a game of follow-the-jolly-green-corporate-giant could lead?

If Whole Foods’ bold move inspires you to deepen your commitment to renewable energy, convert your home or business to wind energy by joining The Green Power for a Green LA Program at ladwp.com. —Jolia Einstein

A Cleaner, Greener Drycleaner

In spite of its name, drycleaning is neither dry nor very clean. According to the EPA, more than 28,000 dry cleaners in the US currently use a toxic solvent called PERC (Perchloroethylene), a suspected carcinogen that has been known to leach from facilities into the air, ground and water.

But it’s not all doom, gloom and dirty dress clothes. On the sunny side, most facilities have updated to newer machines that prevent PERC from escaping; most of the solid waste materials produced by the process are picked up by hazardous waste management companies; and, the EPA is working to pass a proposal to reduce emissions from drycleaners. While drycleaners claim the finished product of their services is free from PERC residue, if you smell solvent on your clothing, you should take your business elsewhere. Better yet, sidestep the hazard entirely and become a more conscious consumer by patronizing the growing numbers of devotedly PERC-free drycleaners. As an added tip, ask your drycleaner to waste less plastic by putting your entire order in one garment bag. To make sure your conscience (and your health) comes back as clean as your clothes, find a cleaner, greener drycleaner near you by visiting thegreenguide.com and searching keywords “dry cleaning alternatives.” —JE

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