Jun 23 2005
Wal-Mart Stores says it will unveil its first store designed to minimize impact on the environment.
The new store, a Supercenter, is one of two experimental units that will incorporate features to conserve energy and water, the company says. Some of the electricity used at the Supercenter, scheduled to open next month in McKinney, Texas, 32 miles north of Dallas, will be wind-generated.
The landscaping will feature water-efficient greenery that uses half the water of traditional plantings. Wal-Mart is also working on an environment-friendly design for a store in Aurora, Colo., and says it may continue the practice at future stores.
This initiative follows other environmental steps the chain has been taking lately.
In April Wal-Mart launched “Acres for America,” a program that will commit $35 million toward preservation of at least one acre of wildlife habitat for each acre it uses for store construction.