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212 P a r t I V : C a s e S t u d i e s

To help reduce the waste it produces, Wal-Mart has set a number of goals:

• Reducing solid waste from U.S. stores and Clubs by 25 percent
• Reducing overall packaging by 5 percent by 2013
• Becoming packaging neutral by 2025

NOTE Wal-Mart is moving toward these goals by working with suppliers to ensure that their goods
come in space-efficient packages and that the materials in that packaging are made from
renewable or recyclable materials.

Other initiatives include:
• In 2006, Wal-Mart’s packaging team worked with a supplier to reduce excessive
packaging on some of its private-label toys.

NOTE By making the packaging just a little bit smaller, the company was able to use 497 fewer
containers and generate freight savings of more than US$2.4 million per year. Wal-Mart will
also save more than 3800 trees and more than 1000 barrels of oil.

• Select produce packaged in corn-based NatureWorks PLA, made of their biodegradable
polymers, can be found in all Wal-Mart stores.

NOTE When Wal-Mart changed the packaging on just four produce items to PLA in 2005,
the company estimated it saved approximately 800,000 gallons of gasoline and prevented more
than 11 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.

• Wal-Mart’s sandwich baling program helps it recycle millions of pounds of plastic
and cardboard in the back of its stores. This process allows all aluminum cans,
plastic hangers, plastic bottles, office paper, and potentially other recyclable items
to be “sandwiched” between layers of cardboard and bundled into bales, which are
sent to certified recyclers. In 2007, Wal-Mart recycled more than 56 million pounds
of plastic and 16 billion pounds of cardboard.

So, what should you take from the examples of the University of Wisconsin–River Falls and
Wal-Mart? The main thing these two have in common is their desire to be responsible and
innovative. Both organizations set a goal of environmental responsibility and are taking it
on with creativity and originality in mind.
Although you might not want to funnel rainwater into a cistern for use when you flush
toilets, there might be other opportunities to save water that you can embrace. There might
also be opportunities to reduce power consumption in your datacenter; you just need to
commit to the plan and follow through on it.
In the next chapter we’ll talk about redesigning your datacenter and how you can save
power and money.