Grocer Whole Foods going "all green." Um, actually it's buying wind power credits.

[Carnac the Magnificent!]

From yesterday's news, we learn that environmentally attuned Whole Foods, Inc.--a US purveyor of sustainable, organic food products--is now trumpeting itself as the nation's ultimate "green" grocer. Admirable goal, but actually Whole Foods is purchasing wind credits from other concerns, not making any operational changes itself.

While I clearly see how this purchase benefits the environment, just how admirable is getting someone else to do the heavy lifting and sacrificing for you, especially for a corporation that emphasizes deeds, not rhetoric and/or symbolism? Or is today's environmentalism largely on of symbolic measures and not a little hot air?


News Story:

Whole Foods switching to all wind power in U.S.
Deal for wind power credits makes Whole Foods the biggest corporate user of wind power in the country.

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Whole Foods Market Inc. is going all green on electricity.

The company is buying enough wind power credits to cover energy use at all of its U.S. stores, bakeries, distribution centers, regional offices and its Austin headquarters. ... The deal makes Whole Foods the biggest corporate user of wind power in the country


http://www.statesman.com/business/co...holefoods.html