Club Life http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/ This is an XML content feed of; Club Life : Last 10 Posts Wed, 20 Aug 2008 03:14:08 +0000 Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:39:18 +0000 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Web Wiz Forums 9.08 30 www.tasteforlife.com/forum/RSS_topic_feed.asp Club Life http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_images/web_wiz_forums.png http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/ Weight Management : asthma http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48&PID=179#179 Author: wanna B healthy
Subject: asthma
Posted: 17 Aug 2008 at 12:39pm

anyone have any ideas on treating asthma]]> Sun, 17 Aug 2008 12:39:18 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=48&PID=179#179 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=178#178 Author: Kezsmom
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 12 Aug 2008 at 10:40pm

I don't think it's sincere - and it's undermining the average shopper's intelligence... BUT, I do believe that it can do good - just this week I actually questioned a Wal-Mart manager about a product that was shelved as "green" - he was helpful in trying to find out the information I had and verifying it with his buying department - we walked away with phone numbers and e-mail addresses and I was confident that he had learnt something about what is really GREEN and ORGANIC...  in gaining a friend the cause was also furthered... it doesn't help rejecting the Big Players... we have a voice, this is America, we need to speak up and be asking questions, committing our own time to helping the transition - complaining never gained anyone a success...]]> Tue, 12 Aug 2008 22:40:35 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=178#178 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=177#177 Author: yellow
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 11 Aug 2008 at 8:13am

thank you Lbryda!]]> Mon, 11 Aug 2008 08:13:09 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=177#177 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=176#176 Author: Lbryda
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 10 Aug 2008 at 12:17pm

Originally posted by lbryda

It's quite possible that a new Wal-Mart store will destroy as many (or more) jobs than it creates and Wal-Mart jobs may pay less, meaning that they do less to stimulate the local economy.
-------------------

Yes...BillTheCat, it is quite possible...in fact, as of July 2008 Walmart is facing more than 80 lawsuits, 4 class action suits since May of this year. Some of the allegations include: forcing employees to work off the clock, requiring employees to skip lunch and rest breaks AND manipulating time and wage records. While Wal-Mart touts its “average” wage of $10.83, most researchers conclude that the average worker at Wal-Mart makes around eight dollars an hour. Most likely because of their above practices.

On the subject of Walmart being "Green"
Yes they are the largest buyer of organic cotton and milk. Yes, they use some green energy. However, if you did YOUR research...you may find both sides of this story.

There is alot of cause and effect here with everything they do. For example (a little research for you, CAT MAN):

Wal-Mart’s Growth Will Offset Its Planned Energy Savings. Wal-Mart’s new stores will use more energy
that its energy-saving measures will save. Wal-Mart hopes to cut 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 emissions by 2013, by making its existing stores 20 percent more efficient. New stores built in 2007 alone, however, will consume enough electricity to add approximately one million metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere. At that rate, (adding one million metric tons of CO2 per year because of new stores), by 2013 Wal-Mart will be offsetting its cut of 2.5 million metric tons of CO2 by adding 28 million metric tons of new emissions within the same time period. [Stacey Mitchell. “Keep your eyes on the size: The impossibility of a green Wal-Mart.” www.grist.org, March 28, 2007.]

Wal-Mart Has Over 2,300 Supercenters in the United States. The average Wal-Mart Supercenter is
mammoth, averaging 200,000 square feet and occupying 20 to 30 acres of land - about as large as a football stadium. There are over 2,200 Supercenters in the United States, in addition to thousands of standard Wal-Marts, Neighborhood Markets, Sam’s Clubs, distribution centers and warehouses. It is the largest commercial entity in the United States, both physically and economically, and its stores require massive amounts of land, energy and labor to function. [http://www.walmartfacts.com; San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/21/07]

Wal-Mart Leaves Empty Buildings Behind. It is estimated that Wal-Mart alone has abandoned over 300 of its stores across the country in order to build newer and larger Supercenters, all the while leaving empty concrete shells behind resulting in over 500 million square feet of unused retail space, the approximate amount of industrial space in the entire city of Atlanta,. [Erin Zeiss, “Wal-Mart devastates the environment,” Eco-Mind, UVM Environmental Council, 1/23/07; http://www.southeastrebusiness.com/articles/JUN05/cover2.html]

Wal-Mart Parking Lots Contribute To Water Pollution. A Wal-Mart Supercenter may cover several acres,
but its parking lot can be three times the size of the store itself, placing its footprint at well over 18 acres. A 2005 report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance estimated at the time that Wal-Mart stores and parking lots covered roughly 75,000 acres (or 117 square miles) in the U.S., equal to the land size of Tampa, Florida, a figure that has continued to rise as Wal-Mart continued to expand over the last two years. Parking lots contribute directly to what is referred to as “non-point source water pollution,” the leading cause of water pollution in the United States. [http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/reports/big_box.asp; Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 7/21/05;
St. Petersburg Times, 3/25/05]

In addition to some of these things, they have violated numerous environmental laws. They have contributed to major Air pollution and water pollution (and have paid out MILLIONS in fines and violations). They were fined for letting polluted storm water run free into GA state waters, resulting in $170,000 in penalties for pollution at TWO sites.These fines ranking among the HIGHEST PAID in GA for violations of the Clean Water Act.

Fined for Oil Storage problems in Florida ($765,000)

They are also under investigation for other environmental violations.

I don't believe they are making their "Green decisions" solely to save them and us Money. I think they are largely doing it to save face. ]]> Sun, 10 Aug 2008 12:17:34 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=176#176 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=175#175 Author: BillTheCat
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 09 Aug 2008 at 9:12am

Gee it was real easy to see where this debate was going to go...

 
WalMart Bashers of the World unite and let's start spewing the same old tired BS about how the little Mom & Pops can’t survive against the evil big company and how Big Box retailers are going to ruin the world. WAAAAA! CryCryCry
 
Wake up, it's called running a successful business and it is what America is all about.

 

Originally posted by lbryda

Walmart's … cause the mom and pop places to be forced to close down, not being able to compete.

 

WalMart isn't a charity, they are in business to make money and there is nothing wrong with that. It’s called a free market economy. 

 
They can offer better prices then the little Mom & Pop store because they have huge buying power. I'm sure all of you think that it's just great when you get 3 cents off the big bushel of Organic Soy Beans, or if you save a buck because you get the mega-family pack of recycled toilet paper. It’s the same principal, the more you buy, the better of a deal that the manufacturer will give you.
 
Originally posted by lbryda

It's quite possible that a new Wal-Mart store will destroy as many (or more) jobs than it creates and Wal-Mart jobs may pay less, meaning that they do less to stimulate the local economy.
 
It’s quite possible? They may pay less? Possible? Maybe?
 
Hey, here’s a thought, why don’t you try doing a little research before you say something stupid? Ouch

 

Put this in your hemp pipe and smoke on it; the average full time worker at WalMart makes $10.11/hour. That’s just over $3.50/hr than the new federal minimum wage of $6.55/hr. They are also the largest private employer in the world. They are a huge multi-national company and they have good paying jobs in all sectors.

 
That sure sounds like they create a lot of jobs world wide to me...
 
WalMart saves the average family $2,500 each year on the things they need. That’s $2,500 more they have to go to the movies, or put gas in their tank, or to buy more crap at WalMart.
 
Last time I checked, having a little extra money in your pocket at the end of the month does a lot to stimulate the economy. Wasn't that they whole idea of the economic stimulous checks we all just got?

 

Back to the original question; are companies like WalMart trying to make a real difference or are they just trying to make a buck. Yes to both, and the reason why is because it is their best interest…

 

WalMart has been officially working on ways to become more energy efficient since 2005, and they are making a real difference.

 

For example, they found that if they eliminated excess packaging on some products they could save $2.4 million in shipping costs, 3,800 trees, and a million barrels of oil.

 
I think that's about as much oild as one of the current candidates says we can save just by inflating our tires.
 

They have increased the fuel efficiency of their truck fleets by 25% and have cut energy use in their stores by 30%. They have new stores in Texas, Nevada, and Colorado that have wind turbines, solar panels, and bio-fuel boilers.

 
Oh yeah LBryda, there was one thing you did get right, WalMart is the biggest buyer of organic cotton in the world. They are also the biggest seller of organic milk.

 

It’s simple… ALL Big Box retailers, WalMart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, etc… are in business to make money. With the economy the way it is, and energy costs skyrocketing, these companies are going to make the smart eco-friendly decisions that will save them money. Cost savings that they will pass on to consumers to keep them coming back to the store.

 

In the process, they are going to start selling items that are green friendly and energy efficient because that is what consumers want because they want to save money too.

 

As far as I am concerned this is a win-win for everyone



Edited by BillTheCat - 09 Aug 2008 at 9:31am]]> Sat, 09 Aug 2008 09:12:25 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=175#175 Women's Health : HPV vaccine http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47&PID=174#174 Author: sarahgnyc
Subject: HPV vaccine
Posted: 06 Aug 2008 at 3:14pm

Does anyone have any substantial evidence on this vaccine?  My sister is 15 and is thinking about getting the vaccine.  I feel like there isn't enough long term research.  I also feel like she gets regular screenings, so wouldn't it be healthier to not get the vaccine? 

Thanks for your help in advance.

Sarah
]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:14:43 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47&PID=174#174 Cooking & Food : Cookware http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36&PID=173#173 Author: Harpette
Subject: Cookware
Posted: 06 Aug 2008 at 12:52pm

Oh, I read somewhere a comment about it "leaching".  I'd never heard that before, and I was wondering if it was recent news.  I haven't been able to find anything else that corroborates that story, so I turned to this board.
 
I'd love to own stainless steel - I just want to know if it's SAFE!!! (What is safe anymore?!)
]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:52:44 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=36&PID=173#173 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=172#172 Author: Amy
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 06 Aug 2008 at 9:19am

They created most of the issues, so I don't think they really care enough to want to actually deal with them. I do think they are venturing into the natural products world simply because that is where people are putting more dollars and they want to have as much money spent at their stores as possible. There needs to be a financial benefit for the big box stores to care, so instead of all of us getting frustrated with what everyone should be doing (myself included), maybe we should figure out a way within the system that motivates them and trick them into it.....just like they are using "organics" to trick people into spending more money t their stores. We need to find a $$ making purpose to treat employees fairly, not over-produce, and use more sustainable practices and organic materials. The obvious answer to me is by having everyones wallet speak for us, but not everyone (myself included on some counts) has been able to make the choice for a variety of reasons to only shop local /sustainable/organic, so maybe it is time to start thinking of an additional method of financial motivation for the big box stores???



Edited by Amy - 06 Aug 2008 at 9:20am]]> Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:19:21 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=172#172 All About Organic : Organic is overpriced http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19&PID=171#171 Author: trying_real_hard
Subject: Organic is overpriced
Posted: 02 Aug 2008 at 10:30pm

I live in the desert.  There are no farm stands here.  There is Whole Foods but it's so overrated, it hard to find a parking space.  We do have a few Trader Joe's and a couple Wild Oats but prices is an issue in my single parent home.  I have lucked out with Sunflower Farmer's Market (where I get my Taste for Life mag).  I totally support local farmers and ranches.  And considering a lot of the Mega Popular SuperMarkets are importing fish from China (no USDA there) I feel even better shopping there.  Another place I love to shop, that also supports local growers and ranches, is Fresh and Easy.   Organic food to me is a sometime treat.  
]]> Sat, 02 Aug 2008 22:30:44 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=19&PID=171#171 Green Living : Green Retailer Debate http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=170#170 Author: Lbryda
Subject: Green Retailer Debate
Posted: 01 Aug 2008 at 3:44pm

There are alot of things I don't like about the big box retailers of the world, Wal-mart being one of them

Walmart's documented use of taxpayer money to finance it's growth, and to cause the mom and pop places to be forced to close down, not being able to compete. It's quite possible that a new Wal-Mart store will destroy as many (or more) jobs than it creates--and the Wal-Mart jobs may pay less, meaning that they do less to stimulate the local economy. They help ruin unique identities of small towns and cause congestion (leading to other environmental effects)

Yes, they are one of the largest buyers of organic cotton, and they use energy efficient lighting, some even run off wind power. But you have to ask yourself...what is the motive? Some think it is to try to make up for their wrong-doings in the past. Some also believe it is to cash in on the "Green Movement". They are working on green issues, but what about labor issues? What about China, the suppliers being threatened to find a way to do this (lower prices and be green) or risk losing the contract with Walmart.

Is it too much to expect Wal-Mart and other Big Boxes to deal with both of these issues at once?]]> Fri, 01 Aug 2008 15:44:33 +0000 http://www.tasteforlife.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=46&PID=170#170