All around the world, shoppers flock to Wal-Mart to buy everything. In Texas, they come for another reason: to see the wind turbine , which supplies 5% of the store's electricity. It along with other facilities, such as exterior walls coated with heat-reflective paint, makes this Wal-Mart a green giant. The laws of economics suggest that Wal-Mart, with 5, 200 stores worldwide, influences everything including the price of all kinds of goods. It throws its weight behind environmental responsibility, and the impact could be amazing. "One little change in product packaging could save 1, 500 trees," says Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott."If everybody saves 1, 500 trees or 50 barrels of oil, at the end of the day you have made a huge difference." Scott wants Wal-Mart to do its part too. He has promised to cut the existing greenhouse-gas emissions over the next few years and promised to construct new stores that are more efficient. He wants Wal-Mart's fleet of more than 7, 000 trucks to get twice as many miles per gallon by 2015. Factories that show Wal-Mart they're cutting air pollution will get preferential treatment in the supply chain. Wal-Mart says it's working with consumer-product manufacturers to reduce their packaging and will reward them if they do so. Some people may doubt it is a bid to attract attention from Wal-Mart's controversial labor and health-insurance practices. But it's not just window dressing, because Wal-Mart sees profits in                                                                                          going green. Scott says, " _ . We don't go where we don't think there's a great interest in change." Like Bill Gates, who started his charitable foundation, Scott happens to be promoting Wal-Mart's image at a time when his company's reputation is declining. He acknowledges that he launched the plan partly to shield  Wal-Mart from bad press about its contribution to global warming. "By doing what we're doing today, we avoid the headline risks that are going to come for people who did not do anything," he says. "At some point businesses will be held responsible for the action they take." Meanwhile, should Wal-Mart succeed at shrinking its environmental footprint and lowering prices for green products, both the planet and the company will profit. What will Wal-Mart probably do in the future?
Reduce air pollution in its present stores. Give favorable treatment to its consumers. Ask the factories to reduce their packaging. Demand the fleet of trucks to use more fuel than before.