Applause goes to Walmart for trying to do it’s part to become more environmentally responsible. The goal to cut 20 million tons from its carbon footprint is admirable. You just have to wonder what tactics it will use to accomplish this goal. It’s common knowledge that it isn’t easy for suppliers to negotiate with Walmart. In their drive to keep costs low for its customers, it constantly requests price concessions.  Again, while admirable, one has to consider what this will mean to its supplier base. What other cuts/shortcuts will suppliers have to take in order to afford to remain a supplier as they help Walmart achieve its environmental goals? Hopefully, Walmart will see it as a duty to subsidize those suppliers in making the necessary changes instead of just dropping them if they don’t make the changes because they can’t afford to.

Bloom Energy recently unveiled its new BloomBox – a solid oxide fuel cell that uses no precious metals or corrosive acids and doesn’t use combustion as it turns carbon-based or bio-based fuel into megawatts of electricity. This is certainly a marvelous breakthrough with a promising future. Those who are interested in energy solutions that don’t produce greenhouse gases should certainly sit up and take notice.

As a recycling company, Pacific has as one of its goals simply to make the world a better place. We even use the phrase “passion for the world around us” as one of the five key passions or driving forces we use to guide our actions. So, we try to promote environmentally and economically sound recycling practices. We hope that all companies and people interested in recycling will keep that in mind.

With that in mind, we encourage some rethinking from the general public. Upon deciding you no longer need an item, a good thing to do before even recycling it in the traditional way is to think if it still has any useful life to any other person. In our search to simplify our lives by making things easier, sometimes we give in to the easiest way to dispose of something, rather that taking the time and energy to investigate other methods of disposal. So think before you toss that item into the garbage or recycling bin – does it have any other use first?

Also, as you recycle, look for opportunities to help those who are less fortunate. Pacific always accepts your desire to have the proceeds from your recyclables donated to your favorite charity. Sometimes, we even work with organizations to hold a drive specifically to raise money for that organization, frequently matching all funds collected through the recycling effort.

It’s also good to see other companies involved in recycling reaching out to help others. One in particular is the Institution Recycling Network, a cooperative recycling organization that works with colleges and universities, hospitals, K-12 schools and private companies to improve the performance and economics of recycling. Their recent assistance sent to the people in Haiti is worthy of admiration and attempts to duplicate. Wherever you are, remember that there are so many who have so much less than you do – reading this on a computer is undeniable proof. So find a way to make the world a little better today.

There have been plenty of signals that the US economy is in recovery mode. Housing prices seem to have stabilized, the stock market has regained a lot of ground, some companies have reported better than expected earnings, some steel companies are starting some operations back up – yet amongst all this, unemployment is still way up, other industries such as paper mills continue to close up shops, thousands more workers are being laid off and the expected key point of President Obama’s State of the Union address tonight will be job creation. So, are we truly in a recovery? Or is this just a temporary upswing to be followed by another crash? Compared to recessions in the past few decades, this one seems to be clouded in unprecedented ways. So many conflicting indicators and opinions – which seem to prolong skepticism, becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Sometimes, you just need to respond to an article you read. “Commentators” of a report issued by the Earth Policy Institute believe it is likely that Americans are starting to lose their love for their cars. Apparently, the American auto fleet contracted by 2% this last year and according to those commentators, it’s a sure sign of a continued and prolonged contraction. They are totally forgetting that the US government deleted 750,000 vehicles from the fleet with “Cash for Clunkers” and that we have witnessed the worst recession in decades, causing many people to put off buying not only cars but many other high ticket items. The only reason we could see a continued contraction for now is the reluctance to open up the purse strings until there are much better signs that the recession is behind us. Wishful thinking is what it is and nothing more. The love affair is very likely to continue as soon as the economy stabilizes – whether that’s good in your book or bad, it’s still the most likely answer.