The Gradient

In the last few years, it’s become very trendy to fly to different places either for investigative purposes (e.g., CPUC to Europe for energy efficiency; honestly, it’s really not that hard), or to brag (e.g., the state contingency that flew to Copenhagen a few years back).

The Pace Law Blog just published this piece with good advice on how to gauge the benefits of your attendance at these events:

Each participant ought to ask themself the question: is my participation going to lead to the equivalent of one Lincoln Navigator being taken off the road for the next year?

Today, in the Marketplace section, is a front page piece on how Wal-Mart’s competitors are closing in on price differentials. About midway through the article, there is this quote:

Wal-Mart continues to post stable profits and overall sales…But Wal-Mart’s U.S. business, which accounts for some 60% of  of its $419b in annual revenue… is expected to notch a ninth consecutive quarter of declining sales at stores open at least a year…”

Don’t get me wrong, I think there are serious consequences for cities that entertain big box establishments like Wal-Mart, and the Wall Street Journal is definitely not a green fan, yet it strikes me that this article points to serious deficiencies in accounting for sustainable practices in market capitalization. The fact that Wal-Mart has managed to introduce such significant changes aimed at sustainability and maintain their prices should be of more value than those enterprises that achieve price reductions, but through unsustainable practices.