Environmental Sustainability

Ikea officially plugged in two Blink Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations at its Portland, Ore. store as part of its partnership with ECOtality. The initiative is the first such project for Ikea in the U.S.

American Eagle Outfitters and Cotton Incorporated are partnering on a denim recycling program called “Cotton. From Blue to Green.” Through Oct. 18, more than 850 American Eagle Outfitters stores are participating as well as 47 college campuses across the U.S.

Cardboard boxes are out as part of Office Depot’s GreenerOffice Delivery Service. Customers will now receive supplies in paper bags protected during transportation in reusable plastic totes.

Wal-Mart announced a plan to install solar panels on up to 60 additional stores in California, expanding the company’s solar portfolio to more than 75 percent of its stores in the state. The move would make California the first state in the nation where Wal-Mart has devoted this level of commitment to renewable energy, it said.

Amid a climate of economic uncertainty, Americans now place a higher value on their own financial stability over environmental responsibility. However, they're still looking to make sensible environmental choices, according to the 2011 Green Gauge US Report from GfK Roper Consulting, a division of GfK Custom Research North America.

Apple, Nordstrom and other retailers are beginning to use paperless receipts not only to achieve quicker checkout lines and create less waste but also to gain additional customer email addresses, according to Pam Danziger of Unity Marketing, a market research firm.

A group of environmental organizations issued a report reprimanding Apple for the pollution allegedly caused by the company's Chinese suppliers. "We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made," Apple's Steve Dowling said in response to the report.

People are often not able to see the impact they make on the planet by purchasing "green" products. At online retailer Green N Brown, every single product carries information about its green factor along with impact statements. Now shoppers can look for eco footprint statements besides product specs.

Toys“R”Us said it's completed a 5.38 megawatt rooftop solar power system at the company’s largest distribution center in Flanders, N.J. The solar roof is estimated to offset 72 percent of the electrical needs for the Toys“R”Us facility, making it the largest operational rooftop solar installation in North America.

Ikea has purchased a wind farm north of Scotland and is investing in rooftop solar photovoltaic installations as part of its plan to use 100 percent renewable energy in the long term. The wind farm in Huntly, Aberdeenshire will generate electricity equivalent to that used in five U.K. stores — or 30 percent of the company’s total consumption in the U.K.