Walmart, the nation’s number one retailer, has announced it has improved fuel efficiency in its truck fleet by more than 25% since 2005.  The company also announced it is try out alternative fuels in a small sample of vehicles in the fleet.  One such test run will be used on fifteen trucks based in Phoenix which will run on - no kidding - used cooking oil leftover from fried chicken cooked in the company’s stores in the area.  Think about that next time before you order fried chicken.

While this writer is more than aware that it’s been cool for many years now to rag on Walmart, the fact of the matter is that this company sells at least 10% of the retail goods in the United States and that share of the market is likely to only rise with companies like Circuit City, Linens ‘N Things etc, etc going out of business in a steady stream.  Any substantive positive change in the energy policy of this country is going to need to include the participation of Walmart, and they should be applauded for the gains they’ve made so far.  Let’s hope to see more in the near future.You can takepart in getting better fuel efficiency out of your vehicle by checking out hypermiling.com.

LINKS:

NY Times: Green Inc: Wal-Mart announces fuel efficiency gains

MSNBC: Wal-Mart on track to cut truck fuel use by 25%

Environmental Leader: Wal-Mart tests new trucks, surpasses fuel efficiency goals