The Falk Group's Steve Johnstone and I have been representing Walmart in the region for nearly a decade. In that time, we have heard just about every argument against the largest employer in the state and the largest company in the world.

The most ludicrous argument came from a mayor in a town North of Milwaukee. She complained in front of a public audience that the new Supercenter planned for the area would most certainly wreck the local economy. A few hours after the meeting she was spotted shopping for toothpaste in the aisles of the local Walmart discount store.

Let's face it, people will shop where they can find the best deals, particularly in today's economy. Besides offering consumers low prices, Walmart is offering them much more: the promise of a healthier environment.

Did you ever wonder why that bottle of Tide shrank to two-thirds its size in the last couple of years? That's because Walmart asked its detergent suppliers to help save water and prevent excess waste. The smaller bottles of concentrated detergent will save more than 400 million gallons of water, 95 million pounds of plastic resin, 125 million pounds of cardboard and 520,000 gallons of diesel fuel over three years.

Read more about Walmart's Green-Light Specials in the Jan. 25 New York Times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/25/business/25walmart.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Wal-mart%20and%20sustainability&st=cse