Wal-Mart says consumerism is getting greener
Heads at Wal-Mart HQ are reporting a major jump in the sales of environmentally-friendly products over the last year. To track the adoption rate of green items, Wal-Mart created what it calls the 'Live Better Index,' a sample of 5 key environmentally-friendly products that they think reflects the mentality of consumers as a whole. After crunching the numbers since last year's Earth Day, the index shows a growth of 66% in the green habits of Wal-Mart shoppers. Yes, you read that right: Wal-Mart shoppers. 
Of course, Wal-Mart's index tracks 5 of the most visible green products around -- so it may not be the most accurate way to calculate green consumerism. The Live Better Index follows the sales of: CFLs, organic baby food, organic milk, 'extended life paper products,' and concentrated liquid laundry detergents. The adoption of concentrated laundry detergent is at a national average of 76%, that's probably because larger bottles are simply less available -- not a bad thing. This year, the index will add sustainable coffee and eco-friendly cleaning products to the list. Here's the breakdown:
1. Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs - Average adoption rate of 19.7 percent (up from 13.39% in 2007)As unlikely as it seems, Wal-Mart has managed to change its image from a capitalistic nightmare to a leading seller of organic foods in just a few short years. With its aggressive tracking of green purchases, it will continue to ride the wave or green consumerism all they way to the bank. It's hard to really like Wal-Mart, mainly because the shopping experience is usually terrible, but you've got to admire their ability to give consumers what they want.
- Delaware leads the category with an adoption rate of 25.8 percent
2. Organic baby food and formula - Average adoption rate of 4.12 percent (down from 4.31% in 2007)
- California continues to lead the category with an 8.58 percent adoption rate
3. Organic milk - Average adoption rate of 1.58 percent (up from 1.15% in
2007)
- Virginia has the highest adoption rate of organic milk at 2.7 percent
4. Extended life paper products - Average adoption rate of 67.5 percent (up from 50.77% in 2007)
- Minnesota has the highest adoption rate with 78.1 percent
5. Concentrated/reduced-packaging liquid laundry detergents - Average adoption rate of 76.3 percent (up from 22.86% in 2007)
- Oklahoma leads the category with an adoption rate of 96.3 percent
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