Introducing Nature Clean

If you've noticed it's quiet around here, it's because we're working full steam ahead on our new 2010 catalogue! No need to wait for that to come out, though, as we've been adding some of our our new 2010 products to the web.

New to CostlessExpress.com is Nature Clean, a line of natural, hypoallergenic, non-toxic and eco-friendly cleaning products. We have everything from hand soap to laundry and dishwashing supplies to kitchen and bathroom cleansers.

Nature Clean is also a Canadian owned and operated company, like Costless Express! All their products are made and packaged right here in Canada. Just log in to CostlessExpress.com and search for 'Nature Clean' to see all of our new Nature Clean products!"

Our New Recycling Bin!

Hey, today our new cardboard recycling bin arrived!

We have been really focused on waste management in the warehouse, and although we thought we were doing a good job, we knew we could be doing better. We set a goal of a further reduction in the size of our general garbage bin out back of our warehouse and in turn increased our cardboard bin.

We also added a larger shrink wrap recycling container to capture every scrap of material and ensuring none made its way into general refuse.

Finally, we reduced the amount of times the bins are emptied and this saves 50% of the carbon emissions and traffic congestion from the garbage trucks visiting our location. Did you know the garbage companies charge for each "tip" of the garbage cans? So less tips equals a savings. We estimate a annualized savings from this reduction of about $500 per year and the garbage company gave us a larger cardboard bin at no extra cost.

Cheers,
Calvin

Keurig on Oprah

Keurig On Oprah

Did you know... Oprah's production company saves $41,000 per year by not using disposable coffee cups! Watch the video below to see how they did it.

That's the Keurig B3000 single cup brewer in the offices at Harpo Productions. Qualified customers can get one FREE from Costless Express for their own offices. Just call us at 604-444-4467!

Calvin

The Carbon Economy

For the second time in recent months XPLANE has partnered with The Economist to create a compelling video on a topic of global importance. After working together on "Did You Know? 4.0", The Economist enlisted XPLANE's visual communication expertise to develop "The Carbon Economy" about the growing importance of climate change and green technologies and solutions.

"The Carbon Economy" will be shown at The Economist's upcoming Carbon Economy Summit on November 17 and 18, 2009 in Washington, D.C. The video is three minutes in length and includes simple visuals and a moving soundtrack to clearly convey the troubled state of global climate change and what steps must be taken to reach a positive outcome. The production was created using Apple's Keynote software.

Cheers,
Calvin

100% Renewable Energy by 2030?

A new study out of Stanford and UC says that we can power all the world's energy needs through wind, water and solar power - and that it could be done by 2030, for less than it would cost to use fossil fuel and nuclear energy sources.

How? Fossil fuel energy sources are typically inefficient - for example, in a fossil fuel burning car, up to 80% of the energy is lost as heat. The energy savings from converting to those greener energy sources, by itself, could cut the world's energy demands to two-thirds what they are today. This could eliminate the need for 13,000 coal plants worldwide, and save enough money to justify the switchover.

Of course, this plan would still require massive changes to the world's energy infrastructure: 3.8 million large wind turbines, 89,000 300-megawatt solar plants, 490,000 tidal turbines, 1.7 billion rooftop photovoltaic systems, and 900 hydroelectric plants, plus the countless new transmission lines needed to distribute so much more electricity. Only about 2% of this renewable energy infrastructure exists today.

But the researchers conclude that the biggest obstacle to these changes is actually the competing non-renewable energy industry, which currently dominates political lobbying.

[Stanford University via FastCompany]

Just How Green is Wal-mart?

Wal-Mart now sees energy and fuel efficiency as significant bottom-line drivers: so carbon emissions equal potentially wasted profits. Wal-Mart has realized that it's far easier to cut wasteful operating expenses than to grow top line sales.

http://www.nationalpost.com/story.html?id=2109069

Calvin

So just how big is Walmart?

For the fiscal year ended Jan. 31, 2009, Walmart's worldwide sales topped $401 billion.

That's close to $46 million each and every hour of every day.

That's more than the gross domestic product of Taiwan, Greece and Denmark, and double that of Romania.

Walmart discloses its operating margin at 5.8 per cent, which totals a profit of $44,250 every minute.

Walmart's U.S. sales tops Home Depot, Kroger, Target, Sears, Costco and K-Mart combined.

If Walmart continues to grow at its current rate, revenues will be $3 trillion by 2020, as much as economies of France and Britain combined, and it will employ 8.2 million people.

Walmart is already the biggest private employer in the U.S.

Walmart develops more real estate, consumes more energy than any other American company.

How's this for diversity? Walmart sells more dog food, disposable diapers, guns, toothpaste, CDs and diamonds than any other retailer.

It's estimated that one-third of American shoppers visit Walmart once a week.

In a little over a decade, the retailer went from selling no groceries to being America's No. 1 grocer.

Industry estimates suggest that 70 per cent of merchandise has left the store before Walmart has paid its suppliers for it.

I am fascinated with the website www.howstuffworks.com - here is some more info on Walmart: http://money.howstuffworks.com/wal-mart.htm

Amazing how a company can shape technology, like the introduction of bar codes or the lowering of the cost on a 4 pack of light bulbs nationally. It has been an astounding story with Wal-Mart over the past few decades, as huge manufacturers like GE bow to a retailer. Its a case now where the tail wags the dog. Is Wal-Mart getting TOO BIG?

Here is a great movie (a few years old but still fascinating) if you can find a download copy or it is on TV every now and then.

Here is a great PBS documentary also; watch it online.

Oh, and for us capitalists: Here's the stock performance since Wal-Mart went public in 1970, issuing a paltry 300,000 shares.

In 1971 if you invested just $5,000 dollars in Wal-Mart stock, you would have over $10,000,000 (yeah, ten million) in your jeans today. I guess not everyone hates Wal-Mart!

Cheers
Calvin