June 2009 

Letter From Laura

Letter from Laura Laura Gerlach, Vice President, Retail Operations, RILA Announcing RILA-NRF merger, update on RILA sustainability activities, summary of articles in this issue. More >>

Executive Profile

Executive Profile: Kate Heiny Kate Heiny, Sustainability Manager, Target Kate Heiny reflects on the how Target spreads awareness of environmental sustainability and other issues in her role as sustainability manager. More >>

Feature Articles

Battery Storage and Transportation Regulations Bob Sorvillo, Vice President of National Accounts, Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure On April 3, 2009 the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration published a notice conveying their recent findings and ongoing efforts regarding the storage and transportation of batteries. More >>

Using Sustainability to Engage Your Community Miranda Anderson, Director of Corporate Affairs, Sustainability, Wal-Mart At Wal-Mart, sustainability is integrated into everything we do as a company, and we’ve learned there is no conflict between being a good steward of the environment and running a profitable business. More >>

Is Your Sustainability Picture Complete? Ruth Kinzey, Corporate Reputation Strategist, As more and more companies recognize the importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and focus on their “green factor,” it’s possible that one not-so-small piece of the sustainability puzzle may be overlooked: sustainable packaging. More >>

RILA Update

House Energy Security Committee Update Kelly Kolb, Vice President, Supply Chain, RILA On May 21, 2009, the Energy and Commerce Committee reported the American Clean Energy and Security Act by a vote of 33 to 25. More >>

Planning for ESCC 2009 Underway Sarah Walczewski, Retail Operations Coordinator, RILA RILA’s 2009 Environmental Sustainability & Compliance Conference (ESCC) will be October 5-7, 2009 at the Embassy-Suites Frisco in Dallas, Texas. More >>

States Pass BPA Mandates Joe Rinzel, Vice President, State Government Affairs, RILA In early May, Minnesota Gov. Pawlenty signed into law SF 247, a bill that bans the sale of certain products that contain BPA. Connecticut has since followed suit. More >>

California Green Building Code Available Online Joe Rinzel, Vice President, State Government Affairs, RILA California was the first state in the nation to adopt a green building code. More >>

RSI Held Webinar on Tritium Exit Signs Sarah Walczewski, Retail Operations Coordinator, RILA Last month, the RILA Sustainability Initiative hosted a webinar for retailers on handling tritium exit signs. Tritium is a radioactive isotope of hydrogen that is found in many exit signs, which are common in retail facilities. More >>