WalMart Way of Leading

In his autobiography, Sam Walton Made in America, Mr. Walton clearly described his attitude toward sharing his wealth. He said, "we have never been inclined to give any undeserving stranger a free ride".  Clearly, Mr. Walton was a man whose aim was to give with a purpose.
The Green Student Challenge initiative of WalMart Canada is an excellent example of this philosophy. It is a team business competition for Canadian post-secondary students. The goal of the competition is twofold: first, to create the most compelling breakthrough idea in sustainable business practices that can change the way companies run their business; second, to convince the panel of jury comprised of some of Canada's most successful business leaders of two things: the feasibility and the sustainable value of the idea. The monetary incentive for the wining team is $25, 000 as well as another $25,000 to the their school.
I believe that this initiative is the best investment a company can make. Hence, I was surprised to find out though quick internet research that no other major retailer in Canada has any similar initiatives in place. WalMart Canada is the true leader of the industry in terms of innovative ways of sharing wealth and giving back to the community. I encourage other companies like Loblaw and Canadian Tire to create their own business competitions of this kind. Here are a few examples of a slew of benefits for all the stakeholders of the Green Student Challenge:

• all participating students receive an invaluable experience of practicing innovative thinking and acquainting themselves with the ways businesses are managed
• they get a unique chance to network with Canada’s top CEO’s to increase their employability and possibly jump-start their careers
• the winning university receives funds to further expand resources that encourage students’ innovative thinking
• the students' ideas have a potential to make the planet a safer place to live for generations to come
• the businesses benefit from the students’ ideas in becoming more sustainable whilst improving their bottom line

WalMart way of leading really works. The best thing about it is that there are no loosers in this competition by design as every stakeholder wins regardless of the outcome of the competition.
What ideas can we, Retail Management students of TRSM, think of that could put us on the winning stage next year?
What can we do to cut down packaging waste? Can we eliminate paper receipts with a digital app for the smart phones to save trees, save on paper costs, and make shopping a friendlier experience? Is there a better way to power all the lights in the retail stores?
I encourage everyone of you to share your ideas here on this blog. Do you think we could come up with the winning idea for the 2013 competition?
Here is the link to the official registration page for all of you with brilliant minds: http://greenstudentchallenge.ca/