Wal-Mart recently proclaimed itself the number one corporate purchaser of green energy in Canada, vaunting its goals to increase energy efficiency at its supercentres by signing a three-year deal with wind-power provider Bullfrog Power in Alberta and purchasing renewable energy for a quarter of its BC stores through BC Hydro.

Read a little bit deeper, though, and the green paint starts to flake off that bright, shiny Wal-Mart sign along the highway. As a comparison, Wal-Mart Canada states their renewable energy plan will equal of taking 3,875 cars off the road for one year over the three year lifespan of their deal with Bullfrog. Sounds like a lot of cars. But break it down and we see that it would average out to just under 1,300 cars per year. Still sounds like a decent amount, right?

Now, let's compare: according to Wal-Mart's own figures, 1 million Canadians shop at Wal-Mart every week. With most stores built at highway intersections outside of downtown, the large majority of Wal-Mart shoppers drive to the store. Even assuming that Wal-Mart customers begin carpooling, with four people to a car, that still means 250,000 cars visiting Wal-Mart in Canada every week, or over 35,500 cars every day - 10 times the number of cars Wal-Mart says it will take off the road in energy savings over three years.

Ok, but still, 3,875 cars are 3,875 cars, and any less cars on the road is good - except Wal-Mart is still expanding. Going further with our math, each of Wal-Mart's stores, on average, should receive 120 cars (with four customers inside, remember) every day. That would equal 840 car trips in one week. So if Wal-Mart continues to open new stores (as it plans to do in Stratford, ON) and expand current locations (as it hopes in Guelph, ON), it would only take one new store about a month and a half to completely counteract Wal-Mart's vaunted energy plan.

That's just one store. And Wal-Mart has its sights set on 15 to 20 new stores. I wonder who gets to sweep up all those green paint chips?