Last Friday, I applauded Wal-Mart's use of their bully pulpit to effect positive change on the sustainability front.

Today's Washington Post adds another dimension to that story. In a piece about start-ups setting out to sustain Wal-Mart's eco-friendly focus, the Post explores business growth in Fayettville, Arkansas that is directly attributable to Wal-Mart's "magnetic power."

Wal-Mart's magnetic power has brought explosive growth to Bentonville and nearby Rogers. Scores of vendors who supply the merchandise for Wal-Mart's shelves — from massive conglomerates like PepsiCo to smaller players like Sassy baby products — have opened satellite offices in the region to keep up with their most important client. Construction cranes dot the landscape, and strip malls are clogged with traffic.

The effect has been less in Fayetteville, a progressive outpost in this largely conservative landscape. It is home to the University of Arkansas and boasts a walkable downtown, quaint coffee shops and an organic restaurant. Locals call residents of Bentonville and Rogers "Wal-Martians," while they scoff at the strict city ordinances and more liberal posturing of "Fayette-Nam."

Fayetteville's quirky personality is proving attractive to sustainable businesses. Eventually, the town may consider financial and tax incentives to help lure more green companies. But for now, news is spreading through word of mouth and Wal-Mart.

According to Charles Fishman, author of "The Wal-Mart Effect."

Wal-Mart is so large that when Wal-Mart changes how it does business, most businesses have to come along. This where the change is.

In his quest to create a more sustainable business, Daniel Sanker, founder of the shipping and logistics firm CaseStack, recently moved his family from Santa Monica, California to Fayetteville. 

Sanker is looking for office and warehouse space and anticipates he will hire as many as 100 people. He tried to get space in the research park on Cato Springs Road, but it was booked. He is betting his career and his family's future that Wal-Mart will live up to its promise — and that Fayetteville will come out on top.

"It (Fayetteville) was just so much more dynamic than anything I've seen," Sanker said. "Maybe we're all crazy, but I don't think so."

Kudos to Sanker and CaseStack for taking the leap!

Carbon Neutral Journal's kudos are brought to you by Grand Targhee Resort.

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