I regret not seeing Kate Sheppard’s excellent discussion at Mother Jones prior to writing Whole Foods’ CEO vs Whole Foods’ Values? and Whole Paycheck’s “Crazy Uncle”’s crazed global warming ignorance. Kate addresses the connection between Mackey’s statements/views, Whole Foods’ lobbying (or lack of it), and governmental action on environmental issues. As with The New Yorker article, the entire piece is worth reading. An extract:
But that doesn’t mean there’s no potential problem here for Whole Foods. The company, which pulls in $4 billion a year, does try to promote itself as a firm that cares about the environment. … their focus is on what customers can do to reduce their impact—including in one post an admonition to “vote with your dollars” by shopping at local and at socially-conscious businesses. … The company ranked among the biggest purchasers of green power last year, but neither the company nor its CEO has advocated for environmental policies in line with the views held by their customer base. Meanwhile, companies widely scorned by progressives have stepped up efforts to deal with climate change by both implementing sustainable practices and advocating for sound policy. … Whole Foods, despite its image, is not part of that coalition. And with Mackey its most visible officer, Whole Foods essentially can be counted as part of the corporate opposition to the pending legislation.
See also Media Matters’ Fact Check on Mackey.