Ojai Environmentalists Spurn Drugstore Changes

Oregon-based PayLess Drug Stores is trying to appease local environmentalists by putting energy-saving air conditioners and lighting in its soon-to-open store in Ojai.

The air conditioners will monitor temperatures outside as well as inside the store, and whenever possible will cool the store with outside air rather than refrigerated air. Fluorescent light fixtures will feature energy-saving electronic ballasts and triphosphorus T-8 lamps, which will also cut down on energy use.

But these efforts, which PayLess spokeswoman Jessica Daughetee said are fairly common throughout the chain, do not move opponents.

Since the announcement last summer that PayLess would take over the 8,000-square-foot location formerly occupied by the Valley Market, many local residents have been concerned about its environmental impact.

“Saving electricity is very good in terms of reducing power generation needed to run the store,” said Stan Greene, president of Citizens to Preserve the Ojai, the environmental organization that led the opposition against the store.

“But that power could be coming from anywhere,” he said. “Southern California Edison produces electricity in Ventura County, but it also buys whatever else it needs from [outside the area]. When energy is generated it creates pollution where it is generated, so this savings may or may not be helping Ojai air.”

Of more concern to Greene and other area environmentalists is the potential for increased auto traffic and thus increased air pollution in the Ojai Valley when PayLess opens for business.

The environmentalists argue that PayLess will attract more customers from outside the Ojai area than did the Valley Market. However, a traffic study commissioned by PayLess last year estimated a slight decrease in traffic.

“The only way we’ll really know is to do a traffic count in a month or two,” Greene said. “It won’t make any difference, but it will be interesting to see.”