Postal Service Charts Course for Sustainable Future

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Sep 10, 2010, 02:04 ET

White House Posts USPS Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan

WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service's sustainability goals and plans were posted by the White House today on its new website, whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/ceq. The website presents federal government goals for clean energy, reducing waste and greenhouse gas reduction. The Postal Service's Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan joins other agency plans to help reach the Obama Administration's green goals.

"The Postal Service voluntarily worked with 55 other federal agencies to publicly release our plans to achieve a sustainable future," said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. "The Postal Service is committed to building on our history of green innovation and social responsibility. This plan is another example of our sustainability leadership role."

With a large national presence and more than 33,000 facilities, the Postal Service takes steps daily to minimize its environmental impact. By achieving the goals outlined in its Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan, the Postal Service maximizes resources, reduces costs, and benefits its employees, customers and the communities it serves.

The USPS Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan describes the agency's goals and targets, and summarizes implementation initiatives. The Postal Service's green practices and successes are widely recognized, including its recycling and mail-back programs, electric and alternative fuel-powered vehicles and Cradle to Cradle Certified™ mailing and shipping supplies.

The plan outlines a number of milestones:

Became one of the first federal agencies to have a sustainability officer
Was the first federal agency to publish a third-party-verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions inventory and commit to absolute GHG reductions
Is one of the first federal agencies to issue Global Reporting Initiative-based public sustainability performance reports (2008 and 2009)
Joined other posts at the 2009 United Nations Climate Conference in Copenhagen to become the first industry sector to commit to GHG reductions
Named "most trusted government agency" for six consecutive years.

"The Postal Service is making progress in achieving its sustainability goals and continues to lay a solid foundation for a sustainable future for our organization, our employees and our customers," said Pulcrano.

The Postal Service has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White House Closing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, Climate Action Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo, and the Postal Technology International Environmental Achievement of the Year, 2009.

For more information about the USPS Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan, visit usps.com/green and the green newsroom.

The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world's mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.

About Green Gov:

With more than 1.8 million civilian employees, 500,000 buildings, and $500 billion in annual purchasing power, the Federal Government has an obligation to lead by example when it comes to its environmental, energy and economic performance. Demonstrating a commitment to this principle, President Obama signed an Executive Order on Federal sustainability in October 2009 that directed Federal Agencies to reduce their greenhouse gas pollution, meet a number of energy, water, and waste reduction targets, and leverage Federal purchasing power to promote environmentally-responsible products and technologies. To learn more click GreenGov.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service