Postal Service Moves Closer to Energy, Fuel Reduction Goals

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May 11, 2010, 01:28 ET

Sustainability Annual Report Released

WASHINGTON, May 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service released its 2009 annual report on sustainability performance in which Postmaster General John E. Potter credited postal employees for the agency's environmental achievements.

"Quite simply, we want to be the best — best neighbor, best business partner and the best place to work when it comes to sustainable practices," said Potter. "As the first federal agency to publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions, we've established an invaluable baseline to guide us as we work to scale back these emissions by 20 percent by 2020."

The Postal Service has set aggressive goals to reduce energy use 30 percent by 2015, petroleum fuel use 20 percent by 2015 and greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020. In 2009, the agency reduced its total facility and vehicle energy use 9 percent, as it increased its alternative fuel use 26 percent.

In 2009, Postal Service employees reduced the amount of municipal solid waste generated by 7 percent compared to the year before. Postal employees also increased the amount of recycled or reused electronics by 73 percent in the same timeframe. The 2009 sustainability report is available at the Postal Service's green website, usps.com/green which shows customers how to "skip the trip" by using free carrier pickup, Click-N-Ship and other online services. In 2009, online transactions increased 13 percent, meaning fewer trips to Post Offices, saving customers time and fuel and reducing their carbon emissions, too.

"It's our goal to make sure every letter and package mailed is a greener experience for the people who use our services," said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. "Reduce, reuse, recycle is more than a slogan — it's a way of doing business throughout the Postal Service. We are reducing energy and fuel use, our carbon footprint is growing smaller, and our employees and customers are benefiting from our environment-friendly practices."

Pulcrano attributes other sustainability successes to the Postal Service's inclusive "culture of conservation."

Highlights from the sustainability report include:

10.8 trillion — reduction in British thermal units (Btu) in facility energy use since 2005
$400 million — savings in energy costs since 2007
$314 million — savings due to reduced contracted transportation fuel use
10 million — saved sheets of paper through Human Resources online initiatives
2 cents — cost per mile to operate three-wheeled electric delivery vehicles

According to Pulcrano, "The Postal Service is making good 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. As federal agencies begin to 'green the government' the Postal Service continues to step up and take action."

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 Postal Service's sustainability initiatives, 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.

Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/news.

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.

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service