USPS Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions by More than 1M Metric Tons

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS (News - Alert)) is one of the largest organizations in the world functioning as a self-supporting government enterprise. It generated $65 billion in revenue in 2012 processing 160 billion pieces of mail, which accounts for 40 percent of the world's mail volume. It has 522,144 career employees who use 212,530 vehicles to make the deliveries, making it one of the largest civilian fleets in the world. All of these vehicles are driven 1.3 billion miles each and every year by the letter carriers and truck drivers, generating large amounts of greenhouse gases (GHG).

Since it started issuing its annual corporate sustainability report in 2008, the numbers have been lower for greenhouse gas emissions, solid waste and facility energy use each and every year. The USPS reported a 9.9 percent decrease in GHG emissions since 2008, which is the same as taking away 270,000 passenger vehicles from the road for a whole year.

"The Postal Service continues to make sustainability progress that is not only the right thing to do for the environment, but is right for our business. Sustainability progress requires the commitment of all postal employees in more than 31,000 facilities. By incorporating these principles into our day-to-day work as well as our strategic planning, we will continue to achieve our goals. We are exceeding targets in key areas and are working to improve efforts across the organization every day," said Chief Sustainability Officer Thomas G. Day.

Energy consumption by the organization has also decreased by 34 percent since 2003, achieving the 30 percent reduction goal set for 2015 two years earlier. Other highlights achieved by the organization include:

·         Saving of $25 million in waste hauling and generating $23.8 million in revenue by diverting 48 percent of solid waste to recycling

·         Registering 800 Lean Green Teams of employees who adopt low- and no-cost green practices in their facilities

·         Decreasing 11 trillion British thermal units (Btu) from facility energy use since 2003

·         Encouraging environmental awareness by issuing 15 stamps in the Earthscapes stamp collection

·         Keeping 42,218 alternative fuel-capable vehicles in the fleet

The USPS also encourages customers to help them in their endeavor to protect the environment by ordering eco-friendly packaging for shipments, by doing all your post office services online thereby saving time and fuel, offering cash for trash program and choosing the USPS for shipping because they already come to your residence six times a week.