The U.S. Postal Service has won the first Environmental Achievement of the Year award ever presented by Postal Technology International magazine. The award was presented today during the POST-EXPO conference in Hannover, Germany.
Earlier in the year, Postal Technology International magazine readers were asked to nominate industry leaders for this award and the Postal Service was nominated for its cutting-edge sustainable initiatives this year, including:
Post Office Box Lobby Program Mail Recycling program:
· is currently in 6,000 post offices around the country
· makes it easy for Postal Service customers to make environmentally friendly choices with their mail
· has resulted in the diversion from landfills of an estimated 24,000 tons of recyclable paper
Fuel Efficient Vehicles:
With the largest civilian fleet in the world - nearly 220,000 vehicles travelling more than 1.2 billion miles a year - the Postal Service consistently looks for way to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet. The Postal Service has a goal to reduce its petroleum use by 20 percent by 2015.
Reducing Energy Use:
The Postal Service has a goal to reduce energy use by 30 percent by 2015, and has reduced overall building related energy consumption by 17 percent since 2003. The agency is exploring or installing several renewable energy systems in facilities around the country, including the use of solar energy and geothermal HVAC.
Greener Facilities:
The Postal Service is committed to managing resources wisely to minimize its environmental impact. Across the organization, from supply management to facilities to delivery, the Postal Service is integrating sound environmental business practices into day-to-day operations. The Postal Service opened its first and New York City's largest green roof atop a large mail processing facility. The roof will last 50 years and will save the facility $30,000 yearly on heating and cooling costs. The green roof will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff into the New York municipal water system by as much as 75 percent in summer and 40 percent in winter.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
Earlier in the year, Postal Technology International magazine readers were asked to nominate industry leaders for this award and the Postal Service was nominated for its cutting-edge sustainable initiatives this year, including:
Post Office Box Lobby Program Mail Recycling program:
· is currently in 6,000 post offices around the country
· makes it easy for Postal Service customers to make environmentally friendly choices with their mail
· has resulted in the diversion from landfills of an estimated 24,000 tons of recyclable paper
Fuel Efficient Vehicles:
With the largest civilian fleet in the world - nearly 220,000 vehicles travelling more than 1.2 billion miles a year - the Postal Service consistently looks for way to reduce the environmental impact of its fleet. The Postal Service has a goal to reduce its petroleum use by 20 percent by 2015.
Reducing Energy Use:
The Postal Service has a goal to reduce energy use by 30 percent by 2015, and has reduced overall building related energy consumption by 17 percent since 2003. The agency is exploring or installing several renewable energy systems in facilities around the country, including the use of solar energy and geothermal HVAC.
Greener Facilities:
The Postal Service is committed to managing resources wisely to minimize its environmental impact. Across the organization, from supply management to facilities to delivery, the Postal Service is integrating sound environmental business practices into day-to-day operations. The Postal Service opened its first and New York City's largest green roof atop a large mail processing facility. The roof will last 50 years and will save the facility $30,000 yearly on heating and cooling costs. The green roof will reduce the amount of polluted storm water runoff into the New York municipal water system by as much as 75 percent in summer and 40 percent in winter.
The Postal Service receives no tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
