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Postmaster General Kicks Off Conservation Campaign
Unplug.
Turn off lights. Close doors. Adjust thermostats. Report HVAC problems. Turn off unused equipment. Become personally responsible for conservation. These simple steps, taken collectively by the 685,000 employees at the U.S. Postal Service and throughout its 34,000 facilities, will have a dramatic impact on the environment.
That’s the message from Postmaster General John Potter, launching a year-long campaign to increase awareness and create results for energy conservation. Recognizing October as National Energy Awareness Month, Potter called on employees, suppliers and partners in the mailing industry to increase efforts to “go green.”
“We need to take whatever steps we can to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future,” Potter said.
“We are building on a strong history of environmental stewardship,” said Sam Pulcrano, vice president, Sustainability. “Every day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to reduce our impact and improve our operations and systems.”
For more information on green initiatives and consumer products, go to usps.com/green.
Green facts
- The Postal Service has the largest solar photovoltaic systems in the nation. Photovoltaics convert sunlight directly into electricity. The emissions eliminated by using solar power are equal to planting more than 850,000 trees.
- Detailed energy audits are ongoing at 500 of our largest energy-consuming buildings. These buildings represent approximately 120 million square feet of facility space (40 percent of all facilities) and approximately 60 percent of the Postal Service’s energy consumption. More than 1 trillion BTUs of potential energy reductions already have been identified.
- Lighting and lighting controls in processing plants are being upgraded to include energyefficient fluorescent lighting.
- Revisions to USPS standards allow for high-efficiency HVAC, lighting, roofs and windows whenever these systems need to be replaced in our 34,000 building inventory.
- A Utility Management System pilot project began earlier this year to capture consumption and cost data for electricity, natural gas and fuel oil. The pilot has successfully gathered bills for 600 sites and processed payments. The project provides greater visibility for cost and consumption information, allowing the Postal Service to better manage energy resources.
- The Postal Service is exploring or installing several energy saving systems in facilities around the country, including photovoltaic cells, solar panels, geo-thermal panels and even wind turbines.
- The Postal Service has used more than 1 million gallons of alternative fuel in its altenative fuel-capable vehicles and increased E85 fuel consumption by 40 percent.
- Mail is delivered by bicycle in Arizona and Florida, 2-ton electric vehicles have been delivering mail in New York City since 2004, and T3 three-wheel electric scooters are being tested as possible replacement for traditional gasoline delivery vehicles in Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.
- The three-year test of hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for delivery hit a milestone this year. Carriers in Washington, DC, and Irvine, CA, delivered more than 1.2 million pieces of mail using fuel-cell vans. Fuel economy was double that of conventional gasoline vehicles.
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