Happy Earth Day, Sunday, April 22!

Earth Day is Sunday, April 22.  Earlier this week, the U.S. Postal Service kicked off nationwide Earth Day events highlighting ways the Postal Service strives to be leaner, greener, smarter, and faster all year long. 

West Palm Beach Customer Relations Coordinator LuAnn Warner set up a display table with brochures and fact sheets promoting our sustainability efforts and achievements at the Palm Beach State College's Earth Day event.  Students and local community members were pleased that the Postal Service is committing to sustainability and is working to create a culture of conservationism among its workforce.                       

 “The Postal Service is in every community in every state and that gives us a responsibility to be good neighbors,” said Deputy Postmaster General Ronald A. Stroman in remarks to employees during the Earth Day observance in Washington DC. “That’s why we work so hard to save energy, recycle and reduce waste.”

Our call to action is to be “leaner, greener, faster, smarter” in support of the overall goal to deliver mail at the lowest cost with minimal impact upon the environment.  And as a sustainability leader, the Postal Service has a Corporate Sustainability Office.  Energy Specialist Carroll Burgess is domiciled in the South Florida District.

In FY 2011, the Postal Service saved more than $55 million by reducing energy, water, consumables use and solid waste to landfills, conservation efforts encouraged by the Go Green Forever stamps.

Nationwide, the Postal Service also recycled 215,000 tons of material, which generated $24 million in new revenue, for a total of $79 million.  Employees at the Miami P&DC and the West Palm Beach P&DC are very active in their recycling program that generates revenue for the district.  Compactors are a great way to store waste waiting to be hauled for recycling or disposal.  Traditional waste-hauling companies have a set pick-up schedule, and the Postal Service’s cost is based on the number of pick-ups per week and the size of waste containers.  Proper management and scheduling gave resulted in significant savings.

The South Florida L&DC is a showcase of resource conservation and innovation.  This environmentally friendly facility uses energy efficient lighting, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); low volatile organic compound (VOC) paints; and low-water-use fixtures.  Native plant species are used in landscaping to minimize consumption of water and energy.

The Miami P&DC Green Team earned recognition in the Postmaster General’s Sustainability Awards Program for saving over $758,000 on electric bills over two years. To remain strong and keep its automation equipment running in top condition, the Miami P&DC installed three state-of-the-art air compressors and dryers.  To save money on water bills, a new water meter, backflow valve and water supply line installed to feed its chilled water towers were installed.  

In Key West, 35 delivery vehicles were converted to run on propane.  The Key West Post Office also has a three-wheeled electric vehicle with a 40-mile range, maximum speed of 12 mph, 450-pound weight capacity,  and two cents a mile average in energy costs.  Sixty letter carriers deliver mail on bicycle routes in Arizona and Florida (Miami Beach included), reducing emissions and saving fuel.  Nationwide, almost 75,000 letter carriers drive to a neighborhood, and then deliver mail on foot; more than 8,000 just deliver on foot.

Employees at our Vehicle Maintenance Facilities in Fort Lauderdale, Fort Pierce, Miami, and West Palm Beach are recognized for protecting and preserving the environment.  They properly dispose of hazardous wastes that prevent contaminants from going into storm drains and participate in recycling programs for tires, coolants, and other automotive items. Last year the West Palm Beach VMF achieved model office status which included a review of its environmental program.

Our administrative offices recycle toner cartridges.  Empty cartridges have residual value, and recycling them creates postal revenue and slashes the amount of waste.  The cartridges themselves are energy intensive and do not break down in landfills.

The Postal Service demonstrates its commitment to helping consumers “go green” through a comprehensive approach to mail production, delivery, and recycling that helps create a sustainable future for generations to come.  Each year, the Postal Service purchases more than $200 million in products containing recycled content. Many of the containers that hold and move mail in the system are made from recycled materials, as are stamped envelopes, postcards, stamp booklet covers --- even the adhesive used in postage stamps is biodegradable.  The Postal Service is the only shipping company in the country to earn Cradle-to-Cradle certification for all Priority Mail and Express Mail packages and envelopes based on the environmental attributes of the materials used in packaging.

For more information about the Postal Service’s sustainability initiatives and the Go Green Forever stamps, visit usps.com/green and the usps green newsroom.

If you’d like to promote the sustainability efforts at your facility, please send an email to debbie.j.fetterly@usps.gov to be included in a sustainability story for the South Florida Insider and Southwest Area Update newsletters.  Your efforts also will be recognized in the South Florida Postal Blog.