Sustainability

At the Postal Service, sustainability means maintaining reliable, affordable mail delivery with minimal impact on the environment. We have cut facility energy usage by more than 30 percent since 2003, and every year recycle thousands of tons of paper and other materials. Due to the dedication of our workforce, we are taking long strides towards sustainability.

Our employee-led “Lean Green” teams help the Postal Service to save money by promoting recycling and smart energy use. Lean Green Teams throughout the Postal Service have committed to help create a culture of conservation. They have adopted green practices such as reducing energy and vehicle petroleum use, reducing the amount of solid waste sent to landfills, improving water efficiency, recycling and requisitioning fewer supplies. Members represent a wide range of areas including processing, delivery and retail operations, maintenance, facilities, supply management and human resources.

The Postal Service continues to receive recognition for its sustainability efforts. We not only work hard to make sure we comply with local, state and federal environmental laws, but in FY2013, we also launched or enhanced programs to help other companies and federal agencies be more environmentally responsible.

USPS Awards

  • USPS Receives Sustainability Award. The leader of the Postal Service’s Lean Green Team initiative was awarded the 2012 GreenGov Presidential Award — Sustainability Hero category for leading development of the USPS Lean Green Team Initiative. This award honors federal agency teams and individuals who coordinate innovative approaches to curbing waste, reducing energy use and saving money in operations. There are now over a thousand Green Teams across the Postal Service.
  • USPS Wins 10 Federal Green Challenge Awards. The Postal Service is the only federal agency to make an agency–wide commitment to the Federal Green Challenge. In 2013, the Postal Service won 10 regional Federal Green Challenge awards given to individual Postal facilities throughout the country. Three awards were in the Waste category, four in Innovation, and one each for Education and Outreach, Leadership, and Overall Achievement and Innovation. These awards underscore the Postal Service’s position as a sustainability leader in helping to reduce the Federal Government’s environmental impact.