What:
Ribbon cutting ceremony for Post Office Box Lobby Recycling Program
Who:
USPS Environmental Compliance Specialist Patrick Langsjoen
USPS Los Angeles District Manager Ed Ruiz
Santa Monica Postmaster Joseph Yuson
California State Senator Fran Pavley
Santa Monica Mayor Pamela O’Connor
When:
11:30 a.m. PT,
Friday, May 21, 2010
Where:
Santa Monica Post Office
1248 5th St
Santa Monica CA 90401
Background:
The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is making it easier for customers to recycle mail and ship greener. All postal customers are encouraged to make an environmentally responsible choice and recycle their mail (and all other paper items). The Post Office Box Lobby Recycling Program makes it easy and convenient for Post Office Box customers to “read, respond and recycle,” their mail right in Post Office lobbies using our secure recycle bins.
The Post Office Box recycling program is part of a comprehensive approach to mail production, delivery and recycling that helps create a sustainable future for generations to come. It begins with shipping containers — Express Mail and Priority Mail envelopes and flat-rate boxes are Cradle to Cradle™ certified, made of recycled materials that are safe for our planet. USPS is the only shipping company that has earned this certification for environmentally-friendly design and manufacture.
USPS also kept over 214,000 tons of plastic and paper out of landfills last year by recycling, and removed 17 tons of lead from the environment by switching to lead-free wheel weights on vehicles. USPS reduced dependence on petroleum-based fuels by 2 percent last year and plans to cut another 4.5 percent in 2010, as it closes in on its goal of eliminating 20 percent of petroleum use by 2015.
USPS is the proud recipient of a 2010 EPA National Partnership for Environmental Priorities Award for its lead-free wheel weight initiative, nine EPA WasteWise Partner of the Year awards for waste reduction and 42 White House Closing the Circle awards for outstanding environmental achievements.
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Please Note: For broadcast quality video and audio, photo stills and other media resources, visit the USPS Newsroom at www.usps.com/communications/newsroom/welcome.htm.
A self-supporting government enterprise, the U.S. Postal Service is the only delivery service that reaches every address in the nation, 150 million residences, businesses and Post Office Boxes. The Postal Service receives no direct support from taxpayers. With 36,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, the Postal Service relies on the sale of postage, products and services to pay for operating expenses. Named the Most Trusted Government Agency five consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $68 billion and delivers nearly half the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 28th in the 2009 Fortune 500.
