A recognized sustainability leader and innovator, the U.S. Postal Service is continuing a 50-year tradition with the issuance of its latest social awareness stamp: Go Green. The sheet of Forever stamps features 16 actions anyone can take to make a positive impact on the environment.

The stamps and philatelic products can be ordered online at usps.com/green.

The stamps, which had first-day-of-issue ceremonies on April 15 in Washington, DC are available at Post Offices throughout South Carolina and the nation in time for Earth Day, April 22. Postmasters are reaching out to their communities through special unveiling events to introduce the new stamps locally.

“We’re creating a culture of conservation at the Postal Service that will have a lasting impact in our workplace and our communities,” said Ronald A. Stroman, Deputy Postmaster General. “The Go Green stamps carry 16 simple, green messages that have the power to help make the world a better place for us and future generations.”

USPS is the only mailing and shipping company in the world whose stamp products and shipping supplies have earned Cradle to Cradle Certification, meaning they meet established standards for human and environmental health and recyclability.

USPS has been environmentally friendly since 1899 when it tested the first electric vehicle in Buffalo, NY. Today, the agency operates more than 44,000 alternative fuel capable mail delivery vehicles across the country, including ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas and electric. Since 2005, USPS has increased its use of alternative fuels 133 percent, and since 2003, has reduced its facility energy use 28 percent. The Postal Service chose the Go Green stamps as this year’s social awareness stamps to help raise awareness about helping the environment.

To learn more about USPS sustainability initiatives, visit the USPS green newsroom and usps.com/green.

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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 tax dollars for operating expenses, and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations. With 32,000 retail locations and the most frequently visited website in the federal government, usps.com, the Postal Service has annual revenue of more than $67 billion and delivers nearly 40 percent of the world’s mail. If it were a private sector company, the U.S. Postal Service would rank 29th in the 2010 Fortune 500. Black Enterprise and Hispanic Business magazines ranked the Postal Service as a leader in workforce diversity. The Postal Service has been named the Most Trusted Government Agency six consecutive years and the sixth Most Trusted Business in the nation by the Ponemon Institute.