“It’s our goal to make sure every letter and package mailed is a greener experience for the people who use our services.”
From the Sustainability Vice President
Sam Pulcrano
Vice President,
Sustainability
Solidly green for our customers
We’re working greener every day, and it shows. Our total energy use is down, our recycling efforts have increased, more of our employees are taking simple conservation steps at work — and we now have our first green roof, in New York City. It’s the Big Apple’s largest green roof.
But more important than what we’re doing for our own organization is how our sustainability efforts are benefitting our families, friends and neighbors in the communities where we live and work. When we reduce the number of vehicles we drive to deliver mail, we help lower greenhouse gas emissions in those neighborhoods, and that’s good for everyone.
And we make it easy for our customers to ship and mail greener. Consider a package mailed by a typical postal customer.
It begins with a box, in this case one of our Priority Mail Flat Rate Boxes. The customer likes the fact that he or she can ship that item quickly for one low price anywhere in the country, but may not know about the green benefits of our packaging.
Our flat-rate box is certified environment friendly — it’s made of materials that are safe for the planet and the manufacturing process is resource efficient. By ordering boxes online at usps.com, the customer doesn’t even need to make a trip to the Post Office, and that saves gas and helps reduce carbon emissions.
After printing shipping labels with postage online, the customer can request Carrier Pickup, saving another car trip. And the carrier who picks up the package could be driving a delivery vehicle that is capable of running on an alternative fuel — not gasoline.
The box will move through the postal processing system where ongoing programs are helping to increase the energy efficiency of equipment and sorting programs, and it likely will take a ride on recycled mail transport equipment. Our automation equipment also is now more efficient, so we need less of it.
At its destination, the package may be delivered by a carrier walking part of the route, the ultimate in green delivery. And the flat-rate box’s final destination after the customer is through with it? Since it’s 100 percent recyclable, we hope our customer puts it in a recycling bin or reuses it.
Our history of environmental efforts goes back more than 100 years. We were testing electric vehicles back in 1899 when horses were still the preferred transportation. And we were recycling before they had a universal symbol for it.
Looking ahead, we’ll continue to build on our long history of environmental leadership and innovation. It’s our goal to make sure every letter and package mailed is a greener experience for the people who use our services. We’re committed to doing what’s right for our customers today and making sustainable decisions that will benefit those who follow us.
Samuel M. Pulcrano
Vice President, Sustainability
