The U.S. Postal Service® is committed to being a leader in sustainability by ensuring compliance with environmental regulatory requirements in all aspects of our operations. We strive to deliver mail at the lowest cost with minimal impact to the environment. Our goal is to reduce our energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by responsibly managing our infrastructure, so that the Postal Service™ may continue to serve the nation as it has for over 240 years.
The Postal Service operates more efficiently and saves energy across the organization through the use of emerging technologies. We focus on reducing our impact across our facilities, with our vehicle operations, and within our supply chain. Postal Service facilities require a large amount of energy to carry out mailing and shipping operations. That is why our goal is to reduce energy use by 25 percent per square foot of building space by 2025. As of fiscal year 2017, the Postal Service has achieved a 21.1 percent reduction in energy consumption.
With its usage of renewable technologies, the Postal Service is able to implement innovative energy savings projects to reduce emissions and produce cost savings. Projects that demonstrate our commitment to emerging technologies include the 35,000 solar panels on the roof and parking garage of the USPS® Los Angeles processing and distribution center. These solar panels not only generate power for our facility, but they generate electricity for the city as well.
The Postal Service operates 47,933 alternative fuel vehicles equipped to use ethanol, electric, compressed national gas, and liquid petroleum gas. We test prototype vehicles to make informed decisions about the future of our vehicle fleet. We are testing the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt electric vehicles for mail delivery. Through testing, the Postal Service collects data on maintenance, performance, battery condition, and carrier feedback. We will continue to test emerging technologies as they appear in the marketplace.
The Postal Service also diligently consolidates and standardizes energy-related data to provide a platform of tools to easily access the information. Our Energy and Utility Management Systems enable us to locally and remotely monitor energy consumption and equipment data to better manage cost and usage savings. In 2017, the Postal Service expanded the Enterprise Energy Management System network at 726 facilities by installing digital communication control and monitoring devices. Combined with the 5,600 facilities in our Utility Management System, this upgrade allows USPS to monitor usage and cost to make changes, as necessary.
Another powerful tool the Postal Service uses to plan green projects and track sustainability performance is the Green Initiative Tracking Tool (GITT) at blue.usps.gov/sustainability/gitt/welcome.htm. With GITT, users can generate tailored reports for the following categories at facility, district, area, and national levels:
n Energy, water, and vehicle fuel usage,
n Recycling,
n Trash costs, and
n Consumable spending.
“These are just a few examples of how the Postal Service is working to stay green. I am so proud of our success, but the job is far from done. Let’s continue to work together to be good neighbors — and good stewards of our environment,” said Chief Sustainability Officer Tom Day.
The Postal Service is doing its part to be energy smart. To do your part and learn more about our sustainability efforts, visit usps.com/green.
— Energy Initiatives,
Office of Sustainability, 9-13-18
