On April 22, 2020, the United States Postal Service® celebrates the 50th anniversary of what many consider to be the birth of the modern environmental movement — Earth Day. The Postal Service™ is pleased to honor Earth Day with a beautiful commemorative Forever® stamp (shown on the cover of this issue). The stamp is scheduled to be released on April 18, 2020.
Nearly 100 years before the first Earth Day, George Perkins Marsh published his landmark book Man and Nature (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Nature), which documented how our health, well-being, economy, and even our security are intricately tied to our natural surroundings. Unfortunately, his voice was not heard by a rapidly industrializing world.
Even in 1970, air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news. That’s why Gaylord Nelson, a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, created the concept of Earth Day, and took it upon himself to insert environmental protection into the national political agenda.
Earth Day is now a global movement to focus attention on the environment and encourage people to take meaningful actions. The success of our National Recycling Operation has made the Postal Service a leader in the federal sector for diverting waste from landfills. Additionally, the Postal Service continues to champion efforts to conserve energy and water, while complying with environmental regulations and demonstrating best practices for pollution prevention in the communities we serve. The folllowing articles in this kit provide an overview of our top priorities, as well as important recycling information.
For ideas on actions you can take in your facility, visit our Earth Day home page at blue.usps.gov/sustainability/earthday.htm. This includes a rich set of resources, including a Green Project list (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/greenteams/projects/welcome.htm), which lists low or no-cost projects for your facility.
If you would like to make your facility a leaner, greener place to work, check out these resources:
n For tips on how to engage employees, visit blue.usps.gov/sustainability/greenteams.htm.
n Review our posters and service talks each month to help put your stamp on a greener tomorrow at blue.usps.gov/sustainability/service-talks.htm.
n For links to our exciting national programs, visit the Office of Sustainability website at blue.usps.gov/
sustainability/welcome.htm.
Finally, if you have comments or questions, please email us at Sustainability@usps.gov or contact any of our sustainability and environmental experts assigned to your area at blue.usps.gov/sustainability/contact.htm.
— Office of Sustainability,
Deputy Postmaster General, 4-9-20
