On April 22, 2021, the United States Postal Service® joins the global community in celebrating Earth Day. Earth Day is a day to focus on how our actions impact our earth, as well as a day to empower everyone with the information and resources needed to protect their local environment and communities.
The Postal Service™ prioritizes environmental sustainability across our organization through the following programs:
n Environmental Compliance Reviews (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/environmental/risk_assessment.htm).
n National Recycling Operation (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/national-recycling-operation.htm).
n BlueEarth® suite of services (about.usps.com/what/corporate-social-responsibility/sustainability/greening-business).
As a sustainability leader among federal agencies and international postal organizations, the Postal Service is pleased to highlight our efforts in this edition of the Postal Bulletin, and show you how to become more involved in working toward a sustainable future.
The Postal Service encourages employees to consider how to integrate sustainability into their daily operations. The Office of Sustainability provides resources to help employees do just that:
n The Virtual Post Office (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/virtual-po.htm) and Virtual Vehicle Maintenance Facility (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/virtual-vmf.htm) provide a visual walk-through of these types of facilities to highlight environmental compliance requirements and sustainability opportunities.
n The Green Project List (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/greenteams/projects/welcome.htm) includes over 40 examples of no- or low-cost projects focused on energy, fuel, and water reduction, green purchasing, recycling, and minimizing waste that any employee can implement.
n The Recycling Toolkit (blue.usps.gov/sustainability/recycling-toolkit.htm) provides detailed, site-specific information on how to participate in our recycling program.
Many more resources are available to help you do your part to ensure the Postal Service is a sustainable business today and for generations to come.
Outside of the time we spend at the Postal Service, each of us can engage in meaningful activities on Earth Day — and every day — to help protect the environment, even during a global pandemic. You can participate in Earth Day
online or in-person solo, with members of your household, or socially distanced. Here are some ideas for participation:
1. Use Earth Day to clean up the earth. Participating in a clean-up helps you, your community, and the Earth. There are many ways you can do a clean-up:
n Try plogging, or picking up trash while jogging, to add a new element to your workouts and make your route more scenic as you go.
n Trail clean-ups are a great way to help everyone enjoy a clean trail. Bring a trash bag on your next hike and collect trash as you go.
n A clean-up scavenger hunt is a fun way to engage a small group or kids in a clean-up. Locate an area that is safe and in need of a clean-up, and create a list of different trash items that should be collected.
No matter what type of clean-up, follow proper safety precautions, including COVID safety precautions, and dispose of the waste appropriately when you are finished. The following resources are available:
n Find a clean-up near you: earthday.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/8d15cc3da12d4338a109c7d64c97c02a.
n Get a safety checklist and tips for organizing a clean-up: earthday.org/your-first-cleanup-what-to-know-and-expect-15-tips-for-first-time-volunteers.
2. Become a citizen scientist. Volunteer at one of the organizations listed to help make important scientific discoveries about earth:
n NASA (science.nasa.gov/citizenscience?field_division_tid=103).
n The Smithsonian Institution (si.edu/volunteer/citizenscience).
n Zooniverse (zooniverse.org/projects).
n National Geographic (inaturalist.org).
Whether you spend two minutes observing a bird and recording it in a mobile app or an hour investigating images of ancient fossils, there are countless online and onsite opportunities for everyone of all ages and interests.
3. Learn something new. Visit your local science museum online or onsite to learn something new about the earth. If you are unsure of your closest science museum, NASA has a map of over 1,200 museums, science centers, planetariums, and more that you can use to find a museum near you. Find your local science museum at informal.jpl.nasa.gov/museum/Connect.
—Corporate Sustainability Initiatives,
Office of Sustainability, 4-8-21
