The USPS® Sustainability Excellence Awards recognize functions, areas, districts, facilities, and teams who contribute to a sustainable workplace and show their commitment to environmental stewardship. Being leaner, greener, and faster is an important business driver for the Postal Service™.
This year, the Postal Service refreshed the Sustainability Excellence Award program to recognize the importance of engaging the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) in a collaborative process to enhance our corporate-wide focus on environmental stewardship.
After the ELT members selected the ELT Sustainability Excellence Award winners, one winner was selected from the pool of winners and awarded the highest honor — the Postmaster General Sustainability Excellence Award.
Here are the 2021 Sustainability Excellence Award winners:
1. Chief Retail and Delivery Officer Sustainability Excellence Award
Energy-efficient Lighting Upgrade at Spokane, WA, Vehicle Maintenance Facility (VMF)
Team Members:
n Michael de Caro (Team Lead)
n Jed Tuinstra
n Roger Birkner
n Jeremy Kittilson
n Mark R. Thomas
Changing a lightbulb is a big deal when there are several hundred of them to maintain. When the Spokane, WA, VMF was built in 2004, high-bay metal halide fixtures and fluorescent tube lights were part of the design. Over the years, the lighting system deteriorated, which meant USPS maintenance employees were regularly replacing bulbs and repairing fixtures.
To reduce energy costs and work hours replacing those bulbs, all interior lighting at the facility was upgraded with high efficiency LED fixtures and bulbs. This included replacing 57 high-bay fixtures in the vehicle repair shop and 386 lamps in the remaining parts of the facility. LED lighting means longer lifespans and savings on energy and maintenance costs.
After the upgrade, the VMF’s electric usage dropped 14,144 kilowatt hours compared with the same period in 2018, which meant a cost savings of $1,461. Even better, this was a no-cost project; the local power company provided rebates that covered 100 percent of the cost of the LED fixtures and bulbs. Green thinking provides a better working environment using less energy and generating less universal waste.
2. Chief Logistics and Processing Operations Officer Sustainability Excellence Award
Recycling at the Oklahoma City Processing and Distribution Center (P&DC)
Team Members:
n Tamara Rickey (Team Lead)
n Sean Walton
n Jerome Chappell
n Ronald Anderson
n Jonathan Brown
n Russell Allen
n Pamela Bailey
n Darryl Robinson
n Gary Mukes
n Jimmy Bowen, Jr.
n Maxie Shelton
The Oklahoma City P&DC sets the standard for recycling at USPS. Recycling is an integral part of the facility’s efforts to improve organizational efficiency, ensure safety, and eliminate waste.
The workplace is cleaned daily, which provides clear and safe passages for employees. By the end of the day, thanks to the custodial staff, the recyclable materials area is immaculate.
Primary sources of recyclable materials are plastic, cardboard, and mixed paper. Also recycled are batteries, fluorescent lamps, electronic parts, and small components. Among its many successes, the facility generated $33,000 in revenue from recycled mixed paper and cardboard boxes.
Additionally, the P&DC serves as a recycling hub and outlet for offices throughout the state. The recycling program plays a vital part in the health and safety of employees and provides a positive, direct impact on the environment.
3. Chief Technology Officer Sustainability Excellence Award
Reduction in Manual Change-of-Address (COA) Forms
Team Members:
n Starlene Blackwood (Team Lead)
n James (Jim) Wilson
n Elizabeth Flake
n Michelle Evans
n Kevin Lafferty
n Charles McLellan
n Anita Meyer
Thanks to the Address Technology group in the Chief Technology Office, USPS realized cost savings, improved address quality, and reduced our carbon footprint with the introduction of an automated process for completing certain COA forms.
Carriers and other USPS employees can now use their mobile delivery devices and in-office devices to submit the “Moved, Left No Address/PO Box Closed, No Forwarding Order” form (PS Form 3575Z). In the next phase of deployment, the “Notice of Address Correction” forms (PS Forms 3547 and 3579) will also be automated.
Completing the forms electronically cuts costs and reduces our carbon footprint as these forms no longer need to be produced, processed, and transported. COA information entry is also critical for address quality and reducing undeliverable-as-addressed mail, which also helps business customers correct their mailing lists. Since this new tool was added to handheld devices, USPS has seen significant declines in submissions of paper COA forms. Cost savings of $4.4 million annually are expected from this switch to digital submissions.
4. Chief Financial Officer Sustainability Excellence Award
Recycling USPS Mail Processing Trays
Team Members:
n Annette Cousar (Team Lead)
n Leslie (L2) Lissimore
n Gregory Christian
n Rhonjalyn Curry
n Ricardo Ramirez
n Leslie (Forrest) Brady
n Richard Orlusky
n Christopher (Chris) Perrone
n Dorothy Jamerson
n Sammy Rogers
n Naxin (Jack) Li
n Deborah Kious
It’s the circle of life for plastic trays. When they can no longer be used in Postal Service mail processing facilities, plastic trays now go back to where they were made so they can become new products. Credit for this eco-friendly solution goes to the Asset Management group’s Investment Recovery Team.
Previously, unusable trays were funneled to the Material Distribution Center in Topeka, KS, and then on to a local vendor for shredding or recycling. Ultimately, that vendor was unable to find a viable downstream solution to keep the trays out of landfills.
Now, the original manufacturer of the trays takes the unwanted plastic. Over 6 months, the Postal Service kept over 46,000 trays out of landfills while also generating revenue of approximately $9,000. There’s no cost to the Postal Service to ship the trays to Topeka using our backhaul process, and the vendor picks up the shipping costs to their local recycling plant. It’s a round trip that benefits the environment, as well as our bottom line.
For 2021, the top award goes to the Asset Management Group’s Investment Recovery Team for their solution to the challenge of how to best handle the plastic mail processing trays at their end of life.
Congratulations to all the winners! For more information about the Sustainability Excellence Awards, visit blue.usps.gov/sustainability/excellence-awards/nominations.htm.
— Environmental Affairs and Corporate Sustainability,
Corporate Affairs, 10-7-21
