The US Postal Service saved more than $52 million (£72m) last year by reducing waste, energy, water, consumables and petroleum fuel use.
The US Postal Service saved more than $52 million last year by reducing waste, energy, water, consumables and petroleum fuel use. It also generated almost $24m in revenue through its recycling efforts.
The company made use of ‘green teams’ to help drive efforts as the business saved nearly $12m in vehicle fuel cost avoidance, more than $10m in facility energy savings, water savings of nearly $1m and reducing spending on supplies of almost $4m.
And the green teams were crucial in recycling more than 253,000 tons of material, which saved more than $25 million in landfill fees, said the company.
“Across the country, postal employees are participating in more than 850 green teams,” said chief sustainability officer Thomas G. Day.
"Our green teams are an important part of our conservation culture, and the effort to reduce our carbon footprint
“Motivated by a desire to be good stewards of the environment, and our sustainability call to action, ‘leaner, greener, faster, smarter,’ employee green teams are helping the Postal Service achieve positive results in energy reduction and resource conservation.”
The Postal Service has a series of goals to meet by 2015, including:
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Reduce facility energy use by 30% compared to 2003;
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Reduce water use by 10% compared to 2007;
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Reduce petroleum fuel use by 20% compared to 2005; and
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Recycle 50% of all solid waste compared to 2009.
“The Postal Service has more than 32,000 facilities, a presence in every community and one of the largest civilian fleets in the nation, so we understand how pivotal our efforts are to make a positive impact on the environment,” added Day. “Our green teams are an important part of our conservation culture, and the effort to reduce our carbon footprint.”
The company’s facility energy use increased by 5.4% between 2010 and 2011. But since the baseline year of 2003, USPS has reduced its total energy use by 8.6% and its energy intensity by 22.4%.
Also, the amount of solid waste the Postal Service recycled in 2011 was 2.7% lower than in 2010.
The USPS was the first federal agency to publicly report its greenhouse gas emissions. Last December, it partnered with UPS in an initiative to cut costs and reduce emissions.