2Sustain

The US Postal Service is starting to see significant cost savings from its green initiatives.

For example, the Postal Service says its “Lean Green Teams” reduced energy, water, solid waste to landfills and petroleum fuel use last year, saving the agency more than $5 million in 2010 alone. These teams also helped recycle more than 222,000 tons of material — an increase of nearly 8,000 tons over the prior year — which generated $13 million in revenue, and saved an additional $9.1 million in landfill fees.

According to the Postal Service, these employee green teams are helping mesh low-cost and no-cost sustainable practices with performance management systems to help the agency meet its specific sustainability goals by the target date in 2015. These goals include reducing

• facility energy use 30 percent,
• water use 10 percent,
• petroleum fuel use 20 percent, and
• landfill waste 50 percent. (more…)

The U.S. Postal Service has redesigned its green-oriented website, USPS.com/green, to make it even easier for consumers to find eco-friendly options for mail and shipping.

Visit the site and you’ll learn about USPS online services, eco-friendly packaging products, and how to green your mail. (If you have a spare three minutes, you can even calculate your personal carbon footprint.)

What’s more, the site also highlights the Postal Services’ overall commitment to environmental stewardship.

For instance, I learned that the Postal Service has established several very specific green goals, including: (more…)