The Postal Service is on track to slash the amount of energy it uses during the next decade, the organization’s latest projections show.
Between 2015 and 2025, USPS is projected to reduce its facility energy usage per square foot by 25 percent.
The figures are included in this year’s Annual Sustainability Report, which also details the Postal Service’s progress in other areas, including recycling and the use of alternative energy.
“The work our employees do on a daily basis to reduce their carbon footprint is remarkable,” Chief Sustainability Officer Tom Day said. “They are helping us to operate more efficiently and save money while helping to save the planet.”
The success in reducing energy and water usage is attributed to the Postal Service’s efforts to promote conservation throughout its network.
The report, which USPS released this month, also notes the organization last year recycled 43.8 million undeliverable mailpieces through its BlueEarth Secure Destruction program and more than 274,000 tons of other material, mostly mixed paper and cardboard.
Other 2017 highlights:
• The Postal Service diverted 54 percent of solid waste from landfills to recycling.
• The organization purchased $401 million worth of environmentally preferable cleaning supplies, paper and other products through the eBuy2 ordering system.
• The Los Angeles Processing and Distribution Center added 35,000 solar panels.
Tandra Harris, a Pacific Area quality of working life coordinator in San Diego, said she’s glad to see USPS is continuing to make progress in its efforts to become more sustainable.
“Employees working together to reduce pollution and conserve energy have a far more reaching impact than anyone could have predicted,” said Harris, who participates in several recycling initiatives at her office.