October is Energy Action Month, a time for federal agencies to share what they have done to advance energy conservation and resilience.
This year, USPS is highlighting its Commitment to Environmental Excellence, an eight-point framework for making sustainability a priority at all levels of decision-making. It is also a public statement of the organization’s desire to be a sustainability leader in the federal sector.
Sustainability is also a key focus of the Delivering for America plan. For example, the plan promotes the streamlining of the organization’s ground transportation network to reduce emissions and costs.
That effort was exemplified by the top prize winner in the organization’s Sustainability Excellence Awards, a highway contract route optimization project that saved money and reduced emissions simultaneously.
USPS tracks its environmental footprint with a greenhouse gas inventory, which calculates three separate types of emissions: Scope 1, emissions from the combustion of fossil fuels in USPS-owned properties; Scope 2, from steam and electricity purchases; and Scope 3, a broad category including emissions produced by contracts, leases and workers’ commuting.
The Postal Service aims to reduce Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions by 25 percent of 2008 levels by 2025.
It aims to reduce Scope 3 emissions by an even more ambitious 30 percent by 2025.
In addition to the highway contract route optimization project and other ongoing efforts involving the USPS delivery fleet, the organization sent out an updated commuting survey to ACE users to gauge respondents’ interest in charging infrastructure for electric and hybrid vehicles.
More than 27 percent said they would be interested in the service.
Postal Bulletin’s Sept. 22 edition has more information about Energy Action Month. For additional details on sustainability efforts at USPS, go to usps.com/green.
