Carolyn Cole wants to help Postal Service employees conserve energy.
Cole, energy initiatives manager at USPS headquarters in Washington, DC, is working with her Office of Sustainability colleagues to promote conservation throughout October, which is Energy Awareness Month.
The organization-wide educational effort is part of the Postal Service’s broader strategy to reduce its “energy footprint” by 25 percent between 2015 and 2025.
“Saving energy at the workplace saves money and is good for the environment — and we need everyone’s help,” Cole says.
To help employees conserve energy, Cole offers these tips:
• Kill the lights. If you see a light on in a space not being used, turn it off.
• Close the door. Keeping exterior doors propped open is not only bad for security, it’s also bad for the Postal Service’s energy bills.
• Think before you print. Printing documents uses a lot of energy. Before hitting the print button, ask yourself if you really need that copy.
• Draw the shades. If you have window blinds, close them overnight and keep them open on the south side of the building during the winter days.
The Postal Service offers more hints at usps.com/green. Employees who have energy conservation ideas can email them to sustainability@usps.gov.
Says Cole: “If you have a great idea, we want to hear it.”