International Forum Addresses Energy Issues Facing Postal Industry

Best-selling Author and Environmental Advisor Jeremy Rifkin is Keynote Speaker

WASHINGTON — With the combined energy needs to operate nearly 1 million post offices and mail processing centers worldwide, plus the fuel for hundreds of thousands of mail delivery vehicles, energy is a critical issue for postal agencies in every nation.

Senior postal officials from Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United States are exploring these crucial issues this week at the forum “Energy: The Next 20 Years.”

Sponsored by the International Post Corporation (IPC), a cooperative association of 24 national postal operators in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, the forum is an opportunity for postal executives and energy technology experts to share ideas.

Jeremy Rifkin, best-selling author and president of The Foundation on Economic Trends, will be keynote speaker. Rifkin has been influential in shaping public policy in the United States and around the world, and currently serves as an advisor to the European Commission, the European Parliament and several European Union heads of state.

Other speakers will be U.S. Postmaster General and CEO John E. Potter, U.S. Department of Energy Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy David Rodgers and representatives of General Motors, UTC Power, and Fuel Cell Europe.

“Just as we work together to deliver mail for customers around the globe, the world’s postal agencies are working together on energy issues,” said Sam Pulcrano, U.S. Postal Service vice president, Sustainability. “This event is an opportunity to build on the commitment from postal leaders to long-term sustainability and to share and gain strategic insights.”

IPC members account for 85 percent of the world’s mail and collectively employ 2.4 million people. IPC Director of Markets and Communication Jane Dyer said by extending awareness to suppliers, customers and families, there is the potential to mobilize millions of people.

“By working together and sharing best practices, our members have shown their commitment to tackling difficult issues well into the future,” said Dyer. “We hope that our initiatives will be used as models by other industries as well.”

IPC, which is based in Brussels, has a number of energy and environmental programs under way:

• The IPC Environmental Measurement and Monitoring System is a three-tier postal industry program is focused on developing sector-wide measurement systems, conducting stakeholder research and communicating sustainability advances.
• IPC members’ eco-driving initiatives strive to lower emissions by improving how drivers operate postal vehicles, helping them make more environmentally friendly decisions behind the wheel.
• Green building practices also are aimed at lowering the postal industry’s environmental footprint.

Details and reports about IPC initiatives can be found at www.ipc.be under “Environment.” More information about sustainability initiatives at the U.S. Postal Service is available at http://www.usps.com/green/.