Finding ways to cut back
- We use water-based inks to print stamps.
- We use refined bio-based oil, alternative fuels such as compressed natural gas, hydrogen, or ethanol gas, and re-tread tires on our fleet of Postal vehicles
- We’re constantly streamlining our delivery routes to reduce driving time and fuel use.
Promoting alternative fuels
The Postal Service has the largest civilian vehicle fleet in the nation and over 43,000 of them are alternative-fuel capable. Our E-85 alternative-fuel project put 584 ethanol-powered vehicles on the road in Minnesota alone. Since we primarily refuel at commercial retail fueling locations, our fleet generates demand for alternative fuels nationwide.
Find out more about our cutting edge transportation.
See how we’re complying with the Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Encouraging vehicle technology
General Motors and the Postal Service worked together to test the GM HydroGen3 fuel cell minivan for deliveries in the Washington, D.C. metro area and Irvine, CA — the first commercial use of a fuel cell vehicle in the nation. Our other vehicle technology efforts include advanced diesel vehicles, hybrid electric vehicles, and electric CitiVans, which are recognized by the EPA as zero emission vehicles.
Other ways we reduce energy
- We are upgrading our buildings to reduce energy use. Our objective is to reduce our energy consumption 30% by 2015.
- We deliver the mail in the most energy-efficient way possible — a third of our deliveries are made on foot.
The result: We’re making a smaller footprint.
Greening our facilities
We’re increasing facility sustainability with features like high efficiency lighting and HVAC, recycled building materials, native landscaping, low water usage fixtures, and low VOC materials, resulting in sustainable spaces.
These changes are incorporated into our new building design as well as repair and alteration projects to our existing buildings, including one in New York City that now has one of the nation’s largest green roofs.
Environmental leadership
The U.S. Postal Service is committed to sustainability and the environment. That’s why we voluntarily conducted an inventory of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. We’re the first federal agency to publicly report them. The inventory establishes a baseline for future, annual evaluations to help us make sure we’re meeting our GHG reduction goals.
We’re greener than you think.
Read more ways the Postal Service is working to expand environmentally-friendly business practices — Vision 2013.
