The US Postal Service has succeeded increasing its use of alternative fuel by 133 per cent as partof its environmental targets.
From fiscal year (FY) 2009 to FY 2010, USPS replaced nearly 6,600 older gasoline-poweredvehicles with more fuel-efficient vehicles and increased use of alternative fuels in postalvehicles to 2.2 million gasoline gallon equivalent (GGE), a 9 per cent increase.
USPS, which delivers more than 40 per cent of the world’s mail, operates the world’s largestcivilian fleet to deliver more than 167 billion pieces of mail to more than 150 million addresses,along 230,000 routes, logging 4 million miles a day, with 215,000 postal vehicles, of which morethan 44,000 are alternative fuel-capable.
“The Postal Service’s fleet of alternative fuel-capable vehicles is the nation’s largestgreen fleet, and uses a variety of alternative fuels including electricity, ethanol, compressednatural gas, liquid propane and bio-diesel,” said Dean Granholm, vice president, Delivery and PostOffice Operations. “These vehicles allow us to deliver mail in a more environmentally responsibleway.”
“Green mail delivery methods helped the Postal Service increase alternative fuel use 133 percent from an FY 2005 baseline, well ahead of the goal of 10 per cent by 2015,” said Thomas Day,chief sustainability officer. “The Postal Service has a long, proud tradition of testing and usingmore efficient methods of transportation, including the first electric delivery vehicle, in 1899.It’s all part of the Postal Service’s leaner, greener, smarter, faster sustainability call toaction.”
As suggested by the recently issued Choose to Walk and Ride a Bike Go Green Forever stamps,USPS delivers mail using nearly 9,000 “fleet of feet” walking routes and nearly 70 bicycle routes.Add to that 31 propane vehicles, 30 electric step vans, 13 three-wheeled electric vehicles, 5electric long-life vehicles (LLVs) and 10 mules on one contracted mail delivery route in the GrandCanyon, and these green mail delivery methods help USPS avoid the use of nearly 18,000 gallons ofpetroleum fuel each day. With 303 delivery days a year, green mail delivery helps USPS avoid usingnearly 5.5 million gallons of petroleum fuel per year, which adds up to millions in savings.
USPS noted that it has won more than 75 environmental awards, including 40 White HouseClosing the Circle, 10 Environmental Protection Agency WasteWise Partner of the Year, ClimateAction Champion, Direct Marketing Association Green Echo awards, Postal Technology InternationalEnvironmental Achievement of the Year and Climate Registry Gold Status Recognition.
Moreover, USPS participates in the International Post Corporation’s Environmental Measurementand Monitoring System, the global postal industry’s program to reduce its carbon footprint 20 percent by 2020 based on an FY 2008 baseline.
