True Blue Service Finds Ways To Go Green (NAPSA)—When manypeople ral think of the U.S. Postal Service, they think of the color blue, no doubt inspired by blue postal collection boxes and blue uniforms— but the service has becomea lot greenerin the past few years. Greener Buildings A growing number of postal buildings use environmentally conscious components, including more efficient lighting technologies, low-water use fixtures, biobased floor tiles and renewable materials such as bamboo for cabinets. The largest environmental project to date, a 2.5-acre green roof, has just opened atop the Morgan Mail Processing and Distribution Center in Manhattan. Greener Vehicles Looking for ways to reduce the environmental impactof its fleet, the Postal Service has more than 41,000 hybrid and alternative-fuel vehicles that are capable of operating on a variety of fuels, including electricity, propane, E-85 ethanol and fuelcells. The Postal Service uses threewheel electric vehicles to deliver mail in Florida, California and Arizona. They have zero gas emissions and cost only 4 cents a mile to operate. Greener Mailings The Postal Service is committed to minimizing the mail’s environmental impact. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, advertising mail represents less than 2.4 percent of municipal solid waste created annually, and nearly 40 percent of the mail is recycled. Recycling “Read, Respond, Recycle” is the message behind the Post Office Box Lobby Recycling program at The three-wheeled electric T3 vehicle is one reason that the Postal Service has been recog- nized as an environmental inno- vator, having won more than 70 major environmental awards. 6,000 postal facilities across the country. Secure recycling bins make it even easier for customers to make environmentally friendly choices. The Postal Service also offers Mail Back programsto recycle and properly dispose of small electronics, compact fluorescent lamps and discarded or expired pharmaceuticals. Green Packaging More than half a billion en- velopes and mailing supplies provide to customers each year, including tape and labels, are nearly 100 percent recyclable and are created using environmentally friendly materials. USPSis the only shipping or mailing company to earn this cradle-to-cradle certification. Green Web Site The company’s Web site has a special “green” section with information about products and services, helpful facts and sug- gestions. For more information, visit Www.usps.com/green.
