Green lobbies and roofs, an electric-powered three-wheel delivery vehicle, a postal mini-van whose engine emits only water vapor and a new wind turbine that looks like a high-tech paddle wheel. These were a few of the energy conservation innovations featured at the kickoff to National Energy Awareness Month yesterday in Washington, DC.
PMG Jack Potter and Sustainability VP Sam Pulcrano talked to the crowd of several hundred employees, representatives from the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency and congressional staff members about USPS efforts to save energy.
Potter said USPS has as a goal reducing energy use 30 percent by 2015. “We need to take whatever steps we can to meet the needs of the present without compromising the future,” he said, calling yesterday’s event “another step toward a culture of conservation here at the Postal Service.”
On display at the event were alternative-fuel vehicles, including the T3, a three-wheeler that runs solely on electricity for less than a penny a mile. It’s being tested in Florida, California, Texas and Arizona as a possible replacement for some traditional fuel delivery vehicles.
Participants also saw a hydrogen fuel-cell minivan that’s being tested, whose sole emission is water vapor, as well as a dual-fuel minivan that runs on electricity and ethanol.
Potter said USPS has identified 2,000 delivery routes that can be made walking routes, and is looking at adding to our bicycle routes.
Other efforts include a Utility Management System pilot project launched earlier this year that provides greater visibility into cost and consumption information for USPS facilities, allowing the Postal Service to better manage energy resources.
And USPS is testing an Aero-Cam wind turbine at the Kitty Hawk, NC, Post Office later this year.
“We’re building on a strong history of environmental stewardship,” said Pulcrano. “Every day brings a new challenge and a new opportunity to reduce our energy impact and improve our operations and systems.”
source: USPS News Link