About Social Media Today
Who knew? The US Postal Service is green and wants small businesses to be green, too. What’s more, it has some ideas for how going green can save you money.
In honor of Earth Day, the USPS service issued special “forever” stamps, those stamps that remain usable even if the rates go up. Each stamp design is an idea for reducing your environmental impact.
But, wait, there’s more! The post office is backing up the pretty pictures on its stamps by setting an example.
For starters, when it rehabed its huge processing center in Manhattan, it made the old building green. The Morgan Processing Center in New York City now has the largest green roof in the city and one of the largest in the country: 2.5 acres of grass, benches, an art wall, and native plants. The roof was made by recycling the old roof and will last twice as long as that one did. What’s more, the postal service is saving $30,000 a year on HVAC due to the insulating properties of the garden roof.
In 2010, going green saved the US Postal service more than $27 million by cutting costs for water, energy, and trash. While leaving a smaller carbon footprint, the USPS left more money in its coffers. Social responsibility pays!
The postal service has proudly announced that it “is the first federal agency to publicly report its third-party verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via the Climate Registry.” By 2020, the agency hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent. A laudable goal from environmental standards and a money-saving one to judge by that $27 million in 2010.
Small businesses can shrink their carbon footprints and their costs, too. Start by using the free envelopes and boxes available in the racks at your local post office. Those boxes are recyclable, manufactured sustainably, and with safe ingredients, an accomplishment certified by MBDC Consulting, which looks at materials used, recycling potential, use of renewable energy, water stewardship, and social responsibility.
The postal service also has links on its website with common sense tips that will make you feel good and put money in your pocket as well. Its hints for direct-mail marketers include:
In honor of Earth Day, the USPS service issued special “forever” stamps, those stamps that remain usable even if the rates go up. Each stamp design is an idea for reducing your environmental impact.
But, wait, there’s more! The post office is backing up the pretty pictures on its stamps by setting an example.
For starters, when it rehabed its huge processing center in Manhattan, it made the old building green. The Morgan Processing Center in New York City now has the largest green roof in the city and one of the largest in the country: 2.5 acres of grass, benches, an art wall, and native plants. The roof was made by recycling the old roof and will last twice as long as that one did. What’s more, the postal service is saving $30,000 a year on HVAC due to the insulating properties of the garden roof.
In 2010, going green saved the US Postal service more than $27 million by cutting costs for water, energy, and trash. While leaving a smaller carbon footprint, the USPS left more money in its coffers. Social responsibility pays!
The postal service has proudly announced that it “is the first federal agency to publicly report its third-party verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions via the Climate Registry.” By 2020, the agency hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by 20 percent. A laudable goal from environmental standards and a money-saving one to judge by that $27 million in 2010.
Small businesses can shrink their carbon footprints and their costs, too. Start by using the free envelopes and boxes available in the racks at your local post office. Those boxes are recyclable, manufactured sustainably, and with safe ingredients, an accomplishment certified by MBDC Consulting, which looks at materials used, recycling potential, use of renewable energy, water stewardship, and social responsibility.
The postal service also has links on its website with common sense tips that will make you feel good and put money in your pocket as well. Its hints for direct-mail marketers include:
- Regularly update and improve your mailing lists to limit duplication and waste.
- Use research to effectively target your customers. Folks who live in apartment buildings, for example, probably don’t need lawn services.
- Allow customers to opt out of your mailings to ensure you’re not sending them unwanted mail.
- Use recycled materials for the mailings you create.
Guess what? Those green ideas make sense and will save you money.
The postal service also provides a link to the Direct Marketing Association’s environmental planning tool, which explains the Triple Bottom Line – people, planet, and profit – and gets you started on a multi-phase plan to minimize both expenses and your carbon footprint.
Green is good, for the Earth and when it’s in your pocket. How about more of both?
Is your business reducing its carbon footprint this year? What more can you do to save money and the environment?
