Greener than you think

Hello! Happy Earth Day. It's Benny here, with a little bragging... So bear with me.

You know, I get credit for a lot of firsts -- being the first postmaster general, creating the first lending library and fire department, inventing a whole bunch of stuff -- but lots of folks don't realize I was also one of the first American environmentalists. You might think it was all abundant resources and clean air back then, but we had our issues, too.

In the 1730s, my neighbors and I petitioned the Philadelphia Assembly to stop waste dumping by some really smelly leather-making factories. And we won. In the 1760s, I led a commission to regulate waste collection and water pollution. Later, a stipulation in my will led to the construction of a fresh water pipeline for Philadelphia, which led to the formation of the Philadelphia Water Commission. (Not sure exactly how my will came into play...)

I was also interested in the environmental health of the world. I helped stop the deforestation of Europe by endorsing coal as an alternate fuel source. Sure, burning coal is a problem today, but back then using coal to save forests was a very environmentally friendly idea.

Like me, today's Postal Service is greener than you think. Because everyone uses the mail, the Postal Service is committed to managing resources wisely to minimize mail’s environmental impact. Across the organization, the Postal Service is integrating sound environmental business practices into day-to-day operations.

If you want to learn more, go to usps.com/green.

How do you make the USPS green? How can we make it greener? Let me know your opinion by clicking here.