USPS maintenance facility makes environmental strides

A vehicle maintenance facility in Providence, R.I., is continuing to make significant commitments to a cleaner environment by reducing energy use and hazardous waste generation.

The U.S. Postal Service Rhode Island Vehicle Maintenance Facility has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Performance Track – a partnership program recognizing facilities that set three-year goals for continuous improvements in environmental performance beyond their legal requirements. Performance Track members must have internal systems in place to manage their environmental impacts, and publicly report results.

This Vehicle Maintenance Facility for Rhode Island specifically monitors actions that may affect the environment, to ensure that they are understood, planned, controlled and checked. They have committed to increasing procurement of recycled content material by approximately 150 percent and reducing paper use by computerizing work tickets and vehicle paperwork between 2006 and 2009. The have demonstrated their commitment to environmental stewardship in the past by reducing hazardous waste paint solvents by an impressive 85 percent and reducing antifreeze waste by 9 percent between 2003 and 2005.

The Vehicle Maintenance Facility joins four other new Performance Track members making positive commitments in New England. Overall, there are 46 companies that have made Performance Track part of how they do business in New England.

“EPA applauds the significant commitments made by these New England businesses to a cleaner and healthier environment,” said Robert W. Varney, regional administrator of EPA’s New England office. “Because these facilities have strong environmental records and are willing to publicly commit to continuously improve their environmental performance, they are making a real difference.”

Since the 2000 inception of this facility-based rather than company-based program, Performance Track membership has grown to 470 members in 46 states and Puerto Rico, and those members have made 1,500 commitments to benefit the environment in both regulated and unregulated areas. To date, Performance Track members have collectively reduced their water use by 3.5 billion gallons, reduced their greenhouse gas emissions by 88,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, and conserved more than 14,000 acres of land while helping to protect their local and national environment.

Forty-seven of the new members have committed to reduce their waste generation over the next three years; 37 facilities plan to reduce energy use; 25 facilities pledge to reduce their water use; and 17 facilities have committed to reduce their air emissions. Sixteen have committed to focus on EPA-defined regional and national environmental priorities.

More Information:

EPA’s Environmental Performance Track program in New England:
(epa.gov/ne/ems/performtrack.html)

New Performance Track members:
(epa.gov/performancetrack/round13PTFacilities.htm)