Latest News
New program may see the USPS fleet converted to natural gas
Two years ago, businessmen Ron Mercer, John Vance, Scott Rayburn and John Morey developed a program called MERVAN to convert the entire U.S. Postal Service fleet to compressed natural gas - or CNG - vehicles. The creators now hope a pilot program using vehicles from an Oklahoma City-based USPS training facility will be their first step to a fully converted postal service.
According to the USPS, its 212,530 vehicles will drive as much as 1.3 billion miles in one year alone. In that time frame, experts from the MERVAN project estimate the USPS will correspondingly accrue upwards of $1.4 billion in maintenance costs for the vehicles. The program pilot in Oklahoma will only involve between 50 and100 vehicles, but if MERVAN is successfully implemented on a national scale, 141,000 vehicles, produced by MERVAN's partner Ford Motor Company, would be leased to the USPS for use during a 10-year span.
Dave Evans, MERVAN project director, said he expects the program to save the USPS on fuel and maintenance costs while also giving the national economy a $250 billion boost and significantly reducing dependency on foreign resources.
Going green can entice potential customers
A joint study lead earlier this year by Green America, EcoVentures International and the Association for Enterprise Opportunity found the institution of green practices can significantly increase sales performances.
By surveying more than1,300 businesses, the collective study showed nearly half of all respondents have seen at least a 10-percent increase in sales of green products and services. Additionally, 77 percent of respondents who admitted to implementing green strategies or introducing green products during the 2008-2010 down economy saw growth.
Customers care about the environmental practices of a company. By introducing mailing software, which automatically standardizes, validates and barcodes addresses upon entry, companies can consolidate mailing operations, effectively helping to reduce redundancies and cut down on paper waste, while also saving on costs and labor.
