Green business practices such as paperless billing and online catalog shopping may be good for the environment but are bad news for the U.S. Postal Service. The fiscal woes of the Postal Service prompted an announcement of employee layoffs and decreasing service today, according to the Associated Press.
The impact of online bill paying, automatic paycheck deposits and using the Internet to send photos, documents and invitations played a big role in the financial struggles plaguing the Postal Service. According to the Bill.Com Green website, paying just 20 bills per month online saves 1 pound of paper, 7 pounds of greenhouse gases, 1 square foot of forest preservation and 4 gallons of waste.
Ohioans shared their thoughts on the impact going green had on the U.S. Postal Service via instant messaging, Twitter, email and in-person interviews.
* "I use the post office regularly to ship the items I handmake and sell on Etsy. I like the flat rate shipping boxes and would hate to have to switch to a for-profit carrier. The costs are higher when dealing with UPS or FedEx and far less convenient. I do not want to start having to buy boxes and pass that cost onto my buyers. I do everything I can online to avoid the unnecessary use of paper, so I understand how being green has negatively impacted the post office." -- Meika Reynolds, fiber artist, Cincinnati.
* "I live in a rural area and we only have three post offices in the entire county. Home delivery is not possible for everyone who lives here. I support going paperless and do all of my bill paying and most of my shopping without sending a check, but feel badly for our local post office workers who may lose their jobs. The elderly who cannot get to town to the post office may have trouble getting their social security or retirement checks. I hope they all switch to automatic deposit and get a debit card so they can take care of their needs." -- Patty Triplet, retired nurse, Creola.
* "The U.S. Postal Service will continue to decline because most people do not send bills through the mail anymore. The next generation of adults will be even less likely to utilize the post office unless they are sending a package at Christmas because they have grown up with the Internet. The cost of paying the public employees is a lot higher than what commercial carriers must endure because of union guidelines." -- Ben Walters, small business owner, Lancaster.
* "Right now sending packages via UPS or FedEx is a hassle. There is not a FedEx drop box in my small town. If the post office cuts back services further then hopefully the commercial carriers will make using their service a lot easier to get new business. The demand for the post office is not likely to increase in the future. Paying bills electronically is just simpler and more earth friendly." -- Beth Jenkins, veterinarian assistant, Carbon Hill.
* "Placing offices inside grocery stores may garner more customers because of convenience while reducing the overhead of operating a building. Paying online and shopping via websites and not paper catalogs will keep increasing in the years to come." -- Olivia Wagner, Ohio University student, Athens.
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