Air. It's as important to our lives as the water we drink and the food we eat. But how clean is the air we breathe? Not very, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA reports that nearly half of all Americans live in areas where air quality does not meet minimum federal standards for pollutants. No one wants to breathe large doses of ozone, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates, but that's exactly what we're doing when our air doesn't meet those minimum standards.

The Clean Air Act of 1970 was supposed to take care of this problem. It didn't; in fact, pollution got worse in many areas, particularly around large cities. So Congress amended the Clean Air Act in 1990 and put all federal agencies and facilities under clean air standards. After the Clean Air Act was amended, the Postal Service, already an environmental leader in the fight against pollution, issued Management Instructions on Clean Air compliance and produced a handbook and a video to help managers understand what had to be done to comply with clean Air regulations. How successful has the Postal Service been in meeting these standards and what steps has it taken to help keep pollution out of our air?

Vehicles are the number one cause of air pollution, so the Postal Service has an aggressive award-winning policy of using alternative fuel vehicles, encouraging car pooling, and improving transportation planning. The Clean Air Act requires fleet operators of 10 or more vehicles to begin purchasing clean-fuel vehicles by 1998. The Postal Service is way ahead of those regulations.

The USPS has the nation's largest compressed natural gas (CNG)delivery fleet, with more than 7,600 vehicles converted to CNG. Burning CNG emits a lot less pollution into the air.

For instance, the Postal Service in Dallas converted one-quarter of its entire vehicle fleet from gasoline to CNG and was able to reduce greenhouse gases and polluting emissions by 97 pounds per vehicle per year, for a total of 42 tons last year. Dallas also operates a fleet of 9 ton liquid natural gas (LNG) vehicles.

USPS also is testing electric and ethanol-powered vehicles and is constantly identifying opportunities to convert and/or purchase clean air vehicles.

USPS has extensive programs to train and raise awareness of its employees about the environmental benefits of the alternative fuel program.

Through its alternative fuel vehicle program, the USPS has been able to meet the emission reduction targets of each of its 108 sites in the Los Angeles Basin, long known as the pollution capital of the United States.

Last year in New York, the USPS introduced the largest big truck fleet of alternative fuel vehicles when it put 30 two-ton trucks fueled by clean burning CNG into service.

The USPS is a national leader in the purchase of re-treaded tires and recycled motor oil.

Recycling saves energy, resources, and reduces pollution.

The USPS is one of the nation's leading recyclers, recycling more than a million tons of material every year at its more than 20,000 recycling locations.

Every year the USPS co-sponsors National Clean Your Files Day, encouraging employees and members of the community to recycle their used paper.

The USPS recycles read and discarded mail, encourages customers to recycle mail, and places recyclable containers in most post offices.

Energy use

Last year the Postal Service's cumulative energy reduction reached 10 percent nationwide, which helps reduce pollution and saves resources..

Advertising Mail

The EPA has classified mail as mixed paper waste, so there's no reason for any advertising mail to end up in landfills. But in addition to being recyclable, advertising mail actually helps keep the air clean because it saves millions of car trips every year.

A report, "The Environmental Impacts of Mail," dated August 10, 1998, reveals that shopping by mail eliminated 109 million shopping trips last year, or 2.2 billion miles that otherwise would have been driven to retail shops.

• That meant a reduction of 66,000 tons of auto emissions.

The Postal Service continues to lead in the fight to reduce pollution and keep our air clean. Just some of its innovative programs include:

Turning discarded and read mail into pencils and compost soil.

Making trash containers for recycled materials that are themselves recyclable.

Selling trash instead of paying to have it hauled away. Last year the USPS made $10 million in revenue from selling recyclable trash and saved an equal amount by reducing trash pickup costs.

All of these efforts help reduce pollution and aid in saving our resources and keeping our air clean. Barry Wallerstein, acting executive director of the South Coast Air Quality Management District, summed it up when he presented the Postal Service's Pacific Area Environmental Unit with its 1997 Clean Air Award: "This prestigious award honors the visionaries in the Postal Service who have helped in the fight for clean air through innovation, leadership and exemplary service."