Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, which means millions of people will hit the nation’s back roads and highways en route to vacation destinations. In fact, AAA reports that an additional 500,000 cars will hit the road this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year although many will stay closer to home. Stop and go traffic, poor vehicle maintenance and cars laden with vacation gear can reduce fuel economy significantly.

With 100,000 drivers on the road throughout the world, we have mastered the art and science of fuel conservation. Via a combination of technology and driver behavior, UPS avoided driving more than 63.5 million miles in one year with an associated emissions avoidance of 68,000 metric tonnes.

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Next week, from April 16-18, a few UPS executives including our Chief Operating Officer David Abney and UPS Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker will be heading west to attend FORTUNE Brainstorm Green (UPS is a sponsor).  It’s a conference that brings together business people, government policymakers, investors and non-profit leaders to talk about the business of sustainability. I had the chance to catch up with Scott to discuss his thoughts on the conference and what he’s hoping to get out of the event.  Check out the video below…

While the conference is invitation-only, the folks at FORTUNE stream most of the discussions live online (register here), so we thought we’d discuss a few over at facebook.com/ups:

April 16^th @345p EDT:
THE GREEN CONSUMER: HOW NEW MEDIA IS CHANGING THE GAME

April 17^th @1015a EDT:
ENGAGING THE CEO AND THE BOARD

April 18^th @1020a EDT:
WHAT IS NATURE WORTH?

It’s that time of year again. Sustainability leaders are cranking through reams of data and copy as they prepare for the annual corporate Sustainability Report season.

A credible report means meticulously examining the numbers that indicate your company’s environmental, social and economic impact and then putting it in context. The data must serve a wide variety of stakeholders so that they can find the information they want, evaluate its importance and then make an informed decision about their business partners.

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Remember when Tom Hanks was in comedies? Ah, good. I see a few hands at the back. One of his most famous was “Big.” You know the one. Little boy makes a wish at a penny arcade machine to be an adult and wakes up as Tom Hanks, who then gets a job at a toy company.

In the film, Hanks is in a meeting where this guy is pitching a line of transforming toys that turn from skyscrapers into robots. Hanks tells the guy the idea is boring because no kid wants to play with a building. Now, I don’t know if what I’m about to say makes UPS boring or geeky, but we really enjoy playing with buildings. There’s a lot of stuff you can do with them. In fact, we’ve been playing with our corporate office since it was built in Atlanta, Ga., in 1994.

Our corporate office, despite being almost 20 years old, has earned Gold Status certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) as well as the Energy Star stamp of approval for energy efficiency.  You might wonder how a two-decade-old structure could hope to stay ecologically friendly. Well, let me give you the Behind the Music treatment on this one.

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Kermit the Frog famously sang that “It’s not easy being green.” However, the participants at our #GreenHoliday Twitter party could likely inspire Kermit to sing a new tune. Dozens of smart, practical ideas were shared … including a few from UPS Chief Sustainability Office (CSO) Scott Wicker.

Journalist Aman Singh (@amansinghCSR), joined by four fantastic panelists, kicked off the conversation. Scott Wicker shared insights about UPS’s environmental efforts, such as carbon neutral shipping. And The UPS Store offered practical guidance on how to choose eco-friendly materials for packing your shipments (hint: soy and starch-based packaging peanuts can decompose when exposed to moisture such as snow or humidity).

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During O.A.R.’s 2011 summer tour, UPS measured O.A.R.’s existing carbon footprint and developed a transportation strategy to increase fuel efficiency and offset emissions. Overall, UPS helped neutralize more than 67 metric tonnes of CO2 during the 28 concert dates.

Sometimes nice guys DO finish first.

David Guernsey, a member of UPS’s Corporate Sustainability Team, has been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for his long-term contribution to advancing the EPA’s SmartWay program. The SmartWay program helps businesses assess and reduce fuel use and emissions from shipping. Created in 2004, the program addresses the marketplace’s growing need for a transparent and sophisticated level of carbon footprint assessment.  This is the first time the agency has honored individuals as “SmartWay Champions.”

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Earlier this month, UPS was informed by the Carbon Disclosure Project that it had received the highest score (99 out of 100) on its Global 500 Leadership Index. UPS is one of only four companies with that top score.  

The Index is comprised of companies that “have displayed the most professional approach to corporate governance regarding climate change information disclosure practices. Companies are scored on their climate change disclosure, and high scores indicate good internal data management and understanding of climate change related issues affecting the company.”  We are always grateful for high scores from third-parties, especially one as prestigious and credible as CDP.

In this case, the CDP score represents more than just an external accolade. It also is an achievement earned through thoughtful action on the company’s part.

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UPS Chief Sustainability Officer Scott Wicker is the author of an opinion piece published on the GreenBiz.com.

If you know anything about engineers, you know we measure everything. Engineers are meticulous, calculated and apply logical thinking to most tasks. Most things we come in contact with and use each day had some kind of engineering behind it. That’s the mentality I bring to my role as UPS’s first chief sustainability officer and I believe an engineer’s approach can be effective in creating a credible sustainability program.

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Finally! The day has arrived – as the editor of the UPS sustainability report, I’m pleased to announce that  after many months of gathering details and checking facts, we’ve launched the 2010 edition, themed “Sustainability Is…”  

So, sustainability is what, exactly?  I’d say it depends a lot on who’s talking and who’s listening. Sustainability, really, is in the eye of the beholder. What is important to you may depend on whether you are an employee, a customer, an investor or a sustainability expert. For many, sustainability is a synonym for environmental responsibility. For others, it is all about corporate philanthropy.

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