New ConAgra plant sets ‘green’ standard

By Ross Boettcher
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER. View the article in its entirity at http://www.omaha.com/article/20110122/MONEY/701229877

ConAgra Foods’ sustainable sweet potato plant in Delhi, La., is being dubbed “Platinum” for being “green.”

Friday, the Omaha-based packaged food giant announced that its new Lamb Weston processing plant became the first frozen food manufacturing facility in the world to earn a platinum Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Platinum certification is the highest level offered.

The recognition for ConAgra is more than ceremonial and could break new ground for food manufacturing companies designing and building more energy-efficient and sustainable buildings and manufacturing plants in the future, an Omaha-based sustainability expert said.

“It’s exciting for a large organization like ConAgra to take these steps,” said Craig Moody, who is principal owner of Verdis Group, a “green” consulting firm in Omaha, and serves in leadership positions on numerous sustainability organizations. “When designing a building like this, it starts at day one. ConAgra made a commitment to make this a great, energy-efficient building.”

The Lamb Weston facility processes and packages sweet potatoes from Louisiana and surrounding states with cutting-edge equipment and materials, ConAgra said. It went online in September 2010. It’s the only platinum LEED-certified building in Louisiana.

Nebraska has two platinum LEED-certified buildings, the M.E. Group Office Building, 8040 Davenport St., and the headquarters building for Morrissey Engineering, 4940 N 118th St.

Moody said designing and constructing sustainable structures for LEED certification typically is more expensive, but most companies view those upfront charges as an investment for the utility and other cost savings that will take place in the future.

According to the U.S. Green Building Council, the sustainability of the building site; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; and the innovation and design process all are considered when certifying a structure under LEED guidelines.

Some of the features that helped the ConAgra facility earn certification were:

>> Interior climate control, which helps keeps workers safe from slipping because condensation and water buildup on plant floors is avoided.

>> Organic carpeting, cleaning products and paints, which reduce employee exposure to pollutants.

>> The piping of Biogas, a bi-product of treated wastewater, into the plant’s boilers to produce steam. The process offsets about 20 percent of the facility’s annual natural gas costs and prevents methane, a harmful gas, from entering the atmosphere.

>> At least 100 acres of surrounding land, including wetland areas and ponds, will be protected.

>> Priority parking for drivers of low-emission vehicles like hybrids and electric cars.

“We had an opportunity to build something from scratch and set out to build a great sustainable plant because it was right for the business and who we are as a company,” said Rick Martin, vice president for manufacturing at Lamb Weston. “We’ve been producing quality sweet potato products for the past 10 years, which allowed us to bring the best of what we’ve learned during that time to the design and construction of the Delhi plant.”