ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston’s Delhi LA processing facility has received its official Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council (USGBC).
The Delhi facility is the first frozen food manufacturing plant worldwide to earn LEED Platinum certification, the highest distinction available to green buildings. Design, construction, and operations at the Delhi processing facility were all developed with environmental impact and sustainability in mind. The plant primarily processes sweet potatoes from Louisiana and surrounding sweet potato-growing regions. Operations began in September 2010.
To earn LEED Platinum certification, a building is evaluated by the USGBC on a number of criteria: sustainable sites (protecting the environment), water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and the innovation and design process. Features of the Lamb Weston LEED Platinum plant include:
•The entire plant is climate-controlled to increase worker productivity, safety, and comfort. Climate control in such a hot, humid environment reduces condensation buildup and water on the floors, reducing slip and fall hazards. Materials such as low-VOC (volatile organic compounds) carpeting, cleaning products, and paints are used in the interior of the plant to reduce occupant exposure to airborne pollutants.
•Energy-saving equipment is projected to save 40% of the annual energy consumed at a comparable plant. By identifying and recovering potential wasted energy within the building systems and processes, energy demand is reduced.
•Biogas, produced by treating process waste water, is piped back to the plant boilers to produce steam. This process is expected to offset approximately 20% of the annual natural gas demand of the plant and prevents methane, a harmful greenhouse gas, from entering the atmosphere.
•More than 100 acres of the property will be maintained as open space, including protected wetland areas, ponds, and restored native vegetation. Water is conserved outside the building by landscaping with native plant species that require no irrigation once established.
•Priority parking is given to low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles.
Project partners included Fisher & Sons Design/Build, a design and construction firm based in Burlington WA; and Paladino and Company, a Seattle WA-based sustainability and green building consulting firm.
Visit www.lambweston.com or www.conagrafoods.com for more information.
