BOARDMAN. Ore., and PATERSON, Wash. – ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston Boardman and Paterson plants are winners of a 2012 Sustainable Development Award from ConAgra Foods. The plants were recognized for employee efforts to responsibly manage the use of electricity within their operations and reduce greenhouse emissions.
“Through collaborative efforts with Umatilla Electric, Benton REA, and BPA’s Energy Smart Initiative program, our Boardman and Paterson operations were able to reduce combined electricity usage by 8.1 million kilowatt hours,” said Dave Nevin, Energy and Environmental manager at ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston. “Our lower electricity use resulted in a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,700 metric tonnes.”
Employees followed BPA’s Track and Tune program to launch more than 36 energy savings projects at both plants. Their work included setting performance baselines, tuning up equipment, optimizing efficiency and tracking reductions.
In recognition of their achievement, ConAgra Foods awarded employees at each plant a $2,500 grant to apply toward sustainable service projects in their communities. Boardman employees are donating their $2,500 grant to the Hydro Mania Program, sponsored each year by Umatilla Electric Cooperative. The program offers summer science camps designed for 4th and 5th graders focused on science, water, the environment, and energy.
Employees at Lamb Weston’s Paterson plant are donating their $2,500 grant to the Parent Teacher Organization at Paterson School District. The grant will support a school playground development and beautification effort.
ConAgra Foods’ Sustainable Development Awards are an internal awards program intended to drive and reward innovative employee approaches to sustainability that produce tangible business results. The more than 100 entries submitted in 2012 collectively:
Reduced carbon emissions by more than 43,600 metric tonnes
Eliminated 61,000 tons of landfill waste and 4,800 tons of packaging material
Conserved 295 million gallons of water.
Additionally, the projects delivered more than $28 million in savings, demonstrating the economic value of the company''s commitment to sustainable development.
About ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston
Lamb Weston makes quality frozen potato, sweet potato and other vegetable products for restaurants, retailers and other foodservice operations throughout the world. Lamb Weston is a brand of ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), one of North America’s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. For more information, please visit us at www.lambweston.com or www.lambweston.com/delhi.
About ConAgra Foods
ConAgra Foods, Inc., (NYSE: CAG), is one of North America''s leading food companies, with brands in 97 percent of America’s households. Consumers find Banquet, Chef Boyardee, Egg Beaters, Hebrew National, Hunt’s, Marie Callender’s, Orville Redenbacher’s, PAM, Peter Pan, Reddi-wip, Slim Jim, Snack Pack and many other ConAgra Foods brands in grocery, convenience, mass merchandise and club stores. ConAgra Foods also has a strong business-to-business presence, supplying frozen potato and sweet potato products as well as other vegetable, spice and grain products to a variety of well-known restaurants, foodservice operators and commercial customers. For more information, please visit us at http://www.conagrafoods.com.
Source: ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston
