IACI presented ConAgra / Lamb Weston with its 2010 Environmental Excellence Award during IACI’s 36th Annual Conference in McCall in June.
Lamb Weston is recognized for the implementation of a condensing economizer which has saved 1.3 MM therms per year of natural gas with an annual green house gas reduction of 6,300 metric tonnes. The boiler is a key operating unit for the production facility, essential to its operation, and provides a single location for high quality heat recovery. This heat recovery occurs anytime the boiler is operating; therefore the facility automatically initiates and benefits from heat recovery from start-up through operation.
The Condensing Economizer project is an example of Lamb Weston’s on-going commitment to energy conservation and environmental sustainability. Lamb Weston’s Twin Falls facility efforts have resulted in a reduction of 1.4 MM therms of natural gas, 4 MM kwH of electricity, and 70 MM gallons of water from operations of their facility since May 2008.
Presenting the award in front of Idaho’s business leaders, and over 40 legislators and elected officials attending the IACI conference, IACI Chairman Trent Clark commended ConAgra / Lamb Weston for being “focused on environmentally responsible business practices.”
Speaking about the award, Dave Kubosumi, Plant Engineering Manager, stated: “Lamb Weston actively shares best practices within the organization to ensure knowledge and successes are fully leveraged across all applicable operating facilities. The Condensing Economizer project is just one example of efforts which were recently recognized as a finalist in the Company’s annual Sustainable Development Awards Conference at ConAgra Foods’ headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. We appreciate the opportunity to partner with IACI and are very honored to be recognized with the 2010 Environmental Excellence Award.”
The ConAgra / Lamb Weston team was selected by an independent committee chaired by Jack Lyman, Executive Director of the Idaho Mining Association. Other selection committee members were Representative Brian Cronin (D-Boise), member of the House Environment, Energy and Technology Committee; Robbin Finch, Water Quality Manager for the City of Boise; Orville Green, Administrator of the Waste Remediation Program at the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality; Paul Kjellander, Administrator of the Idaho Office of Energy Resources, and Senator Patti Anne Lodge (R-Huston), Chair of the Senate Health & Welfare Committee.
Also nominated for the 2010 award were: Union Pacific Railroad and CH2M-WG Idaho LLC. Noted Clark, “This year, our selection committee had the daunting task of selecting the best of the best. We had three excellent companies nominated, and all their accomplishments in the environmental area are commendable.”