what’s working
40 percent and increased mileage per gallon by 8 percent
— moves that will save the company $11,000 a year and
decrease fuel use by 3,870 gallons.
IEDS Logistics, which operates warehouses in Spokane
and Pasco, is also cutting energy use. They are currently
retrofitting light fixtures and optimizing availability of
natural light, while also installing “smart lighting” motion
detectors, creating lighting sectors to only light areas where
work is actually being completed. IEDS also provides
customers the logistical option to convert freight from
truck to rail, allowing for movement of more freight per
gallon of fuel. On the ground, propane-powered forklifts
reduce both carbon emissions and noise pollution.
Green Teams actively seeking opportunities for continuous
improvement in reduction, recycling, and diversion, as
well as recognizing the value of material for recovery as a
saleable product.
Not only is ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston helping the
environment, this strong, voluntary focus on reducing waste
is creating a notable revenue stream for the company.
avista utilities, spokane
leading environmental practice
conagra foods lamb weston, kennewick
Avista is nearly finished removing all PCB -containing
transformers from its electrical distribution system. This
is an unprecedented move that goes far beyond state and
federal regulations. PCBs have been banned since 1979,
but can continue to be used in existing products. Since the
1980s, Avista has been surpassing regulatory requirements,
actively removing equipment with PCBs from service. Even
so, in 2011 more than 11,000 of its 120,000 transformers
For proof of what voluntary sustainability goals can
achieve, take a look at ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston’s
accomplishments in Washington. In 2010, ConAgra
set a voluntary goal of diverting 75 percent of its
waste from landfills by this year. It reached that goal
early, so it set a further goal of striving toward zero
waste-to-landfill. One way to pursue that goal is
through recognition
— AWB President Kris Johnson
of facilities making
strong progress toward that
Avista Utilities
were known or predicted to contain PCBs. Avista decided to
goal. Seven of the 13 Lamb
www.avistautilities.com
remove them all by 2018, making them the first major utility
Weston plants earning the
to do so. Because the project is voluntary, Avista has the
ConAgra Foods Lamb Weston
“Z e ro Wa s t e C h a m p i o n ”
flexibility to tackle the change methodically and efficiently,
www.lambweston.com
award are in Washington:
linking work with other upgrades and maintenance.
IEDS Logistics
Pasco, Connell, Paterson,
The project is well underway, with 9,600 of the original
www.ieds.net
Quincy, Richland, Warden
11,099 PCB-containing transformers removed and retired.
and Columbia Basin Blends
Pacific Northwest National
Avista is also sharing the details of its model program with
(Pasco).
Laboratory
other interested utilities, including its creative “serial
Overall, the Evergreen
www.pnnl.gov
number sequencing process” to link PCB -containing
State’s plants have achieved
transformers to others made by the same manufacturers.
Shields Bag & Printing Co.
a 99 percent diversion rate.
I t ’s p r o o f t h a t Av i s t a ’s i n n o v a t i v e a p p r o a c h t o
www.shieldsbag.com
Me t h o d s t o a c h i eve t h i s
environmental protection can be duplicated across the
success include facility
nation.
“These companies are exceptional, but they are
not the exception. They represent how businesses
across our state and in every sector set environmental goals and then seek new and innovative
ways to reach them.”
26 association of washington business