Hormel Foods Corporation announced its Progressive Processing production facility in Dubuque, Iowa was awarded LEED Gold. According to Hormel, Progressive Processing is one of the first manufacturing plants to be a LEED-certified project at any level.Progressive Processing will use at least 25 percent less energy and water than a plant built to meet current building codes and industry standards. The facility was also constructed using materials with more than 36 percent recycled content. Noteworthy elements of the sustainable design and construction include:
- A sustainable site, including nonirrigated landscaping, that was developed with native, low-maintenance vegetation
- Lighting controls that monitor the amount of light needed based on daylight, occupancy and time schedule. Similar monitoring is used for temperature control, using sensors to identify room occupancy and determine the heating or cooling need
- Nonrefrigerated areas of the plant use skylights and multilevel lighting to provide natural light and reduce energy consumption
- Sophisticated heat and water recovery processes. For example, as part of the boiler system, heat from blowdown water is recovered and the water is captured and reused for flushing toilets.
