Contact:
WI Sustainable Business Council
Tom Eggert
Executive Director
sustain@bus.wisc.edu
608-267-2761
Contact:
ConAgra Foods
Beth Hartz
beth.hartz@conagrafoods.com
ConAgra Foods is one of a select group of companies to earn the designation, “Green Master,” the highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. As a Green Master, ConAgra Foods has performed actions in each of nine “sustainability areas” and has scored in the top twenty percent of all participating companies.
“ConAgra Foods is the first company from the agriculture sector to receive the Green Masters status,” said Tom Eggert, executive director, Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. “ConAgra has positioned itself as a sustainability leader in Wisconsin and we hope that other companies from the agriculture sector embrace sustainability the way that ConAgra has done.”
“ConAgra Foods is honored to earn Green Master status under the Green Masters Program,” said Mike Bilse, plant manager, Environment, Health and Safety, ConAgra Foods. “Sustainability is one of our core business strategies and becoming a Green Master reaffirms our commitment.”
ConAgra Foods’ Swiss Miss® plant in Menomonie has embraced sustainability for decades, reducing energy use while tripling production. Led by a grassroots Green Team, the plant’s 350 employees divert nearly 95 percent of solid waste from landfills through recycling, animal feed and soil amendment processes. The plant has also found innovative ways to conserve more than nine million gallons of water and 10,000 dekatherms of natural gas per year by reusing water from milk condensing processes.
Applicants to the Green Masters Program are judged on a comprehensive range of sustainability issues, from energy and water use to educational outreach and governance. More than 90 Wisconsin businesses have participated in the program where the top twenty percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation. For more information and a complete list of Green Masters Program participants, go to http://www.greenmastersprogram.com.
