Fullbloom Baking Company Leads Baking Industry as First LEED Platinum Certified Private Label Bakery

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) Newark, Calif. (April 19, 2010) – When FullBloom Baking Company needed to expand in 2006, they purchased a 95,000 square foot food manufacturing plant with an eye towards making it the greenest wholesale baking company in the nation. Last week, their efforts were rewarded when the US Green Building Council bestowed Platinum certification—the highest level of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) recognition—to Fullbloom’s management.

Long before being green became a sought-after business attribute, FullBloom was quietly following sustainable practices. When CEO and Founder Karen Trilevsky decided to grow her business, LEED certification is the only business model option she considered pursuing. Green is part of the Company’s DNA, and according to Karen that means “doing what’s right for customers and consumers, for employees, and for the Earth.”

Those values helped drive everyone at FullBloom who participated in the arduous process of applying for LEED certification. “This certification speaks to the contributions made by the entire FullBloom team – from our management team to our bakery employees – all of whom remain committed to the vision I had for my company 21 years ago.”

Since it was founded in 1989, FullBloom has made all natural bakery products (preservative free, no artificial colors, no artificial flavors) for some of the country’s leading brands.  But making a wholesome product wasn’t enough. Karen was dedicated to making the plant green in its design and operation.

Working with an experienced LEED team, including the interior design firm Tranquil Spaces and LEED-consulting firm, Organic Architect, and E.A. Bonelli Architects, the plant was retrofitted by the contractor firm  Eric F. Anderson and Processes Unlimited engineering, over a two-year period.

Some of the initiatives that helped them earn the certification include:

Site selection The site of the new facility is on a previously built site with existing parking lots. The landscaping increases groundwater recharge, which helps to reduce overflow of storm drains during heavy rain. The outdoor lighting fixtures are shielded to protect the night sky from light pollution, which affects wildlife such as birds’ flight patterns.

Landscaping of the existing site was increased by 300% with low-water use plants, to increase groundwater recharge.

Water efficiency The waste water treatment plant on site cleans and adjusts the pH of the plant water for reuse. The installation of low-flow bathroom fixtures help save water. FullBloom easily met their target of 30% reduction of water use below a benchmark of standard use.
Water usage was 30% below the benchmark of standard use.

Energy & Atmosphere FullBloom is purchasing renewable energy certificates to help push the market towards producing more renewable energy.
Energy usage is 18% below the Title 24 limit.

Materials & Resources Materials used in the facility include rapidly renewable cork and bamboo used in floors; wheat board used in the doors; and FSC certified wood was sourced as much as possible. When sourcing materials for the project, the interior designer, LEED consultant and contractor worked hard to exceed targets in the following categories: 

• Recycled content: From the aggregate used in the cement to the studs in the walls, most materials in the project had a significant recycled content. Although many products these days have recycled content by default, the team pushed to exceed the norm wherever possible.

• Re-use: building components, equipment, furniture and furnishings were re-used

• Regional materials: cement, metal studs and drywall came from the Bay Area

• Rapidly renewable materials: bamboo floors, cork tiles, and wheat-core doors.

The new facility has re-used 100% of existing floors, exterior walls and roof, and maintained 50% of interior walls. Nearly 100% of construction waste was diverted from landfill, in keeping with local practices. 25% of material sourced was manufactured within 500 miles, 15% of material was from rapidly renewable sources, 15% was recycled content, and nearly 40% of furniture and furnishings were re-used.

Indoor Environmental Quality The new office space takes advantage of the available windows and views by keeping an open floor plan. This creates a pleasant working environment, while also reducing energy use by greatly reducing the need for artificial lighting. The lighting that is used is set on a timer and only comes on later in the afternoon, as daylight wanes. Controls in shared spaces such as conference rooms ensure that the lights, heating and cooling are not on when the space is not in use.  Low or no VOC paint was used to paint the interior and exterior of the facility.
100% of office spaces allow for occupant controllability of temperature and lighting; the facility has ongoing monitoring of occupant comfort; the offices have daylighting for 75% of spaces and exterior views from 90% of spaces.

Innovation in Design The innovative measures undertaken at FullBloom are too numerous to mention, and reflect the company’s holistic mentality. Composting and recycling is implemented on a large scale: the food waste from the facility is collected every week by a local farm.
In keeping with other policies for recycling, 100% of food waste is collected by a neighboring farm.

About FullBloom Baking Company
FullBloom Baking Company is a woman-owned, commercial artisan baking company whose core business is wholesale and private label natural and organic baked goods. The company’s 95,000 square foot facility was built with the latest in energy-efficient and cutting edge technologies. Continuous process automation supports the production of artisan baking goods. The company is committed to being ecologically responsible and using agriculturally sustainable business practices.

Headquartered in Newark, California, FullBloom produces fresh, frozen, par-baked and pre-packed baked goods for local, regional and national distribution. For more information visit www.fullbloom.com or facebook.com/FullBloomBakingCompany.

CONTACT
Susan Hughes
415/986-6916
suzehughes@earthlink.net
 

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