ANN ARBOR, MICH.—Global public health organization NSF International has launched a new program that helps hotels, resorts and other hospitality settings prevent food and water contamination. The NSF International StaySafer program provides the hospitality industry with a credible means to demonstrate the safety of its food and water to travelers, agencies and hotel rating websites.The NSF StaySafer program combines inspection and testing for both a hotel or resort’s water systems and foodservice operations, which is essential as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 10 million overseas travelers contract illness from food and...

MCLEAN, VA.—Hilton Worldwide announced that it will cease serving shark fin and stop accepting new orders for shark fin dishes by April 1, 2014. The ban covers all restaurants and food and beverage (F&B) facilities operated by its 96 owned and managed properties across Asia Pacific.In December 2012, the company first removed shark fin from menus across all restaurants and F&B facilities operated by its managed properties in China and Southeast Asia, only serving it on request. This action helped pave the way for a ban, which first took effect in Southeast Asia on September 1, 2013 and then...

BRANDENBURG, KY.—If you are staying at the Southern Grace Bed & Breakfast in Brandenburg, Ky., and can’t finish your tasty breakfast, don’t even think about throwing your food scraps in the trash. The approximately 70 chickens—free range chickens—will be more than happy to eat what you cannot. According to Theresa Padgett, owner of the 15-acre B&B with her husband David, all food scraps are either fed to the chickens or composted. The plate-to-chicken approach to waste management is just one of the ways the B&B owners work to lighten their property’s impact on the planet. In the garden that...

RIPON, WIS.—UniMac, a leading provider of on-premises laundry equipment, has expanded its product offering with the introduction of the UT200, a 200-pound tumble dryer. “The UT200 is just one example of UniMac’s commitment to increasing our customers’ satisfaction by offering a comprehensive range of equipment with innovative features that help on-premises laundries operate more cost-effectively,” said Bill Brooks, North American Sales Manager for UniMac. “The 200-pound tumble dryer will allow operators to improve throughput and increase savings, ensuring the lowest cost of ownership.” With the addition of the UT200, UniMac has one of the most extensive lines of on-premises tumble...

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y.—Rubicon Global, a leading provider of sustainable waste and recycling solutions, and BioHitech America, a leader in the development of food waste disposal technology, have teamed up to add BioHitech America’s (BHA) Eco-Safe Digester and BioHitech Cloud to Rubicon Global’s arsenal of green technological tools.It is estimated that as much as 34 million tons of food waste are sent to landfills in the United States each year. Given the momentum of statewide policies requiring food waste recycling, the message of burying food waste in landfills being no longer a sustainable or acceptable solution is being heard loud...

LAUCALA ISLAND, FIJI—Amidst dramatic rainforest-laced landscapes and coconut plantations, the Fijian private island resort Laucala Island sets the gold standard for the “farm-to-resorts” movement. The resort’s new Executive Chef, Anthony Healy, creates signature cuisine by foraging for the freshest ingredients across the island and taking advantage of the island’s plentiful indigenous produce and livestock. Organic produce is grown on a 240-acre hydroponic farm with 15 different types of fruit, 35 varieties of vegetables and more than 50 Fiji Vanilla plants. Additionally, 80 percent of the island’s seafood is caught within a mile of the shore to preserve the natural...

CHESTNUT RIDGE, N.Y.—BioHitech America, a leading provider of organic waste solutions and the exclusive distributor of the Eco-Safe Digester, a food waste management solution, recently closed its second round of funding led by Penn Venture Partners LP, a venture capital fund located in Harrisburg, Pa.CEO Frank E. Celli welcomed this investment and pointed to the recent groundbreaking action by New York City. “We are glad to see the world’s greatest city advancing its efforts towards zero waste with the recently passed legislation. Our staff played a significant role in the inclusion of aerobic, point of generation systems like our...

NEW YORK—Vivreau announced that the company has become an official supporter of the Partnership for a Healthy America’s “Drink Up” initiative. Vivreau joins PHA’s Honorary Chair First Lady Michelle Obama and other celebrities in an effort to encourage people to drink more water more often.Through its support, Vivreau has committed to assist in spreading awareness to the recently launched initiative which has been supported by celebrities who include Grammy winner John Legend, All-Star baseball player Curtis Granderson and actress and activist Eva Longoria among others. In the year ahead Vivreau has committed to numerous marketing efforts that include the...

BOSTON—The Patrick Administration announced final statewide commercial food waste disposal ban regulations to take effect on October 1, 2014. The ban will divert food waste to energy-generating and composting facilities and reduce the Commonwealth’s waste stream. “We are committed to protecting our natural resources and creating jobs as the Commonwealth’s clean energy economy grows,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan. “The disposal ban is critical to achieving our aggressive waste disposal reduction goals and it is in line with our commitment to increase clean energy production.” The ban, regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), will...

MANCHESTER, N.H.—Xeros, the innovator of an ultra-low water laundry system, announced it has successfully established its presence in North America as demand has escalated for green laundry solutions. Xeros established its North American headquarters in September 2013 and has sold more than 30 polymer bead commercial laundry systems globally to dry cleaner customers that include Kleen Dry Cleaners and Crest Advanced Dry Cleaners; industrial laundries such as Sterling Linens Service; and in four of the top six hotel chains in North America, including Hyatt and Wyndham.The Xeros Commercial Laundry System helps organizations, through the use of polymer bead technology,...