RIPON, WIS.—IPSO has added the IS275, a 275-pound washer-extractor, to its softmount on-premises equipment line. This efficient machine helps on-premises laundry managers to maximize productivity and minimize costs while providing consistently superior wash quality.“We are excited to announce the expansion of our softmount washer-extractor line, designed to improve on-premises laundry operators’ productivity,” said Kathryn Rowen, North American Sales Manager for IPSO. “We strive to continually innovate and produce dependable, efficient and intuitive equipment that OPL managers can rely on to help them decrease utility costs, extend linen life and eliminate unnecessary labor expenses.” The 275-pound washer-extractor’s super high G-Force...

NATIONAL REPORT—A series of six webinars with topics ranging from water efficiency to green cleaning to window film will launch on March 26 and wrap up on May 21. In total, there will be 18 different presentations throughout the six webinars that are sponsored by the U.S. EPA. The free webinars are being organized by Dan Ruben of Boston Green Tourism and Peter Cooke of the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Those who attend all six sessions will be acknowledged with a Certificate of Completion.The following is the schedule for the webinars:Session 1: March 26, 1 p.m to  2:15...

CHICAGO—The National Restaurant Association announced the recipients of the 2014 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Awards, which honor equipment and technology that specifically improves the back of the house operations and benefits restaurant operators.“2014 marks an important milestone for the KI Awards,” said Sam Facchini, co-founder and co-owner of Metro Pizza and 2014 NRA Show Convention Chair. “In addition to proudly celebrating our 10 year anniversary of the Awards, this year’s honorees demonstrate the continued tradition of the KI Awards in celebrating innovative companies making a measureable impact on the day-to-day operations of the foodservice industry.”The 2014 KI Award recipients reflect...

OSHKOSH, WIS.—Haddon Equipment & Supplies (Haddon) in Vancouver, B.C., was recently named the Girbau Industrial Distributor of the Year for outstanding industrial sales, service and support. Haddon is an employee-owned and operated distributorship serving British Columbia and Yukon.The company provides outstanding customer service; highly efficient industrial, on-premise and vended laundry equipment; laundry planning and design; as well as chemicals and other supplies, according to Seth Willer, Girbau Industrial National sales manager. “They are dedicated to delivering the ultimate in customer and technical service, and in 2013, provided unrivaled Girbau Industrial distribution.” Learn more about Haddon at www.haddon.ca. Also go to...

BAY LAKE, FLA.—Harvest Power unveiled the Central Florida Energy Garden, an organics management and renewable energy facility that is the first of its kind in the United States, converting organic waste into renewable biogas and natural fertilizers. The anaerobic digester combines a unique set of proven technologies and will divert hundreds of thousands of tons of waste from Central Florida landfills.Located within the Reedy Creek Improvement District (RCID), the Energy Garden uses anaerobic digestion—a biological process that relies on trillions of naturally occurring bacteria—to produce renewable biogas. When operating at full capacity, the facility will process more than 120,000...

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Restaurant Assn. is calling on restaurant operators to participate in an online survey regarding how much unused food is donated, composted, or sent to landfills and other waste disposal facilities. The information gathered will be used to help develop new ways to reduce food waste in the industry. “Food sent to a landfill represents lost opportunities to improve management efficiencies, to reduce operating costs, to feed the hungry, to recover valuable resources, and to realize other benefits,” said Laura Abshire, the NRA’s Director of Sustainability Policy and Government Affairs. “To help reverse this pattern, the National Restaurant...

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...