Edhat Staff
Source: City of Santa Barbara
Each year, the City of Santa Barbara Water Conservation Program honors an individual, business, or organization that has gone above and beyond in their water conservation efforts and serves as an example of resource efficiency in our community. Mission Linen Supply has been awarded the 2017 Water Hero Award for incorporating water saving practices into their operations and significantly reducing water usage at their facilities in Santa Barbara.
Mission Linen Supply was established in 1930 in Santa Barbara and today operates at 44 locations throughout California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and New Mexico. Mission provides linen, uniform, and laundry services to hospitality, healthcare, and industrial businesses. “Water conservation — and environmental sustainability as a whole — has always been an integral part of Mission’s business model,” said John Ross, Mission’s president and CEO. “We are honored to have our efforts recognized by the City of Santa Barbara, and as we continue pursuing new and better ways to conserve our planet’s valuable resources, we hope to inspire others to do the same.”
Mission’s corporate offices are housed in Santa Barbara along with two plants. The linen plant provides laundry services to hospitality and restaurant customers, while the industrial plant offers uniform and garment services. Combined, both plants process thousands of pounds of laundry each week, making water an important part of their daily operations.
The linen plant initially began recycling water in 1973. However, Mission is continually looking for innovative ways to improve their processes. In 2017, Missionmade changes to their water softening capacity, resulting in significant reductions of water and salt usage. Today, Mission reclaims 34% of the water used in their operations and uses it to wash additional loads of laundry before sending it to the wastewater system. In addition to recycling wash water onsite, the linen plant also captures water from their cooling tower for reuse. These efforts allow Mission to use 50% less water per laundry load than a typical home washer.
Mission Linen Supply’s water conservation efforts have reduced their water usage by 30%, approximately 5 million gallons a year, making them a worthy recipient of the Water Hero Award. For more information on current and past Water Heroes, visit www.SantaBarbaraCA.gov/
