Margaritas & Mother Earth

Tangy margaritas, cheesy quesadillas & spicy salsa dishes… mmmm mmm, we can already taste Cinco de Mayo!

With the holiday just around the corner, there’s sure to be plenty of Mexican-inspired festivities over the next few days...and of course, we can’t let you forget about keeping it green! No, we’re not here to demand you buy all organic or use eco-friendly paper goods. You know the drill. Instead, we thought we’d share a couple of lesser-known tips on reducing your carbon footprint this weekend.

Let’s keep Mother Earth celebrating, too.

      1. Clean up the green way

Think those greasy Lays bags can’t be put to good use? Enter Terracycle: a super innovative green company that collects hard-to-recycle packaging and repurposes it (in really cool ways…i.e. a Doritos wrapper tote is already on our Christmas list). Since 2001, they’ve collected over $2 billion pieces of trash and donated almost $7 million to charity. So, post-party fun, gather up your empty chip bags, endless soda can tabs & capri sun packaging and send it off to Terracycle. Help save the environment, and get an awesome totebag while you’re at it. It’s a win-win.

      2. Take it outside

What better way to enjoy the new found spring days than to take your party outdoors? If you’re planning an afternoon fiesta, the sun is our favorite form of light: it’s natural, warm & best of all – free! A nighttime get together doesn’t need to suck up electricity, either. Just imagine your back patio filled with the aroma of eco-friendly, soy-based candles…cozy, cute and festive.

      3. Pick a potluck

Instead of spending hours in a hot kitchen (and racking up your electric bill), throw a Mexican-inspired potluck. If each guest brings his or her dish in a reusable container, there will be less waste, and less to clean up! In need of a little inspiration? Check out this list of Cinco de Mayo meal ideas (yes, yes those are South of the Border Chicken Tamales…). But, if you’re dead-set on doing all the cooking, a barbeque is the best choice – lump charcoal or propane utilizes the least amount of energy, and is best for the environment. 

And as they say - ¡Viva!

The Final Flour

Great friends, your favorite chair & the big game in HD.

What more could you need?

…Pizza. And lots of it.

Everyone knows that Super Bowl Sunday is #1 for pizza sales. No inebriated football fan would have it any other way. In fact, when the 49ers took on the Ravens in 2013, Pizza Hut sold enough slices to cross the Golden Gate Bridge over 1,000 times.

How do they measure these kinds of things?

Anyway. The Super Bowl better watch its back, because March Madness is giving it a run for its money.

That’s right. Last year, during NCAA men’s final four, Dominos sold over 1.7 million pizzas - the busiest stretch of time for the chain all year. In honor of pizza's "biggest month," they're even running a 50% off pizza deal through the 23rd. 

Sales are so good during March Madness that Pizza Hut chose this month to roll out the first national campaign for WingStreet, their new chicken wing brand. If a team with a winged mascot takes the NCAA title, everyone gets free wings on April 10^th.

A bucket of garlic parmesan, anyone?

Just remember that Super Bowl Sunday isn’t the only day you have an excuse to binge on pizza & hang out with your best friends. March Madness fans love pizza, too, and the time is upon us.

Let the games begin.  

Me, You & the Pizza Too

After hearing the news about Pizza Hut’s touchscreen dining tables, I got to thinking about my very own “perfect pizza.” With endless options at my fingertips, what’s a girl to do?

(Seriously, though. That decision would take me a good hour).

Anyway, Hump Day as it was, I thought it might be fun to take a little office poll, so I sent out a mass email asking my coworkers to describe their ideal pizza. Sausage & onion? Buffalo chicken? Half expecting a whole bunch of 3-word answers & extra cheeses, the responses were much more elaborate…and heart warming. 

In fact, they were worthy of a blog.

Let’s take a look at some of the highlights…

“Pepperoni & cheese from my sentimental favorite, Pizzaville. Kevin James once said, ‘There's no better feeling in the world than a warm pizza box on your lap,’ and this is so true!  I have fond memories of picking up Pizzaville pizza as a kid with my Dad. I loved holding the gigantic pizza box on our drive home, especially in the winter, and soaking up the distinctive smell of extra cheese, cornmeal and burnt cardboard that would always emanate from the box. Even a hint of that smell transports me back to those happy childhood times!” –Jennifer Wright, President

“Growing up in New York City, there's pizza shops on every block (it's a pizza lover's dream). A plain slice with salt and garlic powder is my favorite. One of my fondest memories as a teenager is going to Koronet Pizza on 110^th & Broadway with my best friend, Faith. They had the largest slice of pizza in New York, and for only $1! Years later I took my kids to Koronet, and they loved it just as much as I did at their age.” – Fatima Golden, Director of Operations

“A slice of Sicilian from Gino's in LongBeach, NY has to be number one. I have great memories of going to the beach in high school, hanging out all day then walking off of the boardwalk right into Gino's for a slice and a coke.” –John Clancy, Director of Sales

And last, but certainly not least, comes a response from Alex Laracy, our Director of Marketing:

    “New Canaan Pizza is the reason I grew up a fat and happy kid.”

He has a way with words.

And mine? A slice of thin-crust, extra garlic pizza from Roseland is top of my list. It’s one of those places that’s been around since forever, a place full of history, where the owner remembers your name, and where my Dad dubbed “our spot.” There’s nothing quite like it, you know?

Truth is, pizza isn’t just about toppings, or crust, or deep-dish, or whatever. It’s about the memories. You probably won’t remember if your crust was extra-thin, but you’ll never forget your Dad’s face across the table, smiling so big as he’s about to take a huge bite of his favorite pie.

Chew on This

We’re a small company with big dreams. And we’re spreading like wildfire.

It all started with Vine. GreenBox’s video was the featured video of the day, and in just 10 hours, had over 10,000 likes, 2,500 comments, and almost 3,000 shares. Today, those numbers have doubled.

That was just the beginning.

Wake Up Montana, Local 4 News in Detroit & Good Day Philadelphia… it seemed like the entire nation was talking about the GreenBox. Radio stations and blogs were beaming about our eco-friendly product, calling it the “smartest idea ever!”

But that’s not all. The GreenBox made an appearance on ABC’s The Chew, Today.com & CBS’ The Rachael Ray Show. Within the past two weeks, we’ve increased our Facebook likes by almost 40%, while our YouTube video has over 2 million hits. We’ve gotten calls from pizzerias across the world – from Australia to South America, all the way to France and beyond. It’s been remarkable, and humbling.

It’s quite possible that our product is, in fact, “changing the world one pizza box at a time.”  And to think…it all started with a college kid’s creative mind & larger than life dreams.

Looking forward to what’s to come, and we can’t wait to have you along for the ride.

GreenBox at International Pizza Expo 2014!

Hi, all.  We thought we would give our faithful readers a heads-up that we’re gearing up for an exciting industry event this month, the International Pizza Expo in Las Vegas, NV!  The show kicks off on Tuesday, March 25th and runs through Thursday, March 27th and the Greenbox will be prominently displayed at the Roma Foods booth #1127 (pretty high-class company, huh?).

If you can attend the show, please do so – the GreenBox crew would love to meet you. Otherwise, stick close to this blog for the latest updates... I’ll be live-blogging and Tweeting the show as it happen.  Get on board now and be sure to befriend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

One final teaser:  stay tuned for our nex blog in which we will provide an amazing synopsis of the plethora of TV coverage the Greenbox has received... The GreenBox is rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rachael Ray and Mario Batali... Not bad for a little pizza box.

The GreenBox is Taking the Media by Storm!

Telepizza, a chain operating in Central America, has launched a commercial featuring our one-of-a-kind redesign of the traditional pizza box.

The 56-second ad describes our product perfectly, and we couldn't be prouder! The message? Now that Telepizza is utilizing GreenBox technology, the best choice has been made for the environment and our beautiful planet as a whole.  Made from recycled materials, Telepizza's new box is perfect for sharing a delicious pizza with your friends (that is, if you don't want it all to yourself!) as it can be broken down into 4 plates and a storage unit for your leftovers.

There's nothing better than chowing down on your favorite pizza and helping the environment while you're at it. Take a minute and check out Telepizza's commercial here, and let us know what you think! MMM, delicioso!

International Pizza Expo Debriefing!

Don’t worry…we didn’t forget about you! So much has happened over the last few weeks that we’ve been running around like crazy (in a good way!). If you didn’t have a chance to read our last update, Las Vegas’ annual International Pizza Expo was rapidly approaching, and we were getting psyched to show off the GreenBox at the largest pizza show in the world.

This past Friday, Jen and Ned got back from the 3-day event full of smiles. The excitement surrounding the GreenBox and Roma Food’s private label version of the box, the Roma Serve & Store, was overwhelming. Wanna hear the best part? The folks from Yahoo! heard about our ground-breaking pizza box, and came over to our booth for more info. They loved it so much that they decided to film a demonstration of our product for an upcoming online show. So, keep checking our blog for a link to the GreenBox feature!

While Ecovention has been attending the international Pizza Expo for three years in a row, this time around was a bit different. We must admit… things weren’t the same without Will’s never-ending enthusiasm and unmatchable charm. Will, you are infinitely missed, but we know that we made you proud. The GreenBox is changing lives because of you!

Thank you, everyone, for following our blog and staying updated on all the amazing things happening at Ecovention.  Stay tuned…it’s only the beginning!

Countdown to the International Pizza Expo!

We’re counting down! Here at Ecovention, everyone’s getting excited about the upcoming International Pizza Expo.  With three whole days in sunny Las Vegas among some of the industry’s best, who wouldn’t be?  This year, the show kicks off on March 13 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and for 3 days, we will be eating, breathing, and sleeping… you guessed it… pizza. 


Like last year, we will be demonstrating Roma Food's private-labeled "Roma Serve N Store" pizza box (which, like our brilliant GreenBox, turns into plates and a storage container for leftovers).  We'll also be showing off our brand new SliceBox product, an awesome new design that's sturdy, functional and, best of all, green. You can find us at the Roma/Performance Foodservice booth (#1035 to be exact); be sure stop by and say hello - we'd love your company!  And, hey, enjoy some pizza, compliments of Roma, and a GreenBox demo while you're at it!  Not planning to make the trip? You snooze you lose!  Just kidding. Just keep your eyes on our Twitter feed for live updates from the show! 


If you have absolutely no idea what we’re even talking about, that’s okay. We’re here to help. The International Pizza Expo is the largest pizza show in the world… basically, it’s THE place to be if you’re in the pizza industry.  It’s an incredible opportunity for pizzeria owners, inventors (like us!), distributors, and others to network and bounce ideas off one another.  The expo isn’t just for chit-chatting, though.  There will be a ton of demonstrations, games, interesting speakers, and a bunch of competitions. It’s like field day, but for big kids (who love pizza).

Now that we’ve gotten you pumped up about the event, we hope to see your smiling faces checking out our GreenBox products at the Roma booth. You can’t miss us…we’re the ones with the pizza industry’s Next Big Thing. 

Green Spotlight On Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe

If you’ve ever spent time at college, or even crashed for a weekend in a friend’s dorm, you’ll know that pizza and college students go together like, well, pizza and college students.  The Pickleman's Gourmet Café chain of stores knows this well and caters to this fact, with locations at St. Louis University's Grand Center campus and in such other college-towns as Columbia, MO; Springfield, MO; and Lincoln, NE.

Founder Doug Stritzel also knows that, like him, the college set cares about creating a more eco-friendly world.  Here’s what Stritzel has to say on the matter:  “as a father, business owner, and leader in our community it is my responsibility to try to be a little more earth friendly, not for me, but for our children and our children’s children…just a little here and there adds up over time.”  Well said, Doug!  To that end, Stritzel made sure to introduce our 100% recycled, multifunctional GreenBox pizza box (pictured above) into his stores alongside his 100% biodegradable corn-based cutlery, cups, lids and salad containers and reusable soup bowls. 

Stritzel first opened Pickleman’s doors in October 2005 in Columbia, MO and today the chain has ten locations and counting across Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahama.  He opened his first cafe as an upscale sandwich shop catering to students through late delivery hours, free wi-fi and televisions tuned to sports. In 2007, Stritzel took his student-friendly concept one step further by adding pizza to his menu.  Now, we know what you’re thinking, a sandwich shop that offers pizza, can't have good pizza.  But you’d be dead wrong in the case of Pickleman's pizza.  Pizzas with chicken are the emphasis – and with the Asiago Chicken, Chicken Giardiniera, BBQ Chicken and Buffalo Chicken pizzas, you can’t go wrong. The Hog (for those that enjoy a little pepperoni and sausage) and The Veggie (the vegetarian option) top off the store’s menu nicely – just check out the reviews… and stop by Pickleman’s Gourmet Café next time you’re in the midwest!

'GreenBox Technology' Launched at Telepizza Restaurants Throughout El Salvador and Guatemala

In collaboration with manufacturing partner SigmaQ, Ecovention is pleased to announce the launch of Telepizza’s innovative multifunctional 'GreenBox Technology' Pizza Box. Telepizza, operated by Pollo Campero (the largest fast food chain in the Central America), is the first to bring 'GreenBox Technology' to Guatemala and El Salvador.

Using Ecovention's patented technology, Telepizza's box breaks down into four plates and a smaller container for leftovers, eliminating the need for disposable plates and ancillary storage materials like aluminum foil and plastic wrap. The 'GreenBox Technology' product brings Telepizza’s pizza to a new level of convenience and environmental sustainability for its customers.

“We are thrilled to bring Ecovention’s revolutionary technology to Central America,” said Henry Yarhi, CEO of SigmaQ. “The ‘GreenBox Technology’ product exemplifies SigmaQ’s humanitarian and global vision of sustainable packaging solutions.”

“Our company is excited to be furthering our relationship with SigmaQ and expanding our product’s reach into another part of the world,” said Jennifer Wright, Vice President of Ecovention, LLC.

Telepizza, a pizza chain that has been in operation since 1987, has over 1025 locations worldwide. The first Telepizza was located in Madrid, and has since spread throughout Spain, Portugal, Chile, and Central America. Recently, Telepizza has arrived in United Arab Emirates and Colombia.

SigmaQ, headquartered in San Salvador, El Salvador, consists of 12 production plants dedicated to industrial and luxury packaging. The company also has 7 business and sales offices in Mexico, the Caribbean and South America. The current CEO, Henry Yarhi, leads SigmaQ with a humanitarian and global vision.

Keepin' It Real

It’s that time of year again. Twinkling white lights line the doorways, gifts are being wrapped in a hurry, and the fresh smell of pine fills the air. And of course, the holiday season wouldn’t be the same without one thing: a Christmas tree.

But as Americans are becoming more environmentally conscious, people are having a hard time choosing between buying a fake tree or cutting down a real one. And while many consumers think they’re “going green” by getting this year’s tree at a big box retailer, they might want to think again. According to National Geographic, your plastic tree isn’t all that environmentally friendly after all. The New York Times reports that “The annual carbon emissions associated with using a real tree every year were just one-third of those created by an artificial tree over a typical six-year lifespan.”

Think about it: your newly purchased tree isn’t manufactured in your backyard. In fact, most are typically shipped all the way from China… a long trip that results in a ton of greenhouse gas emissions. Some might argue that a fake tree is better because it lasts longer. But most people reuse theirs only 4 or 5 years in a row…and then it goes to the dump where it sits for centuries on end. On the other hand, your pine-needled tree will biodegrade—and will help prevent erosion and build up shorelines in the process.

So, instead of putting up a fake tree this year (one that is packaged in a cardboard box, remember), keep it real and help reduce your carbon footprint. We don’t need to make drastic changes to help improve the environment---which is the exact concept behind Ecovention, LLC’s GreenBox: a product that re-invents the typical pizza box. Just 50 million of these in circulation would save 280,250 trees, 1,041 acres of land, 85,750,000 gallons of water, and 50,225,000 kilowatts of energy.

Remember: it’s our planet, and our responsibility. 

A Tribute to GreenBox Creator William Walsh

© David Friedman http://www.davidfriedmanphoto.com/

On November 16, 2011, we at Ecovention lost our friend, business partner and CEO, William Walsh.  Will was a passionate innovator with creative spirit.  His energy and enthusiasm were the driving force behind our growth.

Will created and patented our flagship product, the GreenBox, a pizza box that breaks into plates and a storage container (see demo video here).  He never wavered in his belief that it would become the standard in the pizza industry and we plan to continue to make that vision a reality.

If you get a moment, Google “William Walsh” and the word “pizza box” and check out the many articles out there about Will and his great product. You can also view Will’s TV appearances on YouTube. 

Will, you will be dearly missed.

© David Friedman http://www.davidfriedmanphoto.com/

Build Good Pizza and They Will Come

Build good pizza and they will come… even the U.S. President.  Just ask Chris Sommers of Pi Pizzeria based in St. Louis Missouri.   That’s just what happened back in 2008, when Obama was passing through on his campaign trail.  The advance team had ordered carryout from Pi and when Obama tasted it he proclaimed it to be the best pizza he’d ever eaten. 

Obama talked so much about “that pizza in St. Louis,” in fact, that when he became President, his assistant, Reggie Love, called in May 2009 and invited the Pi team to the White House to “satiate their cravings” (in the words of Sommers).

Pi attributes the success of its pizza to the quality of its ingredients.  The restaurant’s thin crust dough is always vegan and their deep-dish crust pizza is vegan, on request.  Gluten-free crust made from rice flour tapioca flour, potato starch, egg whites, olive oil, vegetable oil and water is also on the menu as is vegan cheese and vegan meats.

Pi is also committed to creating ecologically sustainable, “environmentally benign” restaurants.  90% of the restaurant’s materials, including art, furniture and flooring, are reclaimed and only 25% of its waste goes to landfill.  And Pi was the first restaurant in St. Louis to adopt the 100% recycled multifunctional GreenBox pizza box.  Sommers involves his restaurant in Earth Day too, with a focus on developing a green restaurant division for the organization.

So what has Sommers been up to since 2008?  He opened a Pi restaurant in Washington, D.C., of course!  Not to mention three more stores in the St. Louis area as well as a couple of roaming pizza trucks.  He also did some catering recently for the President’s recent campaign fundraiser in the St. Louis area, a nice by-product of producing quality pizza.

So build good pizza and they will come… Oh, and don’t be afraid to create some hype about it.  Chris Sommers wasn’t, as evidenced by his multiple television appearances and press mentions… not to mention his 2008 launch of election win pizza, the Broccoli O'Bama.

Pairing Organic and Local Wines with Pizza!

This past weekend I took my very first trip to California’s Napa Valley.  Given my love of wine and Napa Valley’s reputation as one of the top Viticultural Areas in America, I’m kicking myself for not making that trip a long time ago, but better late than never I guess. 

Napa Valley is beautiful at this time of year - it just the perfect temperature and there is something so fun about stumbling across a small boutique winery off the beaten path and discovering a wine that you’ll never find at retail.  And one of the wonderful things I learned on my many winery visits was just how far organic wines have come over the past few years (1,200 acres to date the Napa region alone, in fact).

What does “organic” mean when it comes to wines?  It simply means that no chemicals can be used in the vineyard; no chemical fertilizers, weed killers or insecticides. The only substance that is permitted for use is elemental sulfur, which is itself organic and which is used to prevent powdery mildew.

Both organic and local wines represent a neat opportunity for pizza operators to differentiate themselves from their competitors. Slice pizzeria, for example promotes an “Organic Wine Pairing Night” at their restaurant in New York.  For $35, clients enjoy two glasses of wine, an appetizer, gourmet pizza entree and dessert.  Mobile pizza vendor Beatrice’s Inferno, a user of the eco-friendly and multifunctional GreenBox pizza box, is invited many weekends to Galen Glen Vineyard and Winery in Andreas, PA and Va La Vineyards in Avondale, PA because these winemakers know that pizza and wine together create great draws from their local communities.

So to pizza operators that haven’t stomped their feet in the organic and local wine barrels yet - give them a chance.  By turning your organic and local wine pairings into a fun experience as did identical twin owners Slice founders Miki and Radha Agrawal and Beatrice’s Inferno owner Jason Brown, you can generate traffic, help your local and organic vineyards and most importantly, bring something different and more unique to the table than your competitors.

My personal organic fave on my visit to Napa?  Frog’s Leap!  It is a winery that tries not to take itself to seriously that has an impressive of list of very good, albeit sometimes a little pricy, wines, including zinfandel, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, rosé, and even a dessert wine.  

Cheers!

Green Spotlight On… Pizza Boli’s New Multifunctional SmartBox!

If you’ve ever spent time at college, or even crashed for a weekend in a friend’s dorm, you’ll know that students and pizza go hand in hand. Case in point, one resourceful student at the University of Maine, which has an annual enrollment of just 11,500 students, calculated that over 17,000 pizzas are delivered to Maine campus each month, equating to 25 tons of waste each academic year. Considering there are 2,680 colleges and universities in the US alone, the number of pizza boxes that end up on campuses each month becomes even more staggering.

Such a volume poses a significant challenge for campuses around the country. Regular pizza boxes don’t fit down in school recycling bins and trash chutes and routinely sit for days on end in the dorm rooms of students until they finally find the gumption to figure out a way to dispose of them.  In fact, according to a manager of one of University of Pennsylvania’s largest college houses, pizza boxes are the “single biggest attractant of pests,” as reported by the residence’s extermination service.

Such a predicament is one of the many reasons why Pizza Boli’s, a chain whose stores are situated on and near many a college campus, decided to provide an innovative solution.  Pizza Boli’s new SmartBox pizza box is perforated and scored, allowing for easy disposal into recycling, compost and trash bins (whichever disposal receptacle is required by the relevant municipalities).  What’s more, these perforations and scores allow the SmartBox to be broken down into plates and a storage container, thereby addressing age-old problems experienced by college students of (a) never having plates and (b) never being able to fit the pizza box with leftovers into a dorm room bar fridge.

With eye-catching new graphics, copy that touts the SmartBox as well as an entertaining new commercial, Pizza Boli’s is making sure that its green pizza box technology makes a huge splash with its customers.  With future green initiatives on the horizon, Pizza Boli’s even calls out a website page on its new box that will highlight its ongoing efforts on this front.

The message to pizza operators? Look for sustainable solutions that will have a direct positive impact on your community and don’t worry about starting small. Going green does not have to be an all-or-nothing proposition. Every little bit helps when it comes to the environment and small changes by every pizzeria create a big impact overall.  Most importantly, don’t be shy when it comes to touting your efforts to go green. Being a ‘green leader’ in your community will pay off in spades in the long term via customer goodwill, loyalty and, ultimately, increased sales.