Green Geekin'

Between our affinity for fresh basil and our passion for Mother Earth, the GreenBox team eats, sleeps & breathes “green” – and we wouldn’t have it otherwise.

Our obsession with eco-friendly products & out-of-the-box ideas is no exception. We’re constantly trolling the web for standout designs to incorporate into our green-loving lives, and today we thought we’d share a few of our favorites with you.

Come on, guys. Geek out green with us. 

1. Grove Labs

“No watering, no weeding, less harvesting.” That’s the motto of Grove Labs: creators of the year-round indoor garden. Through their intuitive ecosystem design, these guys have brought farm-fresh produce to a whole new level. Grove’s sleek, refrigerator style unit grows your favorite fruits and veggies all year long – and all you’ve got to do is feed a few fish to help make it happen. We’ve arrived at the future of food... on your mark, get set, grow!

2. Miito

It might be a cool 94 degrees in NYC today, but that won’t stop the dedicated tea drinkers here at GreenBox HQ. You’d be hard-pressed to find our beloved tea kettle silent, as we’re typically fighting (nicely) over who is next in line to boil. Tea is comforting, okay? Don’t judge us. Anyway, this is just one more reason we love Miito: an innovative company that has put a sustainable spin on the modern-day kettle. By replacing an electric kettle with a Miito, the United Kingdom alone would save more than 85 million liters of water every year. Now that’s a lot of Earl Grey. ☺

3. WikiPearls

Peace out, packaging. WikiFoods is in town. Inspired by nature (wahoo!), WikiFoods, Inc. is revolutionizing the way food is experienced. One by one, they’re replacing wasteful packaging of old with “WikiFood technology”: an edible “skin” designed as a protective coating for your favorite food and beverages.

Ice cream? You got it. Fruits and veggies? No problem! And the best part? WikiPearls are bite-sized, portable & package-free. The company has even teamed up with Stonyfield Farms to create “Frozen Yogurt Pearls”: chocolate frozen yogurt surrounded by peach, coconut or strawberry-flavored WikiPearls. Never has it been more fun to play with your food. 

4. Ecovative

We’ve all fell victim to packing peanuts. You know, those horrendous little styrofoam puffs that never fail to come pouring out of a newly-opened package. Oh, and forget cleaning them up...those suckers will be EVERYWHERE. Enter Ecovative: a biomaterials company providing sustainable alternatives to wasteful packaging (and keeping the peanuts far, far away). 

In short, Ecovative combines plant-based farm waste with fungal matter, creating one-of-a-kind “mushroom material” as an all-natural substitute that imitates plastic. They call it “disruptive technology,” and their eventual goal is to displace plastics all over the world. Welcome to the mushroom age. 

What eco idea gets you geeking out?

Pizza Power by the Hour

In America today, we’re facing a harsh reality: 1 in 6 of us struggle to get enough to eat, and in 2014 – 16 million children went hungry. 

New York City is no exception to this sad truth. According to the NYC Coalition Against Hunger, 1.4 million New Yorkers - including nearly one in four of the city's children - live in households that lack sufficient food.

Enter Slice Out Hunger: a citywide event helping to break the cycle of hunger since 2009. One day per year, the city’s top pizzerias unite for $1 slice night, with 100% of proceeds benefiting the Food Bank for New York City. Each dollar spent funds five meals for New Yorkers in need.  

The 2015 event will be held on October 7th at 6pm, with The Lower Hall @ 155 Sullivan Street bustling with some of the biggest names in pizza. With 50 top-notch pizzerias & over 1,200 pizza-obsessed New Yorkers ready to chow down, it’s the biggest pizza party of the year...lasting till the pie runs dry. 

Created by our friend Scott Wiener (and the only person as obsessed with pizza as we are), Slice Out Hunger has become a city staple – and one we’ve been proud to sponsor for the last six years. In 2014, the event raked in over $30,000 for charity in just three hours. 

Having donated over $70,000 since their launch, Slice Out Hunger’s purpose holds steadfast and true: fighting hunger in America through a collective obsession with pizza. Today, the event has inspired other cities to do the same - and we’re humbled to be a part of it.

Doing good while eating well, all under one roof. That’s our kind of celebration. 

Let’s all come together and share the pizza love with those who need it most – because nothing unites us quite like New York pie & one heck of a good cause.

“It’s important to remember that you can create something out of nothing. A lot of people have a fun idea, but are afraid to take the first step. I took a baby step, kept pushing, and now it’s become something bigger than I could ever have imagined.” 

–Scott Wiener, Pizza Leader

Slicin' Up Your Daily Meal

No matter how you slice it, when it comes to pizza – you can’t go wrong. Square or round, thick or thin, cheesy or cheese-free, this culinary masterpiece simply can’t be topped (unless we’re talking pepperoni & olives). 

So today, we’ve got to hand it to our friends at The Daily Meal. These guys scoured the country in search of America’s best pies, and with over 800 pizzerias to taste-test (seriously, how do we get that job?), boy did they have their work cut out. 

The star-studded roster of pizza experts has compiled their favorites, and the votes are in: feast your eyes – and your taste buds – on the 101 Best Pizzas in America 2015. Care to take a bite?

Naturally, we rounded up a few of our favorites – all of which happen to be proud users of the GreenBox. Celebrities by association? We think so, and we couldn’t be more excited for these guys. Power to the pizza ☺

Pizza Moto
Pick of the Pie: Margherita (Tomato, fresh cow’s milk mozzarella, basil, pecorino and olive oil)

Best known for their bubbly, char-kissed Neapolitan style pies, Moto’s mobile oven is a city standout. Hand-built by their team of designers and artisans, Moto “rolls” with a one-of-a-kind crew, serving olive oil-drizzled and mozzarella-dotted wood-fired perfection that’s sure to satisfy. 

Emily Pizza

Pick of the Pie: The Classic (Tomato sauce made with puréed Jersey tomatoes, mozzarella and basil)

Tucked away in the corner of Brooklyn’s cozy Clinton Hill neighborhood, owners Matt & Emily fell in love over pizza...and they haven’t looked back since. A welcoming spot that feels like home, Emily’s artisan-style pies (and top-notch burgers) are worth crossing the bridge for. 

Pi Pizzeria

Pick of the Pie: The Delmar (Deep-dish with mozzarella, cheddar, barbecue sauce, chicken, red and green peppers, red onion and fresh cilantro)

“There’s more than meets the Pi” at this St. Louis staple, where their signature deep-dish isn’t complete without a side of spicy pickles and a prime craft beer. Pi is a presidential favorite, with Mr. Obama himself declaring their pizza the “best he’s ever had.” 

From Pi’s sustainable practices to their commitment to the community, these guys know how to do good by doing well – and we love ‘em for it.  

Grimaldi’s

Pick of the Pie: Pepperoni

Not officially GreenBox users – yet!, but we couldn’t help but give this classic NYC pizzeria (and GreenBox team favorite) a shout-out. They’ve been feelin’ much-deserved love lately, with Yahoo.com comparing their authenticity to the beloved Jon Stewart (who we miss terribly, but that’s a whole other blog topic). The Daily Meal calls Grimaldi’s one of Brooklyn’s “most storied pizzerias,” and with pie like that, there’s no doubt as to why.

“Skinny” Pizza, Big Flavor

They’re a trendy spot with a catchy name and fervor for freshness, and boy have we got the Skinny.

“Real pizza, real thin...and real darn good.” SkinnyPizza Founder and Owner Joe Vetrano said it best, and fans of this modern-style pizzeria simply couldn’t agree more. In a sprawling sea of over 2,000 NYC pizzerias, Skinny’s a standout. 

New York pizza with a twist, Skinny is best known for their light & airy crust, and as one Yelp reviewer put it: “straight yumminess.” They’ve got a topping selection like we’ve never seen (truffle oil, anyone?), and a passion that’s unparalleled. They call it “pure goodness,” a commitment to creating guilt-free, great-tasting pie that keeps customers coming back for more.

And you know what? It works for us every time.

Skinny’s sauce is made with organic tomatoes, their cheese is all-natural and their toppings are hormone, nitrate and nitrite-free. Even their crust is made without preservatives or additives. Farm-to-table lovers, rejoice! 

Their signature SkinnyArugula is a GreenBox team favorite, made with fresh mozzarella, garlic, baby arugula, scallions, tomatoes and balsamic. And the kicker? Each delectable slice is just 150 calories. We’ve got these guys on speed-dial, and our beach-bod is lovin’ it. 

But Skinny is so much more than just a top-notch pizza spot. Since their opening in 2011, Skinny’s believed in our product – partnering with us from the very beginning, and sending GreenBox love every step of the way. Today, they’ve gone custom, which for Joe Vetrano was the “natural next step.” 

We think the new look is pure greatness. ☺

Skinny, we’re lucky to call you friends, family members & the coolest CNBC costars around. Now, can we place our order?