Who are some of the resources you turn to for guidance to make Pizza Fusion greener?

Gordon: Co-op America. They are just a major resource for information. They have this thing called The Green Pages, and I wish we would have found that when we started. They put the whole puzzle together.

CB Richard Ellis also has really helped us with locations that fit LEED requirements.

Lazar: They have on-staff LEED APs [accredited professionals]. When they give us the drawings and mechanicals, it’s all done under the supervision of a LEED AP. They are literally our project managers.

Sounds like you’ve done a thorough job partnering with people as committed to the green ideal as you are.

Gordon: One of our requirements if you want to start a business relationship with us, we want to know you have the integrity we have. We want you to go out and buy wind credits for electricity. We want to know that your business is recycling, that you are a member of Co-op America.

Lazar: We’ve taken it one step further: As opposed to just educating our customers and trying to get them to understand why we do what we do, we’ve made it mandatory that all our suppliers have some green element to them.

Has there been pushback from some of the more traditional suppliers?

Lazar: We’re also working with mainline distributors like Cheney Brothers, for example, which is larger than Sysco down here in Florida. They’ve converted a few of their trucks to bio-diesel.

Was that due to your influence or were those projects already in the works?

Lazar: They’d already started doing it. Once we hit a certain number of stores, they’d allocate a bio-diesel truck specifically for our routes.

So even the bigger suppliers are moving toward greening their operations?

Lazar: They’re trying. Some of them are trying, but they’re doing it with no direction. They see the word “organic” on something and they bring it in house. I can remember when Michael and I first opened the store we needed organic boneless breast chicken. They delivered three cases of complete full-boned chicken. It was really a struggle in the beginning to find the right products.

That’s why we went with Cheney Brothers. We left Sysco and went with Cheney Brothers because they got it. They took our product list, got us what we wanted. They didn’t try to sell us things that we didn’t need. We found that a lot of the other mainline distributors down here were like, “Uh, we don’t have organic olive oil, but how about this one?” That didn’t really work for us.

[Cheney Brothers] stepped up to the plate and have done everything we’ve asked of them. Any new products we find and bring to them, if it’s feasible to bring on board, they will. Obviously, the more stores we have, it becomes a lot easier.

We’re also a part of the UniPro Network, which is a nationwide network of distributors like Cheney Brothers. Part of being a part of that network is they have to pick up our product list product for product so we’ve already established a countrywide distribution solution.

Whom do you work with on the equipment end?

Gordon: Roto-Flex Ovens, but we’re not tied down to a certain brand—at least not yet. We’re only using ENERGY STAR, and there are not too many ENERGY STAR products out there on the market.

Lazar: [Suppliers] are available on the ENERGY STAR Web, too. If a reader wanted to find out that information, it’s public knowledge. They could do a search of refrigerators, and the site will pull up every commercial ENERGY STAR-rated refrigerator.

And what about furniture?

Gordon: We’re getting salvaged wood right now from a barn outside Chicago. It must be a big barn. They’ve been taking it down for the last month. That’s what our tables are made out of. They’re being manufactured in New York.

What else is Pizza Fusion doing to green its stores?

Lazar: We’re in the process of purchasing renewable energy credits from our partner 3 Degrees. They are the company Starbucks uses. They are strictly a business-to-business marketer of wind energy and renewable energy. We thought they had more creditability, especially right now. That industry’s under fire. We did our homework, made sure we were with the right people.

What do you say to the big chains that believe building eco-friendly is not an option because of their scale?

Lazar: I challenge them to try it. If anyone has the opportunity to make a difference, it’s the big guys.

Gordon: I would say if they don’t do it, they’re going to lose out because, besides the fact that it’s just a market advantage right now, it’s good business. Sooner or later, consumers will force them.

It’s not like all these decisions we make are more money and we’re not getting any benefit out of it. They’re not even that much more money—if at all—and we get this huge benefit.

Lazar: People are taking note of what they’re putting in their bodies, what they’re putting in their homes. This is a consumer-driven industry. We are answering a need.

And to the little guys who want to do it … We’re a little guy. Go out and do it. It can be done. It’s easy to do. Just do a little bit of homework and you can get the same exact results. It’s changed a lot from even a year ago. It was a little tougher last year. But now you can get more environmentally friendly paper products. They’re on every truck, even with some of the bigger distributors. Stuff is readily available. It’s right there. You just have to do the homework.