New Fast Food Chain Aims to Grow Sustainably

Pizza Fusion is a brand new franchise aiming to build LEED certified restaurants that implement as many energy efficient products and building techniques as possible. And if that’s not enough, they even plan to deliver their pizzas using hybrid vehicles.

While the “green” movement has started to penetrate many industries, restaurants have largely been left behind. This is something that must change since restaurants currently use 33% of all electricity in the retailing sector.

The upcoming chain of Pizza Fusion pizzerias has found multiple innovative solutions that help it maintain high energy efficiency while keeping their environmental footprint as small as possible. Most notably, water and air heaters are not present in the restaurants; instead, hot air from the ovens will be utilized for various heating needs.

In addition, many materials used in the building of Pizza Fusion franchises are recycled. The countertops are made with 100% recycled detergent bottles while the floors are all made of bamboo. The ceilings also make use of recycled materials with almost three-fourths of the ceiling materials coming from aluminum cans. Even the drywall is recycled as is the insulation, which is made from used denim jeans. Environmentally conscious features are even present in the bathrooms which feature toilet paper made from post consumer content!

In terms of energy efficiency, low voltage lamps and bulbs will be used to light the dining rooms. Renewable energy certificates will also be purchased to fully offset the use of electrical energy in the restaurant.

These LEED certified facilities can expect to use 40% less water and 20% less electricity than other restaurants that produce on average 50,000 pounds of waste a year.

Pizza Fusion’s practices seem to be in total contrast to those of its other fast food competitors whose practices have caused Americans to become some of the most obese individuals in the world while the companies themselves fatten their coffers with no compulsion to take on any social responsibility at all. Not only are the foods served at most fast food restaurants completely unhealthy, they are also produced using resource intensive methods which produce large amounts of waste.

While larger restaurant chains may not take notice of Pizza Fusion’s goal to develop restaurants that are eco-friendly, Pizza Fusion is hoping consumers will. In our current age where we are running out of time to combat the effects of global warming and climate change, consumers must petition companies to change using the only language they understand – the almighty dollar.  The best way to do this is to make our voices heard by shifting our spending to companies, like Pizza Fusion, that share socially responsible values like sustainable development and energy efficient operation.

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