SeeingGreen ™

According to pizzaware.com, “Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second.” Imagine what it would mean then, if all the ingredients needed to make a pie were local, fresh and organic? Hundreds of dairy and vegetable farmers could be supported by the pizza industry alone. Well, that must have been what David Yudkin, owner of Hot Lips Pizza, had in mind when he transformed his pizza business into one of Portland’s most visible sustainable success stories.

While that is all good and green, none of that would really matter if the pizza was bad. Not to worry though, Hot Lips does pizza right - even if you are an ex-New Yorker with big expectations. For the omnivores, choose from the (supposedly) divine pepperoni classic or venture into “Tex Mex” territory with its fiery combination of spicy chorizo sausage, black olives and chipotle sauce. For the veg-heads in the group, you won’t be disappointed by the seasonally-based selections such as the “Veggie Nirvana” or the goat cheese marvel of the “Juniper Grove Chevre Special.” If you are not in the mood for pizza (what?) you’ll also find tasty salads, soups and sandwiches all made with the same commitment to the agricultural renaissance of organic farming.

Hot Lips Pizza also takes its eco-ethos several steps further. For example, many of its delivery vehicles are electric or pedal-powered. Also, in Hot Lips’ Ecotrust digs, the waste heat from the pizza ovens is captured to boil the water used for washing dishes. (It turns out that if the timing had been right - Hot Lips moved in after the building’s HVAC system was installed - there is enough waste heat to warm the entire building!) In any case, with its organic ingredients and smart business practices, Hot Lips Pizza sure puts the “sustain” in sustainable.

Pearl District/Ecotrust
721 NW 9th Ave.
503-595-2342

Hawthorne
221 SE Hawthorne Blvd.
503-234-9999

Downtown/PSU
1909 SW 6th Ave.
503-224-0311

Raleigh Hills
4825 SW 76th Ave.
503-297-8424