"Everyone says-when I talk to restaurants and other chefs- Well, it's too expensive. You can't get rid of all the plastics. But he decided to run the numbers anyway, for a year, as part of operations at his D.C. restaurant SHIA, a fine dining restaurant that's also a kind of lab for sustainability research."
"Last month, SHIA raised prices to accommodate the extra expense of going plastic-free. Our tasting menu has gone up $2. That's all it took."
"Microplastics are a big problem for water. They're far from the only problem. But the way most people see the challenge of getting plastic out of a commercial kitchen-as insurmountable-might be a good proxy for how hard it can seem to protect a system as vast as the planet's waters."
"Betsy Froelich of Zip Water talked about the increasing consumer demand for fixtures that filter out microplastics, but also PFAS, also known as 'forever chemicals.'"
Chef Edward Lee has explored the feasibility of eliminating plastic in commercial kitchens, particularly at his restaurant SHIA in D.C. Despite common beliefs that going plastic-free is too expensive, Lee raised prices slightly to cover the costs. His experience reflects broader challenges in addressing plastic pollution and water quality issues. Panelists at the Eco-Conscious Living Summit discussed the demand for water filtration systems that remove microplastics and PFAS, highlighting the complexities of environmental protection from the kitchen to the ocean.
Read at Esquire
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