Today, much of fast-casual dining, takeout and delivery includes single use disposable foodware. Whether you’re dining at McDonald’s, grabbing a cup of joe from your local coffee shop, or trying out a new trendy eatery, disposables are the prevailing norm. These disposables come with a cost – costs to the environment; marine and other animals; our climate; public health; and to governments and taxpayers for solid waste removal, litter, and waste management services. These costs are motivation to to replace our current disposable foodware culture with a sustainable alternative.
During this presentation, we will hear from two women leaders who are driving change in the reusable movement. This talk will focus on the issues with single-use disposables, reusables policy development and implementation and will present case studies of foodservice establishments that have transitioned from single-use foodware to reusable operations.
About Our Speakers
Grace Lee serves as the Rethink Disposable Program Director with Clean Water Fund and joined the Rethink Disposable program team in 2018. Rethink Disposable is a program focused on reducing the use of plastics and trash with an emphasis on food and beverage packaging. Ms. Lee has over 20 years of experience in public engagement, partnership building, and program implementation for projects centered around waste reduction, water quality improvement, and behavior change. Ms. Lee has a bachelor’s degree in Applied Ecology from the University of California, Irvine and a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Southern California.
Chrise de Tournay Birkhanh is a Zero Waste specialist, educator, and advocate. As the City of Berkeley Zero Waste Commission’s Chair, she designed and facilitated the public outreach and input-gathering efforts for the 2019 landmark Single-Use Disposable Food Ware & Litter Reduction Ordinance. This process resulted in advocating for key revision recommendations that were instrumental in securing a unanimous vote for its passage. Other projects include City of Palm Springs' Single-Use Foodware Reduction/Reusables for On-Site Dining ordinance outreach and implementation efforts, policy development/outreach for the County of Marin's own reduction ordinance, GreenEducation.US webinar production/hosting in reusable food ware systems sector, and carpet reuse studies state stewardship organization CARE.
Chrise is a creative professional with over 25 years in design, manufacturing, and marketing of consumer products. She is an associate of the Zero Waste Lab in Lisbon, Portugal, board member of For Here Please/Mudlab, a non-profit Zero Waste organization & retail enterprise, and board member of the non-profit East Bay Depot for Creative Reuse, both in Oakland, CA. She is a Zero Waste USA-certified Associate, and holds certificates in Sustainable Resources Management (San Jose State, CA) and Sustainable Business Practices (Dominican University, CA). She earned a BA from UC Berkeley.
Registration
Registration for this event is free for AWWEE members and up to two guests (individuals new to AWWEE, please). Non-member registration is $20.