Ashley French

Sustainable Design

In 2016 I began working on the design and operational development of Basic Kitchen in Charleston, SC. The restaurant’s tag line is “cleaner fuel for longer adventures.” In a town prized for its restaurant scene and buttery, fried southern cuisine, opening a restaurant serving fresh, healthy food with vegetarian and vegan options was a welcome novelty. However, the design and build-out phase left me posing some very big questions - something just didn’t feel right.

How many dumpsters were filled with waste and taken to landfill over the course of the demolition phase? How many toxic paints and varnishes were used to make things look fresh and shiny? How many miles by land, air, and sea did each light fixture, chair, and table travel to get there, and how much CO2 was emitted in the process? We were building a restaurant to make humans feel healthy and alive, yet the environment was paying a price. We weren’t seeing the bigger picture.

This ultimately led me to pursue a Master’s Degree in Sustainable Design. I believe we can do so much better. I believe companies will thrive and grow beyond their wildest expectations if they adopt sustainable business practices. I believe the path towards a sustainable future is clear - and we need more people armed with effective sustainability knowledge to step up and take action.

I also believe women hold the key to solving our greatest environmental challenges. View my thesis work below to learn more.

Grapes: Photo by Maja Petric on Unsplash. Computer: Photo by Christin Hume on Unsplash. Chocolate: Photo by Kate Trifo on Unsplash. Ocean: Photo by Matt Hardy on Unsplash. Leaves: Photo by Ren Ran on Unsplash. Living Room: Gieves Anderson for JAM. Books: Photo by Syd Wachs on Unsplash. Bike: Photo by Murillo de Paula on Unsplash.