Hey there, my name’s Chris Chappell. I run this photojournalism/ beer/ sustainability project that you’ve found yourself at. As, you might assume, I’m a pretty big fan of that bubbly alcoholic beverage known as beer. I like to consider myself an “expert beer drinker,” a title that many claim but I’ve got some experience in my professional life.
It all began when I was an AmeriCorps working at the Arizona chapter of The Nature Conservancy. I came up with the idea that breweries could be a way for us, conservationists, to reach new audiences with our message of saving the planet. Lucky for me, my boss and the bearded idealists at Arizona Wilderness Brewing Co agreed.
Since then, a strong relationship between The Conservancy and AZ Wilderness has blossomed. I even spent two years running Wilderness’ social media channels along with a slew of sustainability, marketing, and public relations projects. I currently am back at The Nature Conservancy, working on water conversation projects in the Verde Valley region, including a project that supports a local malt house which encourages local sourcing and also puts water back in the river.
I love learned about the beer industry and taking photos of the processes that go into so I decided to launch this project. And honestly, there’s a lot of exciting sustainability work going on in the brewing industry that are flying under the radar. The folks doing this work need to be given some props, and I’m excited to share their stories with you. Hope you enjoy, cheers!