In this episode of the Sustainable Ambassador Podcast, we speak with photographer Chris Jordan about how photography has the ability to inspire a global environmental movement.

Known for his striking images of environmental degradation, including the famous photographs of dead albatrosses filled with plastic, Jordan reflects on his journey from lawyer to photographer, the role of beauty and art in environmentalism, and his evolving perspective on how to inspire change.

The conversation touches on Chris’s early influences, his approach to capturing profound environmental issues, and his recent transition from documenting dark imagery to focusing on the healing power of beauty. Through this transition, Chris emphasizes that connecting emotionally with subjects and facing internal challenges are key to creating meaningful and impactful art.

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TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - Chris’s Journey into Photography
02:52 - Transition to Environmental Photography
05:26 - The Scale of Consumption and the Invisible Problem
09:03 - The Midway Island Project
12:15 - The Integrity of Documentary Photography
17:02 - Impact of the Midway Project
20:16 - Transition to Capturing Beauty
24:33 - Current Projects and the Power of Beauty
27:22 - The Compelling Nature of Photography
29:05 - Advice for Aspiring Environmental Photographers

About Chris Jordan
Chris is a photographer and artist, best known for projects that probe the dark underbelly of our culture of mass consumption.

For many years Chris have been interested in the tragedies and ironic complexities of our many forms of waste, and has tried to edge-walk the lines between art and activism, beauty and horror, abstraction and representation, and the visible and the invisible.

His approach is less about blaming or judging, and more about honoring the complexity of these phenomena.

Series made with these intentions include “Intolerable Beauty,” “Running the Numbers,” “Midway,” and “In Katrina’s Wake.”

The arc of this work culminated in his film “Albatross” (2018), about birds on a remote island in the Pacific whose bodies are filled with plastic.

Follow Chris
Website: https://www.chrisjordan.com/

About Collective Responsibility
Based in Shanghai, Collective Responsibility is a strategic advisory firm founded by Richard Brubaker, one of Asia’s most recognized authorities on sustainability, innovation and responsible leadership.

Founded with the fundamental belief that a sustainable world can only be achieved through awareness of issues, finding tangibility in business cases, and development of cross-sector collaboration, Collective Responsibility acts as a knowledge base, catalyst, and facilitator between stakeholders.

Our mission is to:
– Create a knowledge base and catalyze discussion of issues related to the development of civil society, business sustainability and social development in Asia.
– Develop tangible interests, engagement, and action on issues of sustainability (economic, environmental and societal).
– Develop organizational capacity with the aim to help create stable and profitable enterprises.

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Website: http://www.coresponsibility.com
LinkedIn:   / collective-responsibility  
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