Chris O'Brien

Chris O'Brien is currently the Director of Business Development at CustomerFirst Renewables, where he advises colleges and universities on their renewable energy strategies.

In 2009, Chris became American University's first Director of Sustainability. There, he was responsible for sustainability policy, planning, outreach and implementation. Previously, he directed the Responsible Purchasing Network at the Center for a New American Dream, and earlier served as Managing Director of the Green Business Network and the Fair Trade Federation. He is Treasurer of the Fair Trade Resource Network, and co-owns the Seven Bridges Organic Brewing Supply Cooperative. He serves on the Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Advisory Board, the Green Advantage Board, The Sustainable Purchasing Council board of directors, and the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's STARS Steering Committee. In 2006, Chris authored the award-winning book Fermenting Revolution: How to Drink Beer and Save the World (New Society Publishers). He tweets about greening the American dream at twitter.com/GreenAU. He has a BA in Liberal Studies from Penn State and a MS in Science and Technology Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.