What happens when a fly fishing lodge co-founder decides the community needs more than just great water and great guides? You get Soul Fly Co. — and an event that might just change how the fly fishing world thinks about gathering.
In this episode, I sit down with Alec “Griz” Griswold, co-founder of Soul Fly Co. and Soul Fly Lodge. Griz, alongside partners Kitri and Kyle Schaefer, is building something genuinely different: live music events designed specifically for the fly fishing community — events that celebrate the culture, protect the resource, and bring people together in a meaningful way.
I first met Griz and Kyle through the Fly Fishing Climate Alliance where I worked with Griz’s nonprofit, Elevate Youth and Captain Kyle Schaefer’s guiding business Soul Fly Outfitters to measure their scopes 1-3 GHG emissions, and achieve carbon neutrality through purchasing carbon offsets. Once Kyle and Griz purchased Soul Fly Lodge, they hired Emerger Strategies to complete a Sustainability Assessment of their lodge to see what they could measure and how they could improve the sustainability performance of the Lodge.
We cover how Griz got into the lodge business, the sustainability steps Soul Fly Lodge has taken on their journey, and a deep dive into Soul Fly Charleston — a fly fishing, music, and art event taking place May 16th at The Refinery in Charleston, SC, with proceeds benefiting Charleston Waterkeeper.
Emerger Strategies recently partnered with Soul Fly Co. to develop a comprehensive Sustainable Event Plan for Soul Fly Charleston, establishing a framework to measure and improve the event’s environmental and community impact — including ambitious goals around carbon neutrality, zero waste, local sourcing, and community engagement.
If you care about the future of fly fishing, the places we fish, and the communities built around them, this episode is for you.
In this episode:
- How Griz, Kitry, & Kyle built Soul Fly Lodge and why sustainability became a priority
- The origin story of Soul Fly Co. and its live music + fly fishing events
- How Soul Fly Lodge is measuring and improving its sustainability performance
- What goes into a Sustainable Event Plan — and why it matters
- Soul Fly Charleston’s zero waste and community impact goals
- How to support Charleston Waterkeeper by attending May 16th
Learn more: soulflyco.com | Follow Soul Fly Co. on Instagram Get tickets to Soul Fly Charleston: May 16 · The Refinery · Charleston, SC
Sponsors:
This episode is brought you by: A New Earth Project, the sustainability initiative of Atlantic Packaging, Emerger Strategies, and Ecolytics (don’t forget to mention The Sustainable Angler for a discount off your first year’s subscription!)
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