Member Highlight: Q&A with Kristin Hostetter of Outside Inc.
As the Head of Sustainability and a Contributing Editor at Outside Inc., Kristin Hostetter blends decades of outdoor industry experience with a passion for environmental stewardship. We got to sit down with her to discuss her motivation for working in sustainability, the strategic initiatives at Outside, why the active lifestyle company joined Premiums for the Planet, and her optimism about the industry's future.
What personally motivates you to work in the field of sustainability, particularly within the outdoor industry?
The outdoor industry has been my home since the very beginning of my career. I can't imagine working in another space. But for the first 22 years of my career, I was a gear editor for BACKPACKER, constantly receiving, testing, and recommending the latest and greatest new products. It got to the point where the UPS man and I were good buddies and I had so much stuff I couldn't donate or give it away fast enough. I was swimming in stuff. My interest in sustainability began way back in 2006 when Al Gore's book Inconvenient Truth was published. It terrified and inspired me. The next year we launched The Zero Impact Challenge inviting backpack manufacturers to build a pack with minimal environmental impact and my interest in sustainability just grew from there. During my career as a gear editor I received thousands of products, wrote about many of them, and felt very caught up in the circle of consumerism. While I loved every minute of my time as gear editor, I'm very glad to have pivoted away from pushing products to focusing on sustainability.
Outside has a powerful voice in the outdoor world. How does the company strategically leverage its platform to educate and inspire individuals to take action for sustainability?
We do have a big platform and a big megaphone and we take that responsibility seriously. About a year and a half ago I launched a column called Climate Neutral-ish, which aims to inspire people to make small lifestyle tweaks that add up to big impact. We recently launched a sustainability-focused newsletter to reinforce those messages (please sign up for it here!). Those are some of the concrete examples, but more broadly speaking, Outside's mission is to get everyone outside. A healthy planet is essential to that mission, which is why we consider sustainability a core value. Our Impact Report goes into more detail.
Before joining Premiums for the Planet, were you aware of the massive impact the insurance industry had on the environment? If not, what surprised you the most?
Not really. I knew the impact of the banking industry after editing this excellent story. A few years later I met (PFP CEO) Brad at a conference and we discussed what Premiums For the Planet was doing, and I was so intrigued. When I discovered that we could, with very little effort, make our insurance spend fight against climate change, I was all in.
Outside recently included Premiums for the Planet in its annual impact report. Can you elaborate on how this membership transforms your insurance spend from a necessary cost to a valuable brand asset that aligns with your mission?
Knowing that the money we would have been spending anyway on insurance is working towards climate solutions just makes good sense. We didn't have to change anything about our process or payment. PFP handled everything.
The outdoor industry often faces critiques of homogeneity. How does Outside Inc. actively address diversity, equity, and inclusion within its audience and at its events?
DEI, along with sustainability, is a very important core value at Outside. Our 2023 Impact Report details our efforts and the work of our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee (DEIBC). Through our program, Find Your Good, we partner with 14 mission-aligned nonprofits all focused on inclusivity and access to the outdoors and/or climate action. In 2023, we published more than 30 articles amplifying the work of these nonprofits and raised more than $300K. We also track the diversity of representation at our events, in our content, and among our content providers, audience members, staff, and leadership.
Looking ahead, what emerging trends in the outdoor industry or broader media landscape give you optimism about a sustainable future?
Sometimes our climate challenges can feel really daunting and really urgent. Because they are. I find that practicing daily climate actions – like composting, native gardening, and plant-based cooking – help me combat climate anxiety.
As for the outdoor industry, the work of companies like Rab, NEMO, Patagonia, KEEN, Fjallraven, and REI give me optimism. These companies (and many others) are leaders in our industry and are transforming the products they make and the way they do business with sustainability in mind.
And lastly, the Outside Festival, which went down the first weekend in June in Denver, made me feel incredibly optimistic. 20,000 people, more than 100 brands, a dozen nonprofits, and a long roster of musicians, speakers, filmmakers, and service providers came together to celebrate outdoor culture. We worked in the community to eliminate single-use plastic from the event and we were able to divert 71% of waste collected from the landfill through aggressive composting and recycling efforts. The entire weekend was very inspiring – a highlight of my career, in fact.