Banning Fireworks: Back With A Bang!
- colin7931
- Jul 5
- 31 min read
Today on the show it's a special Fourth of July episode of The Rock Fight as Colin is finally joined by outdoor journalist and sustainability legend Kristin Hostetter, to talk about her big 2024 hot take that it is time to ban fireworks.
Last year Kristin wrote this piece offering all the reasons why we should rethink fireworks despite them being a significant fixture in modern society. We covered her article here on The Rock Fight and now, to celebrate this year's Fourth of July, Colin finally gets to chat with Kristin.
In addition to fireworks we also get to hear what Kristin is currently working on to lead a more sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle.
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Episode Transcript:
Colin True
00:00:00.240 - 00:01:54.290
Welcome to the Rock Fight, where we speak our truth, we slay sacred cows, and sometimes we agree to disagree. This is an outdoor podcast that aims for the head.
I'm Colin True, and today it's a very special fourth of July episode because we're talking about fireworks. But before we do some programming reminders for you.
Come back to the Rock Fight on Monday for the final interview that we recorded at Goa Connect last month. This last conversation is with John Frederick from Rad. Be sure to check it out.
And lastly, please make sure you're following the Rock Fight and Open Container on your favorite podcast app.
If you're an Apple podcast listener and you leave either the Rock Fight or Open Container a written review and then send a screenshot of that written review to myrockflightmail.com we'll send you a bunch of Rockflight open container and even our newest yet to be launched podcast that will be hosted by Shantae Salibair Gear Abbey stickers. So you want those, don't you? Send a screenshot. All right, stick around. We'll be right back.
Hey, everyone, before we keep going here, I need to tell you about our teammates at Darby Communications.
Like I've been telling you, if you run an outdoor, an endurance or an active lifestyle brand, there is no better PR and digital marketing belay partner or drinking buddy than Darby. They can help your business reach new heights and they might just keep you from falling on your ass.
Since we started working with Darby, more and more people and this is an important point now. Guys, I want you to hear me on this. More and more people have reached out to us here at the Rock Flight because of that messaging.
Look, guys, I'm dead serious. If they can help us, they can help anybody. Hit them up@darbycommunications.com. do it today.
Oh, this is DJCT and welcome back to Rock Fight Radio, where today we're excited to share with you. You guessed it, the latest from Fitz. Here's a little taste of Fitz like you exclusively independent out in a town.
Rock Fight Radio!
00:01:54.290 - 00:02:38.170
With a name you don't know Past the highway signs and the mountain snow There's a little shop with a wooden. Door for keeping locals GE since 84.
They sell grit they sell gear that lasts in a socket don't quit when you're moving fast Fits on the shelf Fits for the bold not some big box store you've been sold we're exclusively independent yeah, we ride for the few not the cheapest, just the realest Knit tight for what you do for the towns that keep the trails that drive and the rebels keeping dreams alive that stand tall in the shops that care if you want it real, you find us there. Fitz.
Colin True
00:02:40.170 - 00:04:19.070
Check out all of the hits from Fitz on their Spotify playlist. And now back to the show.
Last summer, Outside ran an article by Kristin Hostetter about the impacts of fireworks that we don't talk about or really hear much about.
And listeners of the Rock Fight may recall Justin Hausman and I talking about that article with our key takeaways being that we were sure that Kristin's facts and figures were true. But but maybe the ship had sailed on changing anything when it comes to fireworks, given how embedded they are to human culture.
Fireworks are believed to have existed in some form since the 2nd century BC and we all grow up in a world where we just accept their presence. And pretty much every culture worldwide uses fireworks for some sort of celebration every year.
So how do you start to even chip away at something like that, even if the benefits of killing it off are real at the time? Last summer, I reached out to Kristen to see if we could get her to come on the show, but unfortunately we couldn't make the timing work.
She and I connected again a few weeks ago and I asked her if she'd like to come on the Rock Fight now to revisit the topic, and she quickly agreed. And she's here today to talk about the thing that many of you are likely heading out later today to go and do, which is watch a fireworks display.
Kristin also shares with us the latest methods she discovered to make environmental impacts to her daily life. So welcome back to the Rock Fight, where today we're talking about the environmental and cultural impact of fireworks with Kristen Hostetter.
All right.
I am here with outdoor journalist Kristen Hostetter, who's an absolute legend when it comes to coverage of the outdoor community, the industry, environmental issues, sustainability topics. If you're interested in what's happening in our industry and community, there is no way that Kristen's work hasn't touched your life.
Welcome to the show, Kristen.
Kristin Hostetter
00:04:19.390 - 00:04:23.510
Thank you. It's so good to be here. I'm a big fan of the Rock Fight.
Colin True
00:04:23.830 - 00:04:39.510
Woo. Thank you. Love hearing that.
I do want to take you back for a second because I want to think about, I think, trying to remember the first time you and I met, which is no way you remember it, but I think I do. I want to see if this sounds right to you. So, outdoor retailer, I'm going to say 2006. Were you. You were at Backpacker?
Kristin Hostetter
00:04:39.510 - 00:04:41.190
I was there. Yeah, for sure.
Colin True
00:04:41.670 - 00:04:51.190
I believe you were there when you guys brought the BACKPACKER Editor's Choice Award to the Timberland booth for the Cadion, which was the Ed Veaster's approach boot.
Kristin Hostetter
00:04:51.630 - 00:04:52.750
Oh, my God. Yeah.
Colin True
00:04:52.750 - 00:05:08.910
And I don't. I think that's when I met. I was a tech rep, so, like.
So it was like, I was still very, like, outdoor retailer newbie, like, just totally overwhelmed with, like, I can't believe I'm here. And, like, this is like, the whole deal.
And I think meeting, Remember meeting you and the BACKPACKER team and getting that award was such a big deal for the brand at the time.
Kristin Hostetter
00:05:08.910 - 00:05:19.310
So that was when we did that silly parade where we'd walk around the show with the awards and. And, like, try to create, like, this big buzz. And. Yeah, it was very.
Colin True
00:05:19.310 - 00:05:20.270
It was a big deal.
Kristin Hostetter
00:05:20.430 - 00:05:21.950
It was quite mortifying, actually.
Colin True
00:05:24.870 - 00:05:41.030
It didn't seem that way to me. I mean. Cause we were Timberland at the time, was trying, you know, was trying to shake a bit of the.
They're like, a fashion, urban brand for the outdoor crowd, and we're trying to. So getting that award, like, we dined on that for, like, a year. It's like, well, you know, this boot won the Backpackers Editor's Choice Award.
Kristin Hostetter
00:05:41.030 - 00:05:49.510
Yeah, those EC Awards had legs. Some of those products that we gave awards to 15, 20 years ago still have our logo on the. On the packaging, so.
Colin True
00:05:49.510 - 00:05:50.390
Oh, that's hilarious.
Kristin Hostetter
00:05:50.470 - 00:05:51.870
Yeah. Yeah, I'm kind of proud of that.
Colin True
00:05:51.870 - 00:05:58.210
Isn't it funny how it changed, though? Like, just now? It doesn't feel like some of those awards be like, okay, cool. Yeah, you won an award. We believe you that it works.
Kristin Hostetter
00:05:58.210 - 00:06:02.450
I know, I know. No, it's a real deal back then, man. We put that stuff through the ringer.
Colin True
00:06:02.850 - 00:06:03.250
Right?
Kristin Hostetter
00:06:03.490 - 00:06:03.970
Yeah.
Colin True
00:06:04.370 - 00:06:08.850
Well, anyway, we should do another podcast on, you know, outdoor retailer memories. That'd be kind of fun.
Kristin Hostetter
00:06:08.850 - 00:06:09.810
That would be fun.
Colin True
00:06:09.810 - 00:06:42.030
But we are. Today, we're going to talk about fireworks. All right, so this episode's being released on July 4th.
Last summer, you ran a piece that was published in Outside Online, where you acknowledged in the opening line, I love that. That it would be rife with controversy. We should probably talk about that, too, because in that piece, you offered loads of evidence of.
Should probably become a thing of the past for environmental, for cultural, for health hazards.
So at the time the piece came out, you were kind of focused exclusively on writing about sustainability, environmental topics, if I'm not mistaken there. You know, when did that idea to take a look at fireworks start to Germinate for you.
Kristin Hostetter
00:06:42.990 - 00:06:56.350
It was. It was that spring. It was maybe. Maybe like three or four weeks before the story actually came out.
And I was having a conversation with my son Joey, who was in school out in California, obviously impacted by wildfires.
Colin True
00:06:56.660 - 00:06:56.820
Right.
Kristin Hostetter
00:06:56.820 - 00:07:50.030
And he's one of my. One of my biggest sort of collaborators. He gives me lots of ideas, actually. He's 22, 23 actually now, and he's like, mom, what about fireworks?
Have you ever looked into the environmental impact of fireworks? And I was like, no, I haven't, but I will. And so I quickly started digging in and calling around and realized that this is a great story.
And I learned a ton of. In my research because, like, most of us, you know, fireworks is just something that we.
That we accept as part of our culture and part of our communities and part of our celebration. And it's been part of my life every single year since I can remember. And so it was really. It was a bummer.
But it was also very eye opening to learn about these various impacts because they're pretty heavy.
Colin True
00:07:50.600 - 00:08:15.400
Yeah, we covered it. We talked about it on the rock fight last year, and it wasn't.
I remember reading it, and, like, there was nothing in the article that I'm like, I disagreed with, but I think if I. Mike, I almost wanted you. I remember. I think. I think I remember you wanting, like, can you go deeper on it?
Because it just seems like, my God, like, to suggest this, because to your point, it's just. It's just. It's an accepted thing.
I mean, I can't think of the amount of things like this that are probably like, that just like, it's part of, like, human culture, not even, like, U.S. culture.
Kristin Hostetter
00:08:15.400 - 00:08:15.800
Yeah.
Colin True
00:08:15.800 - 00:08:27.930
Right. And so how do you even take something like this on? You know, like, the idea of. Because you're. You're right. But it's also.
How do you go up to, like, a normal person and be like, hey, we probably shouldn't be doing this.
Kristin Hostetter
00:08:28.810 - 00:08:39.530
Right? I mean, it's. It's.
You know, I started having conversations about this with people in my community, and they're like, you know, like, everyone's calling me Debbie Downer and stuff. Because fireworks is such an essential part of.
Colin True
00:08:39.530 - 00:08:40.010
Yeah.
Kristin Hostetter
00:08:40.010 - 00:09:58.500
I mean, Fourth of July. Yes, of course.
But also, like, you think about every celebration, New Year's Eve and, you know, Olympic ceremonies, and, you know, just tons of cultural moments are celebrated with fireworks. You know, I've been going to. And to be, you know, to be transparent, I'm going to a fireworks show on Saturday.
I'VE been every year since I was probably in grade school, My kids have gone to this. It's a community party out on a big hill overlooking a water, where they bring in a barge and they do a big professional fireworks show.
And we've been doing this since they were babies. And it's part of our summer. It's like a highlight of our summer. And, you know, nobody wants to lose that.
But I will tell you that, you know, like I said, they bring in this barge in this little bay, and they shoot off this fireworks display that they choreograph to music and everything, and it's really nice. But if you go out on a boat, the next day in that bay, you see bits of plastic and, you know, crap floating in the bay.
I mean, that stuff goes somewhere. So I do have some thoughts about where we can go with this and how, you know, we can sort of improve this cultural need that we have for fireworks.
But I don't want to get ahead of myself, so I'll let you guide the conversation.
Colin True
00:09:58.660 - 00:10:15.520
It's an interesting thing, right? Because, like. Cause you're absolutely right.
Before we hit record, I was telling you about when I was in Washington and the fireworks displays that would go off there and the fact that we could even buy our own fireworks there and set them off in our neighborhood. And so we did that a couple of years. We got there, but then the next day, you know, the kids and I are out there cleaning up the streets.
Kristin Hostetter
00:10:15.520 - 00:10:16.000
Yeah.
Colin True
00:10:16.160 - 00:11:18.670
And you don't think about. You think.
Because you're looking at the packaging, you're probably thinking, oh, it's just going to be mostly paper or whatever, the amount of plastic that comes out of those things now, which makes sense. They're all these little, like little capsules of plastic that are loaded with explosives. Right. And then now you're tethered explosives. Yeah.
And so, like, the. It on the. Just the environmental side alone, you're right. You're loading all these bodies of waters with a little bit of plastics.
Now is a huge hypocrisy there. If you go from, hey, we care about microplastics, and we care about, you know, the.
Just the environment in general and wildlife and all this stuff and like. But. But hey, you know, a couple of times a year, it's. It's okay to just blow all this shit up and it'll settle in the water.
No one's going to go out there and clean it up. No one's saying, like, hey, we're going to do this.
And then afterwards we're going to go out and like skim the surface and collect all the as much plastic as we can.
Everybody probably just looks at it and defaults to, well, it's over water because it'll be safer now and there'll be fewer, there won't be a risk of fire. And it just, the thing about your article that I did really enjoy was like, all you, you can nip anything that anybody could push back on it.
There's a real reason still not to do it.
Kristin Hostetter
00:11:19.230 - 00:11:19.550
Right.
Colin True
00:11:19.550 - 00:11:23.390
But there's also just that built in nature of like, God, I love to watch things blow up.
Kristin Hostetter
00:11:24.030 - 00:11:25.550
I know, we all do, right?
Colin True
00:11:26.190 - 00:11:29.070
What's the best part of the action movies when just shit's blowing up?
Kristin Hostetter
00:11:29.470 - 00:13:34.020
Yeah, well, I mean, I was surprised too in my research. So, yes, there's, you know, there's plastic and pollution aspects to blowing up fireworks. There's real air quality issues.
Like there's been studies that have shown a spike in the presence of fine particulate matter, which is called PM2.5, in several days following the 4th of July. And these, this particulate matter carries heavy medical, heavy metals and carcinogens.
And if you are a young person, an old person, or have any sort of immunity issue, you can be directly impacted.
And hospitals rates, you know, hospital studies show that there is an increase in these, you know, in these people that are suffering from cardiovascular stuff in the days following fourth of July. So I was really surprised at that. And experts say always try to be downwind of fireworks.
So like, you know, watch the smoke cloud and if it's coming over you, like that stuff's raining down on you and you're breathing it in.
And then the other thing that I was really surprised too, that I had, I guess I had thought about a little bit because if you have a dog on 4th of July, that dog is cowering in the closet because of all the booms, right? So that's one thing. So you kind of think, oh, dogs don't like fireworks. But it's way more than dogs. I mean, it's wildlife.
So there's also been all these studies that fireworks affect, you know, roosting, nesting, breeding of tons of species of birds and wildlife and can have a real, you know, impact on the health of those species. So in wildlife, people are, you know, really concerned with that.
So there, there are like, you know, it's not one thing, it's not two things, it's three plus or more things. And then take injuries. So it's like it's a litany of reasons why we need to kind of go, hey, you know, is this the smartest way to be celebrating?
And should we tie our, you know, our need to be festive and our need for patriotism to something so harmful?
Colin True
00:13:34.580 - 00:14:44.040
You mentioned the injuries, but then it's also. What about the cultural impacts? I believe you referenced, you know, there's PTSD issues with folks, you know, for veterans. I mean, the.
Let's not forget what fireworks, especially on the 4th of July. And I understand they're a. It's a. This isn't. It's not a mono thing here. Right.
The fireworks are used to celebrate all sorts of stuff like you mentioned, especially like New Year's Eve or whatever.
But the Fourth of July, it's like, you know, when we play the Star Spangled Banner, it's like, it's a representation of like the battles that were fought that, like, led to our independence. And it's this patriotic thing, you know, Is that really how we want to be celebrating things now?
Especially when you're looking at conflicts around the world. I mean, I don't know, it just feels a little tone deaf now in hindsight. And then in addition to. You just gotta. Well, you gotta get used to it.
And then like, to your point, like someone sitting, running around holding, you know. Well, I don't know, we used to shoot, you know, Roman candles at each other when we were kids in the 80s.
So maybe, like, I'm not really wanting to talk about this, but there is, There's a real danger to it and. Right. I think there's a totally. You see it on social media now. Plenty of people who are getting hurt.
And it's documented and published on the Internet. So it's. It's kind of a. I don't know. This is why it's a really fascinating topic because there is just blind acceptance to it.
But then just under the surface, there is a ton of issues that come along with this.
Kristin Hostetter
00:14:44.370 - 00:14:53.650
Right. And by the way, do you know what. You know what I found astounding? Did you know that?
And I just learned this at Disney World, they have a fireworks display every single day of the year.
Colin True
00:14:53.890 - 00:14:54.530
Every day.
Kristin Hostetter
00:14:54.770 - 00:15:00.690
Somebody's got to do a study on the workers and the people that live around there and air quality issues, because that cannot be good.
Colin True
00:15:01.410 - 00:15:02.850
What's Florida? You know?
Kristin Hostetter
00:15:04.050 - 00:15:40.050
Well, Florida is one of the. Florida is one of the states where they're doing drone shows this year. So drone shows, which I mentioned in my article, are on the rise.
Last year there were maybe just a handful of states. This year, drone shows are on the rise and being done in several cities in Massachusetts, California, Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Arizona.
From just a quick scan of the interwebs, that's what I found. But the volume of those shows is increasing as communities decide to try something new and try something a little bit more environmentally friendly.
Colin True
00:15:40.480 - 00:15:42.000
Have you seen one? Have you seen a drone show?
Kristin Hostetter
00:15:42.240 - 00:15:44.320
I have seen videos of drone shows.
Colin True
00:15:44.320 - 00:15:44.800
Yeah.
Kristin Hostetter
00:15:44.800 - 00:15:49.600
And, you know, they're kind of like. It's kind of an apples and oranges thing. Like, they're cool.
Colin True
00:15:50.000 - 00:15:52.720
They are very cool. I think they're objectively cool.
Kristin Hostetter
00:15:52.880 - 00:16:18.860
Yeah. Yeah. But are they the same. Do they evoke the same emotions and thrill that a fireworks show does?
No, because as you said before, like, we love to see things blow up. We just do, you know. Sounds so silly to say it out loud. Yeah, it is. And I feel. Feel naughty saying it out loud, but it's just human nature, I think.
And, and it. It is. Drone shows are cool, but they are different.
Colin True
00:16:20.140 - 00:16:32.140
So with knowing that those are there and I, and I. You mentioned the ones you just mentioned in your, even your article, like, you mentioned Tahoe specifically.
Like, that was a response to wildfires, right? As like, hey, we need to do something different.
Kristin Hostetter
00:16:32.380 - 00:16:32.740
Right.
Colin True
00:16:32.740 - 00:16:55.160
Which probably if, like, you look ahead, maybe that's how this changes. Because individual communities being like, we just can't do this anymore, like, we're at risk if we continue to do it.
But, you know, how would you propose eliminating things on a large scale and understanding the challenges? Right? That's, that's the thing. The challenge of, like, how it's not just a, hey, we all know better, but we're going to do it anyway.
I don't think anyone, most people just don't know better.
Kristin Hostetter
00:16:55.480 - 00:18:48.870
Yeah, yeah, I know. And it is challenging. You know, it is challenging. I think the first thing we need to do is talk about it and educate people.
Because like you and I, this time last year, a lot of people don't even think about it. It's just so accepted that they don't understand.
And when you tell people that it's impacting our air quality and impacting our waterways and impacting our soil and impacting our health and wildlife. And when you tell them that and explain it to them with hard facts, they're like, oh, my gosh, I never thought about that.
And so, you know, so I think education is part of it. But, you know, I think there's also ways to make fireworks more eco friendly. Aside from drone shows. There are. And this isn't a huge thing right now.
But there are some companies out there that are making eco friendly fireworks. And these fireworks have nitrogen rather than sulfur and charcoal. They have paper and cardboard rather than plastic. And these are improvements.
Do they completely make them shiny and green? No, but they're definitely improvements. And I suspect there's probably a sacrifice in, maybe in the razzle dazzle, a slight sacrifice.
I suspect they're probably more expensive.
But you know, but the more communities start to support, just like everything, when they start to support these efforts, there's going to be evolution and improvement of these products.
And so I wish that, you know, states could get on the bandwagon and really enforce these companies to start, you know, producing greener fireworks and things like that. So there, there is opportunity to improve the impact of these things. Absolutely.
Colin True
00:18:50.310 - 00:19:53.270
Yeah. I guess the challenge is you have to start with the people who would probably be most sympathetic or open to changing it. Right.
Because to our point, like we've been saying so many of us who would be like, oh, we want to do better things, think things better environmentally, we want to care about others and we still don't know this is a problem. So it's almost like get us on board first and then kind of like mount it from. But it's probably still going to be a little while.
And also, I guess for someone in your position who focuses so heavily on the environment and sustainability, like our current sort of geopolitical time that we're in, it's got to be frustrating, right? Because it does feel like I've sort of made peace with the fact.
And by the way, like we're recording this right after, you know, the, the public lands piece of the, of the big beautiful bill was stripped out, which was great, even though there's still going to be other threats.
But I've also sort of made peace of the fact that there's probably some things that I care about deeply that I'm probably we're just going to lose in the next few years based on where we are in the world right now. So does that make it harder? Does that make this feel almost like a smaller priority?
Like how can we be talking about fireworks when it's like they're talking about selling off 3 million acres of public lands, you know.
Kristin Hostetter
00:19:53.510 - 00:20:33.030
Well, we shouldn't stop talking about that. For one thing. I don't think it's an either or. I think, you know, there are all kinds of interesting things to talk about right now.
And in fights, to fight rock fights to have, you know, just because there are these giant things, it doesn't mean that we need to table everything else. You know what I mean? I think we have the capacity to handle more than one issue and think about more than one thing at a time.
And frankly, sometimes it's more satisfying and more healthy to bite off small things than get overwhelmed by the giant things, you know?
Colin True
00:20:33.270 - 00:20:33.750
Yeah.
Kristin Hostetter
00:20:33.830 - 00:20:48.550
So, I mean, I think, you know, the bottom line is that there are a lot of things that we can be doing to make the planet healthier. Big things, small things. And we need to lean in where we can and where we feel some connection to.
Colin True
00:20:48.710 - 00:20:51.430
We're gonna. I wanna get some tips from you before we go.
Kristin Hostetter
00:20:51.510 - 00:20:51.910
Yeah.
Colin True
00:20:51.910 - 00:21:01.570
Before we get to that part, though, you know, you mentioned, and you, you, like I said when you opened your article, you're probably gonna get some blowback. Obviously, we talked about it on the rock fight. Did you get a lot back?
Kristin Hostetter
00:21:02.050 - 00:22:28.560
Oh, yeah, I got all the Debbie Downer comments.
My mother's favorite holiday is fourth of July, mainly because it is the one place where my whole family convenes and all the generations of kids and grandkids, and it's a nice party and you see everyone in your community and, and, you know, and it horrifies her to think that that might not exist.
And, you know, and then there's, there's always people whether, no matter what sustainability issue you're talking about, there's always people who kind of have the attitude of, oh, what's the big deal? It's just, it just happens once a year. It's, you know, it's just a few, you know, it's small potatoes. It's not going to change anything.
And unfortunately, you know, that apathy exists in so many aspects of sustainability.
And it's something that, you know, that I try to fight is the wrong word, but, but push back against a little bit and inspire people to, you know, to make little changes and to think about their lives and get excited about little changes that they make in their lives. Because I just believe that these things have ripple effects in our families, our communities. And, and that's how things, that's how change starts.
I mean, there's, there's, there's tons of, you know, tons of history around, around that, you know, how ripple, how small actions turn into big actions and ripple out, so we can't give up.
Colin True
00:22:29.440 - 00:23:19.720
You know, if there's one thing that I feel like the client, the climate deniers, especially the ones in our elected officials, aside from the fact that it's a roadblock in terms of us making real change in terms of our Heating world and everything else. People in the face of like hard science, denying it, that allows that apathy to like proliferate, right?
It makes it so much easier to be like, well, who gives a fuck, you know, like, like they don't care. Like, why should I? And I'm just this one person. And so, okay, you know what?
I'm going to buy the fireworks or I'm going to not do the one thing that I could do. I'm not going to recycle that can or whatever it is, right?
Just so much easier just to be like, well, you know, I'm throwing my hands up because fudge this, right? It's kind of, that's, that's what I feel like really is the trickle down effect of that sort of stance by our elected officials.
And I'm, you know, I'm going big now, but like, you know what I mean? It's the first thing I thought of when you're describing that.
Kristin Hostetter
00:23:19.720 - 00:23:29.650
It is, and it's heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking. But we just have to keep, you know, keep pushing. Yeah, you know, we can't give up. There's too much at stake.
Colin True
00:23:31.810 - 00:24:01.110
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Rock Fight Radio!
00:24:01.110 - 00:24:02.670
The floor hero.
Colin True
00:24:04.190 - 00:24:52.840
It may be lunchtime, but between sandwich bites, he learned about fog fighting tech in snow goggles. An hour later, that knowledge helped a customer pick the perfect pair and add a helmet too. Learning on the go, selling with certainty, adding value.
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Rock Fight Radio!
00:24:52.920 - 00:25:01.960
Be a shop floor hero. Endeavor's here to stay. Shop floor hero Self who is the way.
Colin True
00:25:08.360 - 00:26:45.720
Liz and Royal Robbins were known as American climbing royalty.
Part of the first group Group of Yosemite based climbers that would scale routes yet unclimbed, who would promote the ethic of clean climbing, and who, with a core group of startup brands, would serve as the foundation of our modern outdoor industry.
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It's the story of how the Royal Robbins Men's Desert Pucker became an icon and spawned the new Camino Pucker. And it's the story of how an innovative brand launched mosquito protection technology to keep you protected without the use of chemicals.
And why the Salith hoodie is possibly the most unique hoodie in our outside world. And how you can experience this uniquely American story of adventure through the thoughtful clothing choices of Royal Robins.
Available for streaming everywhere, you find actual water based tributaries being Royal Robins because nature and adventure are good for the soul. Well, while we have you here, let's talk about that for a second.
You know, so you do have a passion for improving your daily life, finding more sustainable, environmentally friendly ways to help make a difference. You know, what's something you've been working on lately? You know what?
You know, I know you went on a big trip earlier this summer, but now you're home, it's summertime.
You know, what are some things that our listeners can do, what that you've been doing lately to help maybe adapt into their own lives, to help kind of push back on that apathy?
Kristin Hostetter
00:26:45.720 - 00:28:10.700
Yeah, I mean, I will tell you that since I have really turned, you know, started looking in the mirror in my own life and my own actions, it's been so exciting and inspiring and energizing to make these little changes in my life. And again, yes, they're little changes in my life, but it feels good. I see results. I love talking about it with people.
I see my friends start to adapt these things. And so it's been a real sort of highlight of my daily life the last few years. And I've done a ton of different things.
But one of the things that I think about or I've been really leaning into this summer is been trying to really think about not throwing anything away in reuse. And that takes many forms.
I've engaged with sites like Poshmark, ebay, Geartrade, I've been cleaning out my closets and actually making money on selling some stuff that has value, but making sure. That everything that isn't, you know, poshmark worthy gets donated to a good cause. I've been.
I found this site called Freecycle, and I believe it's national. Do you know Freecycle?
Colin True
00:28:10.700 - 00:28:11.740
Yeah, yeah, I know Free cycle.
Kristin Hostetter
00:28:11.740 - 00:29:14.060
Okay. So it's national. They have communities all over the place. I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed Freecycle.
So what did I give away in the last month? I gave away an artificial Christmas tree. I gave away two lawn chairs that were just kind of like hanging out in my backyard that no one ever sat on.
I gave away a printer that I didn't need.
And so you basically go on this site, you register, you go on this site, and you just post an offer of something that you want to get rid of or something that you want that you'd like to get for free. And you get these messages, and people will come right to your house, pick it up, like, within 24 hours. It's awesome. So I've been doing that.
Local Facebook, community groups. I'm also just like, everything that we want to give away, somebody generally has a need for it. I found. Get this.
I found an old plunger in the corner of my basement when I was cleaning up my basement last week, and I washed it up. I've never used it, but it's like a big industrial plunger. I washed it off, I put it on Free Cycle, and someone picked it up.
Colin True
00:29:14.620 - 00:29:17.020
How long did it take for someone to claim the plunger?
Kristin Hostetter
00:29:17.180 - 00:29:19.260
Like, less than 48 hours.
Colin True
00:29:21.100 - 00:29:35.110
Okay, you're right on the surface. That sounds, like, gross and weird that someone's like, I'm gonna go pick up this plunger.
But at the end of the day, like, you know, if you need a plunger, let's say you moved into your new house and you don't have a plunger. And it's like, I could go to Home Depot or this lady down the street has a free plunger. Go get the free plunger.
Kristin Hostetter
00:29:35.110 - 00:29:35.870
Who cares?
Colin True
00:29:36.030 - 00:29:38.270
Shit has touched it. It's yours or theirs, right?
Kristin Hostetter
00:29:38.510 - 00:29:46.510
It's amazing. It's also. I don't know if it's ever touched. It might. Might have been brand new down there. But, you know, it's.
But it's amazing because it also builds community. Colin.
Colin True
00:29:46.510 - 00:29:46.910
Yeah.
Kristin Hostetter
00:29:46.910 - 00:31:11.310
You know, like, you start to interact with your neighbors. And, like, people give away plants, they split their hostas and they give that stuff away. But it goes beyond just stuff like that.
Like, I've also been, you know, when I food shop, I specifically shop with packaging in mind to Reduce weight waste in packaging. So I buy carrots loose rather than in the bag. Same with potatoes, things like that. I shop at farmer's markets when I can.
Because you don't have any packaging. You know, I do. You know, that kind of ties into food waste tactics, which I'm always really into.
Like I, I only allow myself to go grocery shopping once a week and I have a list and then that week I make sure that I work through that stuff in my fridge and you know, and I compost and I've really gotten into like fridge clean out recipes.
So rather than picking a recipe out of thin air and deciding that that's what I want, tonight I open my fridge and I take everything out and I make something with it. And I'm a pretty good cook. So it's usually not disaster. It's pretty, it's usually. And then even stuff.
Like again, I've been in this clean out mode and so, you know, you probably have this too, like multiple drawers with just random remotes and batteries and cables and wires and stuff that you don't even know. You can recycle all that e waste at Staples, at Best Buy in your mini, your municipal, your town often has e waste collection days.
Colin True
00:31:11.310 - 00:31:30.260
A couple times single use batteries you can take to like staples and places like that.
Yes, that's, that's actually one that I've always brought up because like, you know, you know, you have a battery take out of remote control or whatever. And I'm like, well, I'm no one that's supposed to put this in my trash, but I really don't know what else I'm supposed to do with it.
So yeah, There's a by 16 drawers in my house that have roughly a dozen batteries in them.
Kristin Hostetter
00:31:30.260 - 00:31:49.510
Right, right, right. And then you're like. And then the other pain of butt on that is that you're like, oh, is this battery good?
And then you got to get something out and you got to test it again because you don't know. So the secret is to just get a shoebox and put. I have a piece of tape on it, dead.
And every time I take out a battery from something that's dead, I throw it in there. When the box fills up, I take it to staples and they recycle them.
Colin True
00:31:50.310 - 00:32:21.280
I think the thing that if anybody's listening to this and like, and don't get overwhelmed by all of the suggestions, right? This is a little like, it's a little like training for an outdoor event or, or you know, something that you're Getting ready for. Right?
Because think about if you ever ran a marathon, there's a time when a 5k seemed daunting, right? And so you're like. Then you do your 5K and you're like, oh, well, you know, maybe I could never do a 10k. Then you do your 10k, that kind of thing.
I think this is kind of the same thing. Like, you. You. This is your world. Like, you love trying all these different things. Like, take one thing that Kristen is saying and, like, try it.
Like, start using free cycle.
Kristin Hostetter
00:32:21.520 - 00:32:27.680
Yeah. But, like, here's the thing. Here's. Here's. You're gonna see an immediate difference when you start to do one or more of these things.
Colin True
00:32:28.080 - 00:32:28.560
Yeah.
Kristin Hostetter
00:32:29.280 - 00:33:15.050
Colin. I take out my kitchen trash, like, once every three weeks. I have almost no trash, and I have to pay. I have to take it to the dump and pay to.
And same with recycling. I have. So I try to avoid plastic at all costs. And so what used to be the biggest bin of.
In my house, like, all the plastic that has shrunk dramatically because I buy things in cans, I buy things in reusables, I buy things in, you know, in glass and things like that. So. So I actually, I see the. The. I see the. The benefits simply in the volume and the decrease in volume of dump runs that I have to do, right? For my.
And it's. It is remarkable. Like, I go, like, I will probably go to the dump like, three or four times this summer. That's it.
Colin True
00:33:16.090 - 00:34:20.270
I also think there's a. There's a. There's a generational thing at play here too, right?
Because even back to the fireworks conversation, like, we're talking about behavior change, right? And sort of like, for folks like our age, you know, maybe your new brand should be like, the environmentalist Gen Xer or something like that, right?
Because I think there's a lot of folks probably at our demographic who are like, well, this is the way I've done it for the past 40 to 60 years, so good luck getting me to change. But I see even my kids, who. I'm not too preachy with them, they're aware of kind of things I'm interested in.
They haven't been, you know, they're all outdoorsy in their own way, but they're not. Like, we have never. We haven't. Like, we're like, hey, we're going to Moab to go mountain biking for six straight days.
We haven't been that kind of family. But it just.
It does seem to be between, like, kind of the Principles we've taught through things that my wife and I have learned through kind of living this sort of lifestyle. And then also just kind of where their generation is, you know, they still want things, they still are consumer kind of focused.
They want to go buy things, but they're always like the secondhand store. They're always, like, you know, worried about, like, how do they. I don't need the plastic bag.
Like, those kinds of things are just kind of part of how they now operate. And so I have a lot of hope for the younger generation.
Kristin Hostetter
00:34:20.750 - 00:35:08.870
Same. It's sinking in. I see it sinking in, in my own kids.
Even though they tease, they love to tease me and, and, you know, get my goat, you know, a little bit with some of this stuff, but I do see it sinking into them. And that's, that's exciting and that's hopeful and, And I think, I think you're right.
Like, there, there, there just has to be this mindset shift, and we have to start with the younger generations and maybe write off the older generation, because they're probably not going to change. But there's, you know, there is opportunity and there is hope.
And like I said, once you start on this journey, it's fun, it's exciting, you feel good, you see the results, you spend less money, you know, when you combine all these things. And so, you know, for me, it's been, it's been really, really gratifying.
Colin True
00:35:09.110 - 00:35:18.830
All right, so I guess the last question for today. Is there anything coming up this fall, anything you're going to work on that you haven't tried before? I'm kind of springing this one.
Springing this one on you. But is there anything that any projects you want to dip your toes in.
Kristin Hostetter
00:35:18.830 - 00:35:24.550
You haven't been able to yet, like, sustainability wise? Yeah, you are springing this on me.
Colin True
00:35:24.550 - 00:35:28.010
I know. Sorry, I just thought of it last second. Yeah, was not in our outline.
Kristin Hostetter
00:35:28.410 - 00:36:17.590
Well, this is a little. This is, this is like a little next level.
And, and I, I did a story a couple years ago that, that, that also got a lot of interest about dealing with pet waste and the, you know, the scam of poop bags and like, all that stuff.
And one thing that I've been really wanting to do for a long time and I just haven't gotten around to it, is create a dog waste composter in my backyard. I just haven't found the spot for it.
But there's, there's tons of YouTube videos on how to do this, and you put your poop, poop waste in there and it composts and it stays, you know, doesn't contaminate anything. And it's sort of the recommended way to deal with. With. With pet waste. So that's something that I would like to tackle by the end of the year.
Colin True
00:36:17.830 - 00:36:31.250
I want to hear about this because I do have two dogs, and I read your article and I still use air quotes. Compostable poop bags. Yeah, I'm sure. What else I'm supposed to be doing. So.
Kristin Hostetter
00:36:31.330 - 00:36:35.330
Reuse the bread bags. Reuse the bread bags. And, like, the. The bags that you.
Colin True
00:36:35.890 - 00:36:38.490
It really doesn't matter. It's a plastic bag. It's a plastic bag.
Kristin Hostetter
00:36:38.490 - 00:36:44.050
Yeah. At least you're getting a reuse out of it and you're not buying and supporting this. This sort of scammy.
Colin True
00:36:44.290 - 00:36:56.850
Okay, well, there's the. The easy fix. But I want to hear about the. The comp. Because, I mean, we have a little, like, fence off area that just.
That's where the dogs go to do their business. And to have sort of a little composter in the corner there. They just kind of pop it in there. That's a great idea.
Kristin Hostetter
00:36:57.080 - 00:36:57.320
Yeah.
Colin True
00:36:57.320 - 00:37:10.560
And by the way, now it's simpler, you know, and it's not the thing where, like, I'm going out there and, like, nobody's clean up the yard for a few days, and now you're doing the picking up piles of poop on top of piles of poop versus, like, just pop it in there and you're done. The kids can even do it, so.
Kristin Hostetter
00:37:10.560 - 00:37:14.640
Right. All right, well, we'll talk about that in a future. Future date. Yeah.
Colin True
00:37:14.640 - 00:37:18.200
That's awesome. All right, well, enjoy your fireworks display.
Kristin Hostetter
00:37:18.280 - 00:37:19.640
Thanks, Colin. You too.
Colin True
00:37:19.640 - 00:37:22.440
I expect you to be out there lecturing everybody about why this is terrible.
Kristin Hostetter
00:37:24.040 - 00:37:26.200
I'll be cringing with every explosion.
Colin True
00:37:26.280 - 00:37:31.620
Carry a sign around. This is. Oh, God, my mother would kill me.
Kristin Hostetter
00:37:32.340 - 00:37:32.820
Yeah.
Colin True
00:37:33.300 - 00:37:42.980
But thanks for having you on the. Thanks for coming on the show. This is great.
I can't wait to have you on again and keep talking about more tips on the sustainability, environmental front.
Kristin Hostetter
00:37:43.460 - 00:37:45.780
Awesome. Thank you, Colin. It was great seeing you.
Colin True
00:37:46.180 - 00:38:07.660
All right, that's the show for today. Big thanks to my guest, Kristin Hostetter. Really hope we can get her back on the podcast way more in the future.
The Rock Flight is a production of Rock Flight, llc. I'm Colin Troupe. Thanks for listening.
And here with a very special fourth of July rendition, not of the Star Spangled Banner, but of what should be our national anthem, the rock fight fight song. It's Krista makes. We'll see you next time, Rock fighters.
Chris DeMakes
00:38:07.740 - 00:39:03.360
Rock fight. Rock fight? Rock fight? Rock fight? Rock fight, Rock fight? Welcome to the rock fight? Where we speak our truth?
Slay sacred cows and some agree to disagree? We talk about human powered outdoor activities and big bites about topics that we find interesting like pop culture music, the latest movie reviews?
Ideas that aim for the head? This is where we speak our truth? This is where we speak our truth? Rock fight, Rock fight, Rock fight? Welcome to the rock flight?
Rock flight, Rock flight? Welcome to the rock flight? Rock flight? Rock flight? Rock flight? Rock flight, Rock flight? Welcome to the rock flight? Rock fight? Rock fight.
