By Lyn Tally, Atlantic Packaging & A New Earth Project
This May marked my fourth consecutive year representing Atlantic Packaging and A New Earth Project at The Conservation Alliance's D.C. Fly-In.
Alongside fellow member brands from across the outdoor industry, we spent several days meeting with lawmakers to discuss public lands, national monuments, and the conservation policies that help shape the future of these places.
Each year, I'm reminded of how many different people and organizations are connected by a shared love for the outdoors. Five teams were organized to meet with representatives, and ours was a meaningful cross-section of the industry: Alicia Harvey, Senior Manager of Community and Government Affairs at REI, Teya McKone, Communications Manager at The North Face, Emily Eppler, Customer Service Representative at NEMO Equipment, Dustin Ebel, Account Manager at Bemis, and me, Sustainability Educator and Advocate at Atlantic Packaging and A New Earth Project. Not only did we bring different roles and business models, but we also carried perspectives ranging from personal love of the outdoors to the economics of protecting public lands.
Dustin Ebel captured something essential in his toast later that evening as we gathered after our full day talking to representatives. "At the end of the day, businesses are simply groups of people." The outdoor industry is more than products and bottom lines. It's a network of people whose lives and work have been shaped by time on our rivers, forests, coastlines, deserts, and mountains. The same places that inspire products, fuel adventures, support local economies, and create the memories that make all of it matter. Dustin's own company makes the adhesive components found in just a sliver of any finished garment, yet that small percentage often determines how the whole piece performs. It's an apt metaphor for what makes these meetings worthwhile: the sum of different roles, companies, and experiences adding up to something greater than any one voice.
It's easy to frame those meetings as business talking to government. But that's not the only thing happening in the room. The representatives across the table are people too, with their own memories and connections to these places. When Dustin said businesses are just groups of people, he was talking about everyone in that room - advocates and lawmakers alike.
He added one more thing that stayed with me: "Facts and data matter, but stories are what create connection."
The future of our public lands won't be decided by any single brand, nonprofit, or policymaker. It will be shaped by people willing to show up, listen, learn, and lend their voices when it matters. That's what stewardship looks like. Not just enjoying these places, or appreciating them, but showing up for them together.
Learn more about our involvement with The Conservation Alliance here.