Annie, Peak's Sustainability Director, here.
I'm excited to announce the public release of This Land , a short film we co-sponsored with Merrell. Produced by an all-female crew (Chelsea Jolly, Whit Hassett, and Faith Briggs), the film documents Faith Briggs' 150 mile run through three U.S. National Monuments.
While the film celebrates and advocates for the protection of our public lands, it was the story of a black woman reflecting on her place in the outdoors and within the conservation world that compelled me most.
Watch below (10 min), and please read on.
Being white and privileged, and having grown up around accessible and stunning outdoors, I assumed that everyone felt welcome in and connected to nature. In fact, it wasn't until a few years ago that I started digesting the ugly historical context of access (or lack there of) to our national public lands - both physical and psychological. As with many other parts of society, people of color were simply not allowed, or unwelcome to the point of feeling threatened.
As Director of Sustainability, I once believed environmental conservation warranted my exclusive attention and resources. As a female of color, Faith viewed conservation as a concern for the privileged. For her, people and social justice took precedence.
The now obvious truth that Faith and I came to realize from opposite directions is that social justice and environmental conservation are inextricably linked. They must be addressed together.
From Faith:
"I think that those who already identify as conservationists often have a hard time understanding why the movement might seem unwelcoming to those from historically marginalized communities. We are out of touch with our history and so it's easy to overlook that people were not only excluded and discriminated against by conservationists, but they were also forcibly removed and their narratives were erased. For many people, their daily existence is a constant reminder of that. So without recognition of that fact by conservationists, it's hard to expect someone to join your movement if they can't bring their full selves and advocate for their communities at the same time."
And, if it's not clear, we need everyone to join the movement in protecting our land, water, and air.
We have a lot of work to do to right our wrongs with regard to access to the outdoors and the conservation movement. I wrote a piece a few months ago outlining some of the actions Peak Design is taking to prioritize DEI in our work but I'd be lying if I said it was easy and straightforward. Sometimes we take one step forward and three steps back just to pivot and go a different direction. But we will keep pushing ourselves and others to do better no matter how messy and opaque the process is...and no matter how many times I put my foot in my mouth.
We hope you enjoy the film and that it provides fodder for important conversations and even more important actions.
© 2026 Peak Design
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