Making #2 A #1 Priority: Research-Based Solutions for Managing Poop in the Backcountry

Human waste is a top resource issue for many land managers, and reducing the costs, both financial and environmental is more important than ever. PACT Outdoors has been working with Leave No Trace, Penn State University and Colorado Fourteeners Initiative to design and study systems that support greater compliance with LNT practices around human waste in the outdoors. Jake Thomas, co-founder of PACT Outdoors, walks participants through their most recent study on Colorado’s 14K’ peaks where they installed the first-ever wag bag kiosk and disposal station, and then studied hikers usage behaviors and attitudes. The data is surprising and extremely informative. It covers where and how people are going to the bathroom, their openness to packing out, knowledge levels, and the most critical measures for building compliance and buy-in with this practice. Attendees will leave with actionable steps to implement, new, cost-effective waste management strategies.

PACT Outdoors is a small, Colorado-based company that designs products that make it easier and more sustainable for people to poop in the outdoors. Among their innovations is using fungal mycelium to accelerate the decomposition of human waste. They've received awards from Outside Magazine, Popular Science, GearJunkie, and Bikepacking Magazine. They’re also focused on research aimed at designing better, more cost-effective systems for managing human waste in the outdoors.

Jake Thomas is a co-founder of PACT Outdoors, pioneers in mycelium technologies and environmental preservation and makers of the world's first all-in-one bathroom kit for outdoor adventures. He identifies as a conscious entrepreneur and also co-founded Wildish, a plant-based health products maker for pregnancy and postpartum. Jake has 10 years of experience working in strategic planning, creative direction and campaign development for award-winning integrated marketing agencies. His past clients include Adidas, Ford Motor Company, LG, Nissan, Progressive Insurance, New Belgium Brewing and many others.