[birds chirping]
- Christopher Kilgour: I've always loved spending time outside,
and even as a kid,
I loved sharing that experience with people.
So, I'd always invite my friends to come
to wherever we were going,
and we'd go hiking or camping
or whatever the adventure was that day or that week.
My name is Christopher Kilgour.
I'm the founder of Color In The Outdoors.
It's a organization basically geared
towards diversity, equity, and inclusion
of BIPOC, differently-abled, and GLBTQ+ individuals
who are traditionally marginalized communities in general.
[upbeat music]
There is no color pallet like that of the outdoors.
And so, in celebrating the color
of and in outdoor spaces,
that's where that name came from.
So it is Color In The Outdoors.
It's the people that are out here
and the things that we are observing
and spending time in.
[birds chirping]
As a person of color walking into various places and spaces,
you know, there was that palpable feeling,
or that palpable vibe, if you will,
of being the other in a room.
And there's this "Wisconsin polite"
that we're really, you know, that if anyone
who's spent any time in Wisconsin knows
that this exists, right.
That there's this innate drive
to make sure that everyone is polite,
but polite isn't always welcoming.
So, those are the kinds of experiences
that I really want to work hard
at not having others to have to experience.
So, that's the whole point, is trying
to bridge that gap, trying to create those relationships
and, you know, on some levels,
trying to educate folks, because sometimes
the behavior is based on ignorance,
not necessarily based on negative feelings.
- What's up there?
[birds chirping]
- That's a pelican up there.
- Pelican. - Oh, is it a pelican?
- Groups like ours can go out and explore
some of these spaces and can then create
safe experiences, safe spaces and brave spaces
for people to come out and enjoy the scene.
[upbeat music]
The simple answer of why the outdoors
is important to me is to say
outdoor spaces are, are genuinely places
where if you spend any time outside you get it.
And what I mean by that is,
it's a calming space.
It's a space that can be a place
that you're always learning.
You can go outside and stand in the same place every day
and see something new in the outdoor world.
And the more people we have realize
the importance of preserving these spaces,
then they also have an investment,
realize that they automatically have an investment---
we all do-- in taking care of these spaces,
not only for themselves, but for others,
for the next generation.
- Oh, up in that tree, there's a little spot of black.
See it? There you go.
- Christopher: I'm also just thankful.
I mean, I think that outdoor spaces
are such an amazingly therapeutic thing
that I really do feel fortunate
to be able to spend time outside.
And I think that that's another,
another thing that we lose track of is
that moment of just pause, and being able
to acknowledge the fact that here we are on this planet.
And there was an 'old-timer' that I worked with
years and years ago who said,
"As long as we're looking at the petals and not the roots, we're doin' okay."
And so, there are those moments
where I really genuinely you know,
it's like, you know what?
This is, this is okay.
[strumming guitar]