
Outside/In
Outside/In: Where curiosity and the natural world collide.
Look around, and you’ll find everything is connected to the natural world. At Outside/In, we explore that idea with boundless curiosity. We report from disaster zones, pickleball courts, and dog sled kennels, and talk about policy, pop culture, science, and everything in between. From the backcountry to your backyard, we tell stories that expand the boundaries of environmental journalism.
Outside/In is a production of NHPR. Learn more at outsideinradio.org
Latest episodes

Dec 16, 2021 • 40min
How to Embrace Winter (like Norwegians do)!
Gasp! Once again, the Outside/In team find themselves plunged into (a very predictable) darkness as winter descends on the Northern Hemisphere. In this episode, our second annual friluftsliv special, we turn to Norwegian culture for inspiration on how best to approach the coldest quarter of the year. The team offers our 2021/22 tips on how to enjoy the outdoors in inclement weather, and cozy (and not so cozy) indoor recommendations for those days when the wind is howling, the digits are single, and you simply can’t even. Featuring Jim Staples. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. If you give before the end of 2021, we'll send you a limited-edition Outside/In sticker!Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook 'FRILUFTSLIV' GEAR TIPSInterested in microspikes? Check out this review of various winter traction devices. How to sell a parka: Fast Company calls the Canada Goose “cold room” the best retail experience of the year. Everything old is new again: The LA Times on how the disposable camera is making a comeback among millennials and Gen Z. 'KOSELIG' TV RECOMMENDATIONSJessica: 100 Foot Wave. A seminal big-wave surfing documentary, complete with staggering visuals, intense score, and larger-than-life personality. Follows extreme surfer Garrett McNamara’s journey as he pioneers new methods for taking on the world’s biggest waves. HBO Max.Rebecca: Dark. At first, this cerebral time-travel story feels like a German take on Stranger Things - but Dark, frankly, is much weirder than that. Get hooked by the surprising twists, stay for the stellar performances from its ensemble cast. Perfect for a February binge-session. Netflix.Taylor: Alone. Most reality TV relies on human interaction in order to create drama - this one is just the opposite. Contestants film themselves as they try to survive the longest in harsh wilderness conditions without friends, family, or even producers around to see them do it. Hulu and Netflix.Justine: The Great. An “occasionally true” look back at the reign of Catherine the Great, the devotee of enlightenment ideals who oversaw Russia during one of its most prosperous eras. Visually, it’s a great period piece - but what sets it apart is the raunchy, smart, laugh-out-loud humor. Hulu. NON-SCREEN 'KOSELIG' IDEASTaylor: Put together a puzzle unlike any other. Rebecca: Keep yourself cozy with a rubber hot water bottle. Jessica: Make yourself some glogg.Justine: Throw a fantastic winter banquet, with the help of How to Eat a Peach by Diana Henry. [Note: Please be cautious of CDC safety guidelines when planning any social gatherings during the pandemic - a good winter banquet need not be held indoors or have a large guest list to be a splendid time!]Justine’s bonus recommendation (excellent on its own or paired with The Great): The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow, a book about freedom, the Indigenous influence on the Enlightenment, and what on Earth our ancient human ancestors were up to for hundreds of thousands of years. CREDITSProduced and mixed by Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, and Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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Dec 2, 2021 • 28min
Outside/Inbox: Do Bears Hoot?
We’ve got answers to your burning questions: a query about the impacts of wildlife smoke on bird migration; a long-smoldering family debate over whether or not bears can hoot; and, perhaps, stamping out the fire in the gas furnace heating your home.Question 1: What home heating system is best for the climate?Question 2: Is wildfire smoke impacting bird migration?Question 3: Do bears hoot?Question 4: Are farmers practicing agroforestry in New England?Do you have a question about the natural world? Submit it to the Outside/Inbox! Send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER (844-466-8837). Don’t forget to leave a number so we can call you back.Featuring: Nate (The House Whisperer) Adams, Emily Mottram, Joe Lajewski, Olivia Sanderfoot, Anni Yang, Dave Mance III, Andy Timmins, David Telesco, Kate Macfarland, and Meghan Giroux. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram or Twitter, or join our private discussion group on Facebook CREDITSReported and produced by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine ParadisHost: Justine ParadisEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing by Cori PrincellExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine ParadisTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions
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Nov 18, 2021 • 41min
A Vegetarian Turned Deer Hunter in Deutschland
Animal agriculture is one of the biggest contributors to global climate emissions. But what about hunting? Does shooting and eating wild game skirt the complicated ethics and emissions connected with eating factory farmed animals? In this episode, a vegetarian-turned-hunter brings two reporters into a forest in Germany, in search of sustainable meat. Not only is it an interesting conversation from a climate perspective, it’s also a fascinating glimpse into the differences between hunting culture in the United States and Germany. This story comes from our friends at On The Green Fence, a podcast about environmental issues. It’s produced by Deutsche Welle and hosted by Neil King and Gabriel Borrud. This episode was part of their season on the ethics and sustainability of eating meat, which recently won a 2021 Lovie Award for Best Limited Series.Featuring Alena Steinbach.Follow On The Green Fence on Twitter: @dw_environmentFollow On The Green Fence on Instagram: @dw_globalideasSUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram: @OutsideInRadioFollow Outside/In on Twitter: @OutsideInRadioJoin our private Facebook GroupLINKSFor more on the “meat paradox” that Neil and Gabriel mention in this episode, check out our previous episode The Meat Matrix. CREDITSOn The Green Fence is hosted by Neil King and Gabriel Borrud. Their executive producer is Vanessa Fischer. Their sound engineer is Jürgen Kuhn and they’re produced by Natalie Muller.The Outside/In team is Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon and Jessica HuntExecutive Producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme music by Breakmaster Cylinder
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Nov 4, 2021 • 36min
Can an Animal be a Criminal?
In Aspen, Colorado, bears descend from the mountains to gorge on unlocked restaurant dumpsters. In India, drunk elephants crash into bodegas searching for food. And behind these human-wildlife conflicts are the researchers and scientists who are trying to prevent us from killing each other. Author Mary Roach is no stranger to squirmy subjects: she’s written about the science of decomposition, digestion, and sex. By comparison, her latest book sounds almost cute: It’s called Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law. But don’t be fooled, because this book is “wilder” than anything else she’s ever written.Reminder: you don’t need to read the book to enjoy Outside/In Book Club! The conversation is open to all. In this episode, we speak with Mary about humanity’s drive to keep wild animals out of our kitchens, communities, and crops, and the absurd -- and sometimes disturbing -- lengths we’ll go to do it. Our next pick for the Outside/In Book Club is Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore, by Elizabeth Rush. Again, you don’t have to read it to enjoy the show, but if you do, don’t forget to tag us @OutsideInRadio on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #ReadingOutsideIn to share your thoughts and questions.SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.LINKSMore about Mary RoachCREDITSProduced by Taylor Quimby and Jessica HuntEdited by Justine ParadisExecutive Producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Taylor QuimbyAdditional Editing: Jessica Hunt, and Felix PoonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional Music by Blue Dot Sessions
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Oct 21, 2021 • 55min
The So-called Mystery of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
Who moved the giant monolithic statues of Rapa Nui, a remote island in the South Pacific? And how did they do it? These questions have been at the center of much speculation and debate since Europeans first arrived there on Easter Sunday, 1722, and called it “Easter Island”. The most popular theory was that this remote civilization destroyed itself -- cutting down all the trees to make contraptions for moving statues.But according to the indigenous people of Rapa Nui, their ancestors didn’t need to cut down any trees to transport the statues. In fact, their oral history has always been clear about how the moai were transported.This is a story about storytelling: what happens when your community becomes the subject of a global mystery? A parable of human failure and ecological collapse? What’s the true story? And who gets to tell it?Featuring: Sergio Rapu Haoa, Carl Lipo, Terry Hunt, Sergio Mata’u Rapu, and Gina PakaratiSUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our newsletter.LINKSA profile of Sergio Rapu Haoa for the 2002 Rotary World Peace Scholars program at BerkeleyEating Up Easter -- a documentary film produced by Sergio Mata’u Rapu, about how the people of Rapa Nui are grappling with environmental and social changes brought on by tourism and economic development.The NOVA-National Geographic DocumentaryA team of 18 volunteers move a 10-foot 5-ton statue for the NOVA-National Geographic documentary, Mystery of Easter IslandA figurine animation demonstrating five different theories of moai-transport through the years.Mystery of Easter Island -- The NOVA-National Geographic Documentary in its entiretyLectures by Terry Hunt and Carl LipoNational Geographic Live Lecture -- Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo: The Statues That WalkedLong Now Foundation Lecture: The Statues Walked -- What Really Happened on Easter Island | Terry Hunt and Carl LipoCREDITSReported and produced by Felix PoonEdited by Taylor QuimbyExecutive Producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Felix PoonAdditional Editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, Rebecca Lavoie, and Erika JanikSpecial thanks to Effie Kong, and Daniela Allee for her Spanish and Rapanui voiceovers.Theme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional Music by Blue Dot Sessions
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Oct 14, 2021 • 30min
Tourism Spoils
There’s a type of travel industry which defines itself as different: ecologically minded, even “responsible.” It’s a type of travel meant to support the conservation of threatened ecosystems. This is not just tourism, but “ecotourism.”
This specific brand of tourism is a crucial part of the plan to conserve the Great Himalayan National Park in northern India, a gorgeous patchwork of forests, glaciers, mountains, and rare wildlife.
From one perspective, the strategy is working: tourism is on the rise, which provides jobs to locals and incentivizes conservation.
But from another perspective, the very thing meant to help conserve the area might also be one of its biggest threats.
In our last episode, journalist Yardain Amron reported on the conservation strategy -- and the controversy -- around the creation of the GHNP in the 1980’s and ‘90s.
Here, Yardain turns to 21st century ecotourism, and explores just how much the Tirthan Valley of India is changing. Who profits from tourism based on exploring wilderness? And just how eco-friendly is ecotourism?
Featuring Raju Bharti, Karan Bharti, Dimple Kamra, Upi Kamra, Rosaleen Duffy, Stephan Marchal, Robert Fletcher, Narottam Singh, and a traveler named Nishant.
Translation by Vibha Kumar.
SUPPORT
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LINKS
To learn more about this approach to conservation, check out our episode on the origins of Yellowstone National Park, “Fortress Conservation.”
Dorceta Taylor, “The Rise of the American Conservation Movement.”
Bram Buscher and Robert Fletcher, “The Conservation Revolution.”
CREDITS
Host: Justine Paradis
Reported and produced by Yardain Amron
Edited by Taylor Quimby with help from Justine Paradis
Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie
Mixed by Yardain Amron and Taylor Quimby
Additional Editing: Felix Poon and Jessica Hunt
Special thanks to: Guman Singh, Tony Gaston, and Hema Marchal.
Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder
Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions
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Oct 7, 2021 • 23min
The Himalayan Land Grab
The Great Himalayan National Park in India is among the most dramatic landscapes on Earth. Count the layers in a single panoramic photo of the park and you might see mountains, glaciers, old-growth forests, and alpine meadows.
But National Parks are defined by two things: first, an abundance of wildlife and majestic landscapes; and second, no permanent human presence.
So, before anybody was ever invited to visit the park, authorities first told about 15,000 local people to stay out.
This episode is the first of two stories reported by freelance journalist Yardain Amron. In this tale, he explores the strategies of conservation at work in India’s Tirthan Valley, and what it took to create The Great Himalayan National Park over the course of two decades. What does it mean to “protect” the natural world? Who is doing the protecting, and who should it be protected from?
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
LINKS
To learn more about this approach to conservation, check out our episode on the origins of Yellowstone National Park, “Fortress Conservation.”
Dorceta Taylor, “The Rise of the American Conservation Movement.”
Bram Buscher and Robert Fletcher, “The Conservation Revolution.”
CREDITS
Host: Justine Paradis
Reported and produced by Yardain Amron
Edited by Taylor Quimby, with help from Justine Paradis
Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie
Mixed by Yardain Amron and Taylor Quimby
Additional Editing: Felix Poon and Jessica Hunt
Translation: Vibha Kumar
Special thanks to Guman Singh and Tony Gaston.
Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder
Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions
WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Sep 23, 2021 • 23min
Outside/Inbox: The Ramen Wasp Murders & Other Mysteries
We introduce our new mailbag segment: the Outside/Inbox, where we answer your questions about the natural world.
This time:
Question 1: What are those blue boxes sticking out of East Coast salt marshes?
Question 2: A bunch of wasps swarmed into my friend’s bowl of ramen and died. What poisoned the wasps?
Question 3: Did life begin on Earth just once? Or could it have happened multiple times during the same period?
Question 4: If you ironed out all the mountains in a place like New Hampshire - how much bigger would the surface area of the state be?
Do you have a question about the natural world? Submit it to the Outside/Inbox! Send a voice memo to outsidein@nhpr.org or call our hotline: 1-844-GO-OTTER.
Featuring: Gabrielle Sakolsky, Luke Steller, Jared Dyer, Debbie Maciecki, Larry Garland, and Russell Congalton
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
CREDITS
Produced and Reported by Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, Justine Paradis, and Felix Poon
Host: Justine Paradis
Edited by Taylor Quimby
Additional Editing: Cori Princell and Rebecca Lavoie
Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie
Mixed by Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, Justine Paradis, and Felix Poon
Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder
Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions
WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Sep 9, 2021 • 37min
Scents and Sensibility
Once upon a time, potpourri was a popular way to freshen up a space. Now, for some, it feels a bit like the lava lamp of fragrance: an outdated fad from a bygone decade.
So, why was potpourri so popular in the 1980’s, and what happened to it? Did the trend dry up… or just evolve?
We explore the transformation of potpourri, from the fermented mush of the Victorian era to the perfumed and colorful bag of pine cones of the eighties, and talk to a few of the people still making potpourri today.
Featuring: Yvette Weaver, Carly Still, Laure Moutet, Autumn Anderson, Paulus, and Ednita Tingle.
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Subscribe to our newsletter.
LINKS
An 1895 recipe from Sweet from Sweet Scented Flowers and Fragrant Leaves for 50-year moist potpourri (the recipe begins on page 42).
From Death Scents: more fascinating info on the history of medieval trends that predate potpourri and the rise of “rotten pot” potpourri.
Fragrant Potpourri Preserves the Floral Scents of Summer: A 1975 NYT article that bridges the gap between moist and dried potpourri recipes.
A 1988 Glade Potpourri Spray commercial
CREDITS
Hosted by Justine Paradis
Reported and produced by Taylor Quimby
Edited by Justine Paradis
Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie
Mixed by Taylor Quimby
Additional Editing: Felix Poon and Jessica Hunt
Special thanks to Rosalyn LaPier, Mark Nesbit, and to NHPR’s voices from the ‘80s: Nick Capodice, Josh Rogers, Emily Quirk, Patricia McLaughlin, Rick Ganley, and Rebecca Lavoie.
Theme music by Breakmaster Cylinder
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Ben Nestor
WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.

Aug 26, 2021 • 36min
Book Club: Four Lost Cities
Science journalist and sci-fi novelist Annalee Newitz thinks and writes a lot about the future. But in their latest book, Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age, Annalee looks at the distant past in four ancient cities: Pompeii (of the Roman Empire), Angkor (of the Khmer empire in modern day Cambodia), Catalhoyuk (the first known city in the world in today’s Turkey), and Cahokia (an indigenous city near what’s now St. Louis, Missouri).
Through these four cities, Annalee explores the past to understand our future. And, in the face of the existential threat of climate change, we talk about what the stories of these cities can tell us about humanity’s possible future.
The next Outside/In book club pick is Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach. It comes out on September 14, 2021.
Don’t forget to tag us @OutsideInRadio on Twitter and Instagram, and use the hashtag #ReadingOutsideIn to share your thoughts and questions about Four Lost Cities or Fuzz!
SUPPORT
Outside/In is made possible with member-support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In.
Subscribe to our newsletter
LINKS
Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age
CREDITS
Host: Justine Paradise
Written and reported by Felix Poon
Edited by Justine Paradise, Erika Janik, and Taylor Quimby
Executive Producer: Erika Janik
Mixed by Felix Poon
Music by Breakmaster Cylinder
WIN A NEW CAR OR 25K IN CASH DURING NHPR'S SUMMER RAFFLE! GET YOUR TICKETS HERE.