Outside/In

When Jocelyn Smith was growing up, she told her friends and family she didn’t want to go to college. Instead, her goal was to hike all 2,190 miles of the Appalachian Trail, a rugged journey spanning from northern Georgia to central Maine. Last year, she finally realized that dream in a seven-month long, life-changing adventure.But as soon as she started her descent from the last mountain summit, she started to wonder… what now? What did all of this mean? For the thousands of people who “thru-hike” the world’s longest trails, this is actually a well-known phenomenon. They call it “the post-trail blues.'' If getting out into nature is supposed to be restorative, why do so many long-distance hikers report feeling depressed after they finish? In this episode, we explore how an epic hike turns into a new identity, and ask why some of the biggest achievements of our lives can leave us feeling strangely empty. Featuring Jocelyn Smith, Shalin Desai, Joseph Robinson, and Anne Baker.If you or someone you know is struggling with depression, reach out to the folks at the Crisis Text Line, a texting service for emotional crisis support. To speak with a trained listener, text HELLO to 741741. It is free, available 24/7, and confidential. SUPPORTOutside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to become a sustaining member of Outside/In. Subscribe to our free newsletter.Follow Outside/In on Instagram and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook  LINKSJocelyn Smith’s blog for The TrekShalin Desai’s piece about diversity on the trail, originally published in A.T. Journeys, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy magazine. More information about the life and music of Earl Shaffer, the first known person to have thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail from end-to-end. Anne Baker’s article for The Trek, titled Post-Trail Depression: It’s Not What You ThinkOur previous episode on Baxter State Park, featuring ultramarathoner Scott Jurek: “Champagne on The Rocks” CREDITSProduced and mixed by Taylor QuimbyExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, Felix Poon, and Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions, River Foxcroft, Dew of Light, Golden Age Radio, Matt Large, and Earl Shaffer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When writer Elizabeth Rush visited neighborhoods already transformed by rising seas, she noticed that many people did not use terms like “climate change.” They still talked about it – it’s just that they talked about it in terms of their own experiences: the dolphins, swimming in tidal creeks further inland than ever before… how the last big flood wasn’t gradual, but fast and sudden.In this episode, we’re looking for new ways to discuss climate change with Elizabeth Rush, author of Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore. While some books about climate change are heavy on politics and UN reports, Rising is not that. Instead, Elizabeth focuses on the people, species, and communities on the leading edge of sea level rise, from New York to California, Louisiana and even to the mountains of Oregon.  “A good friend of mine… was like, ‘This is the first climate book I've also read that has zero quotes from politicians.’ That wasn't purposeful, but I looked back and was sort of proud of that,” Elizabeth said. 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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook  LINKSElizabeth Rush's websiteRising: Dispatches from the New American Shore CREDITSHosted by Justine Paradis and Felix PoonReported, produced, and mixed by Justine ParadisEdited by Rebecca LavoieAdditional editing: Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Jessica HuntExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Chris Zabriskie and Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decades before the first international permaculture conference or certified organic tomato, a farmer on an island in southern Japan turned his back on industrial agriculture and devoted his life to finding a different way of farming.Masanobu Fukuoka was working as a plant pathologist when he experienced a revelation – and promptly quit his job and returned home to his family farm. Eventually, he wrote The One-Straw Revolution, a manifesto on his method, shizen noho, and the philosophy of “do-nothing farming.” Published in 1978, the book has been described by writer Michael Pollan as “one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement.” But its reach goes far beyond farming: The One Straw Revolution has been translated into 25 languages and is admired by artists, writers, and philosophers. Fukuoka passed away in 2008, but his grandson, Hiroki Fukuoka, is still living and farming there today. In the second part of the story of Fukuoka and “do-nothing” farming, writer Hannah Kirshner journeys to the place where he lived and farmed, to see shizen noho, as it is today. Featuring Hiroki Fukuoka, with appearances by Akiko Fukuoka, Taro Nakamura, and Atsushi Tada.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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKS + FURTHER READING Masanobu Fukuoka Natural FarmHannah Kirshner, author of Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain TownFukuoka in discussion with Bill Mollison and Wes Jackson for Mother Earth News, which took place at the Second International Permaculture Conference in Washington state.Many of those practicing natural farming in Japan learned about it from Yoshikazu Kawaguchi, who adapted Fukuoka’s practice and started a natural farming school called Akame Shizennou Jyuku.The 1978 review of The One Straw Revolution in Akwesasne Notes, a newspaper published by the Mohawk NationFor more on the story behind the book’s publication and Fukuoka’s travels in the United States: The One Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka by Larry KornCREDITSSpecial thanks to Tim Crews and the Land Institute, ethnobotanist Justin Robinson, Jeffrey Gray of Fenlake Farm, Paul Quirk of Ishiharaya farm, Bill Vitek, and Atsushi Tada and Taro Nakamura, who work with the Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm. Reported and written by Justine Paradis and Hannah KirshnerProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix PoonTranslation help from Michael ThorntonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Patrick Patrikios and Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Decades before the first international permaculture conference or certified organic tomato, a farmer on an island in southern Japan turned his back on industrial agriculture and devoted his life to finding a different way of farming.Masanobu Fukuoka was working as a plant pathologist when he experienced a revelation – and promptly quit his job and returned home to his family farm. Eventually, he wrote The One-Straw Revolution, a manifesto on his method, shizen noho, and the philosophy of “do-nothing farming.” Published in 1978, the book has been described by writer Michael Pollan as “one of the founding documents of the alternative food movement.” But its reach goes far beyond farming: The One Straw Revolution has been translated into 25 languages and is admired by artists, writers, and philosophers. What is it about this slim green book that has touched so many people? Part I tells the “origin story” of Masanobu Fukuoka, and how his ideas spread far beyond his home on the Japanese island of Shikoku. In Part II, we journey to that corner of southern Japan, and the mountain where Masanobu Fukuoka once lived and farmed, to see shizen noho in action today.Featuring Takeshi Watanabe, Robin Calderon, and Hiroki Fukuoka.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 and TwitterJoin our private podcast discussion group on Facebook LINKS + FURTHER READING Masanobu Fukuoka Natural FarmFukuoka’s discussion with Bill Mollison and Wes Jackson for Mother Earth News, which took place in 1986 at the Second  International Permaculture Conference in Washington state.Many of those practicing natural farming in Japan learned about it from Yoshikazu Kawaguchi, who adapted Fukuoka’s practice and started a natural farming school called Akame Shizennou Jyuku.The 1978 review of The One Straw Revolution in Akwesasne Notes, a newspaper published by the Mohawk NationFor more on the story behind the book’s publication and Fukuoka’s travels in the United States: The One Straw Revolutionary: The Philosophy and Work of Masanobu Fukuoka by Larry KornCREDITSSpecial thanks to Tim Crews and the Land Institute, ethnobotanist Justin Robinson, Jeffrey Gray of Fenlake Farm, Paul Quirk of Ishiharaya farm, Bill Vitek, and Atsushi Tada and Taro Nakamura, who work with the Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm. Reported and written by Justine Paradis and Hannah KirshnerProduced and mixed by Justine ParadisExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix PoonTranslation help from Michael ThorntonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Blue Dot Sessions and Patrick Patrikios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 21, 2021, an influential environmental activist died of Covid-19 and you probably didn’t hear about it. Sunderlal Bahuguna’s passing didn’t make the major news outlets in the US, but it was a big deal in India, where he was the renowned leader of the Chipko movement against deforestation in the 1970s. Chipko is a Hindi word for “hugging”, but according to Bahuguna, he was just the messenger of the movement. “It was the ladies who hugged the trees,” he said.This story is about the life and legacy of Sunderlal Bahuguna, and the tree huggers that saved India’s forests.Featuring: Haritima Bahuguna 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 LINKSOn The Fence: Chipko Movement Re-visitedThe Axing of the HimalayasAppiko (To Embrace) CREDITSReported and produced by Felix PoonHost: Justine ParadisEdited by Taylor QuimbyAdditional editing by Justine Paradis, and Erika JanikExecutive producer: Rebecca LavoieMixed by Felix PoonTheme: Breakmaster CylinderAdditional music by Saumya Bahuguna, Samuel Corwin, and Blue Dot Sessions Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know that a key part of addressing climate change involves getting off fossil fuels. But renewable energies, such as solar energy, are not without costs. One key cost? It uses a lot of land. The team at How to Save a Planet takes a look at one creative solution to this problem – mixing solar panels with agriculture. And they are not at all sheepish about the role of one very adorable four legged animal.Featuring How to Save a Planet. 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 CREDITSHow to Save a Planet is a Spotify original podcast and Gimlet production.Host: Alex BlumbergEpisode producer: Kendra Pierre-LouisShow producers: Anna Ladd, Rachel Waldholz and Hannah Chinn Intern: Nicole WelchSupervising producers: Lauren Silverman and Kaitlyn BoguckiEditor: Caitlin Kenney.Sound design and mixing by Peter LeonardOriginal music by Peter Leonard, Catherine Anderson and Emma MungerFact-checking: James GainesSpecial thanks to Alex DePillis at the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, and Tonje Waxman and Brooks Mixon at Sun Raised Farms. Outside/In team: Justine Paradis, Taylor Quimby, Felix Poon, and Jessica Hunt.Executive producer: Rebecca LavoieTheme: Breakmaster Cylinder Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices