Environmental stories from the ground up.
Outside/In is a field-driven environmental show that starts with concrete scenes and follows them toward bigger stakes. Its reporting moves easily from Manhattan bird patrols and Maine dairy fights to geothermal, hunting camp, and the uneasy science of microplastics.
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Outside/In is environmental journalism with dirt under its nails and a good ear for human weirdness. It rarely begins with an abstract issue. It begins with someone walking a sidewalk, opening a barn door, getting into a car, standing in a patch of trees, or trying to explain why a plant can become concrete, clothing, or car parts. The show follows those small scenes toward larger questions about ecology, regulation, health, climate, and culture. In one episode, Melissa Breyer patrols near the World Trade Center for birds killed in window collisions, turning a quiet Manhattan morning into a story about migration and built environments. In another, Dan Brown's raw milk operation in Blue Hill, Maine becomes a fight over health codes, farming independence, and what happens when local conviction meets state authority. Microplastics are handled with similar patience. The show notices the TikTok detox claims, then asks what researchers can and cannot say about tiny plastics inside human bodies. It is skeptical without sounding smug. It is funny without ducking the stakes. A story about natural gas moves from Zainab Maghavi's old furnace to geothermal heating, methane leaks, Mothers Out Front, and a meeting with Bill Akeley of Eversource. A hunting episode follows Felix Poon toward his first trip with Hunters of Color, where logistics, discomfort, race, guns, and food ethics sit in the same room. The show also has room for odd detours, including the popularity of the northern cardinal, the psychology of red, and a hemp farmer named Freedom showing off the crop's industrial promise. Its range is broad, but the method is consistent. Start somewhere specific. Listen closely. Let the reporting complicate the easy version of the story. Outside/In is for curious listeners who want environmental coverage that feels reported from the ground, not issued from a podium. It makes the natural world feel less like a separate category and more like the messy system everyone is already living inside.
Made for: For listeners who like reported environmental stories with scene work, science, policy, and everyday stakes. It especially fits people who want nature coverage that can handle dead birds, raw milk, methane, hunting, and microplastics without turning stiff or preachy.
What sets it apart: Outside/In stands apart by treating environmental issues as lived stories, not lecture topics. Its strength is the move from odd, specific detail to larger systems, while keeping uncertainty, humor, and human friction in the frame.
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
Based on 5 episodes we listened to · September 2026
Outside/In brings documentary structure and sharp scene-making to environmental stories that move between household choices, scientific uncertainty and field investigation.
Outside/In turns environmental questions into reported scenes, practical conversations and carefully tested claims. Nate Hedgie and Halima Shah bring everyday unease about microplastics into contact with published research, while Nate Hedgie and Justine Paradis make clothing…
One minute you're mending trousers; the next, a game warden is searching 1.6 terabytes for deer.
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Short reviews from the PlayNext desk, based on the episodes we processed.
A careful look at microplastics, home testing, and the wellness claims built around them.
Outside/In turns an ordinary plastic habit into a quietly unnerving question: what is this material doing inside us? Nate Hedgie and Halima Shah begin with the things people touch every day - takeout boxes, Amazon packaging, cutting boards, Teflon - and move into the newer…
A home-repair story that opens into the climate fight over heat, methane, and who gets to decide.
A Cambridge fixer-upper with an ancient furnace turns into a clear-eyed story about how a home can be heated without combustion. Zainab traces the old system, connects natural gas to asthma risk for kids, and arrives at geothermal as a climate-minded replacement that still feels…
A repair-focused Outside/In episode that turns the closet into a funny, recognizable map of attachment.
Outside/In makes a clothing-repair topic feel immediate by opening with how people keep and sort what they wear. Nate Hedgie and Justine Paradis use a playful geologic theory of wardrobes to map the pieces kept close at hand, the special-occasion items pushed farther back, and…
A riverbank bust turns into a patient, oddly absorbing deer-poaching investigation.
Outside/In starts with a conservation officer on a cold spring morning pulling an illegal minnow trap from a New Hampshire river, then widens into deer poaching and baiting.
A glacier story that balances awe, shipboard texture, and the pressure of a medical evacuation.
Elizabeth Rush's journey aboard an icebreaker at the western edge of Antarctica builds steadily toward Thwaites Glacier and its vast wall of ice.
Wrestling toy talk with full collector brain.
Outside/In producer Taylor Quimby investigates a Vermont listener Jeannie Bartley's question of where commercial coyote urine comes from, starting with a $7 bottle bought at Bass Pro Shop.
This episode explores the work of volunteer Melissa Breyer, who documents and collects dead songbirds that have collided with glass windows during migration in New York City.
Outside/In producer Halima Shah tests her own blood for microplastics using a $360 kit from Brian Johnson's Blueprint company, then investigates whether any of the trendy 'microplastics cleanses' — from fiber supplements to sauna sessions to a $13,000 apheresis procedure — actually work.
Outside/In producer Felix Poon reports on the collaboration between Zainab Mugavi, a Cambridge climate activist, and Bill Akeley, president of Eversource's gas division, which led to the first utility-owned geothermal network in the United States — built in a neighborhood outside Boston in 2023 to heat dozens of homes, a public housing complex, a fire station, and a school.
This episode recounts the story of Dan Brown, a Maine farmer who faced a three-year legal battle with state health authorities over selling raw milk from his small farm.
This episode follows producer Felix Poon as he embarks on his first hunting trip with Hunters of Color, a non-profit that teaches people of color how to hunt in the Catskill Mountains.
This episode introduces a true crime podcast series about The Codfather, a figure in New Bedford's fishing industry who was arrested while trying to pass his business to his daughter.
This episode explores why the northern cardinal is the most popular state bird in the U.S., focusing on the psychological impact of its red color and how humans naturally respond to red in various contexts.
A hemp farmer shows the host his plants and discusses the many uses of hemp.
A live 10th anniversary episode of Outside/In featuring true stories on the theme of metamorphosis, exploring change in nature and storytelling.
A producer visits an animal rescue center in Sitka, Alaska, and encounters a raven named Onyx that can bark like a dog, challenging common perceptions of ravens.
A visit to an Irish sheep farm explores the deep history of pastoral landscapes and the government's plan to convert farmland into forest.
This episode introduces a series on PFAS chemicals, exploring their sources, health impacts, and the story of a family discovering contamination in their town's water.
This episode commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, focusing on the life and legacy of teacher Christa McAuliffe through interviews and stories.
The episode recounts the story of Christa McAuliffe, the teacher selected for NASA's Space Shuttle program, and its impact on her hometown of Concord, New Hampshire.
Nate Hedgie introduces a 1989 interview with Bill McKibben about his book 'The End of Nature' and early warnings on climate change.
Host Nate Hetchy introduces a repurposed episode about the cultural and sensory significance of food, starting with a watermelon carnival in Mississippi.
The hosts celebrate the show's 10th anniversary by reflecting on its longevity and listening back to the first episode.
This episode explores the history and science of movie snow, from bleached cornflakes to asbestos.
The hosts discuss the 2009 film Avatar, its cultural impact, and the upcoming third installment.
This episode explores the science of regeneration in animals, focusing on the three-banded panther worm's ability to regrow body parts and brains.
Outside/In producer Justine Paradis reports on the practice of clothing repair, beginning with data showing the average North American buys 35 pounds of clothing annually and most garments are worn only seven times before disposal.
A fish and game warden uncovers a complex poaching ring involving protected species and multiple federal agencies.
A former inmate describes harsh conditions at New Hampshire State Prison, part of an investigative series on a prison-related crime.
New Hampshire Fish and Game conservation officer Ron Arsenault describes the origins of Operation Nightcat, one of the biggest poaching cases in New Hampshire history, which began in December 2022 when a police chief noticed deer crossing the road near Tom Kelly's property and Ron found an illegal grain bait pile the next morning.
Writer Elizabeth Rush joined the first crewed expedition to Thwaites Glacier in February 2019, aboard the icebreaker RV Nathaniel B.
This episode explores how board game designer Matt Leacock created a cooperative game themed around a pandemic, inspired by his experiences with his wife to avoid competitive conflicts.
This episode explores the Turtle Rescue League, a dedicated operation rescuing turtles and tortoises, highlighting the intersection of wildlife conservation and human intervention.
The episode explores the cultural and scientific significance of refrigeration through a quirky fridge-based dating service.
A story about a road trip where a GPS leads a mother and daughter astray, highlighting our reliance on technology.
A producer visits a museum's mushroom collection and explores the growing cultural fascination with fungi.
The episode begins with a science riddle about what happens to a helium balloon when released, exploring the fate of the balloon and helium in the atmosphere.
This episode explores the emerging field of deep sea mining, examining its scientific, ethical, and geopolitical implications for the ocean and global resources.
This episode introduces a collaborative podcast series exploring the history, people, and controversies of the Appalachian Trail through a 12-part journey from Georgia to Maine.
This episode revisits the scientific accuracy of the original Jurassic Park film while announcing the podcast's return to broadcast on NHPR and discussing challenges facing public media.
A Portland, Maine resident shares her opposition to large cruise ships in the harbor, citing environmental damage and corporate greed based on her experiences in Venice, Italy.