Outside/In

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.

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LINKS + FURTHER READING 

Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm

Hannah Kirshner, author of Water, Wood, and Wild Things: Learning Craft and Cultivation in a Japanese Mountain Town

Fukuoka 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 Nation

For 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 Korn

CREDITS

Special 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 Kirshner

Produced and mixed by Justine Paradis

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Additional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix Poon

Translation help from Michael Thornton

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional 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.

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LINKS + FURTHER READING 

Masanobu Fukuoka Natural Farm

Fukuoka’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 Nation

For 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 Korn

CREDITS

Special 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 Kirshner

Produced and mixed by Justine Paradis

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Additional editing: Rebecca Lavoie and Felix Poon

Translation help from Michael Thornton

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional 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

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LINKS

On The Fence: Chipko Movement Re-visited

The Axing of the Himalayas

Appiko (To Embrace)

CREDITS

Reported and produced by Felix Poon

Host: Justine Paradis

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Additional editing by Justine Paradis, and Erika Janik

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Mixed by Felix Poon

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional 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.

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CREDITS

How to Save a Planet is a Spotify original podcast and Gimlet production.
Host: Alex Blumberg
Episode producer: Kendra Pierre-Louis
Show producers: Anna Ladd, Rachel Waldholz and Hannah Chinn 
Intern: Nicole Welch
Supervising producers: Lauren Silverman and Kaitlyn Bogucki
Editor: Caitlin Kenney.
Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard
Original music by Peter Leonard, Catherine Anderson and Emma Munger
Fact-checking: James Gaines
Special 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 Lavoie
Theme: 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.

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Outside/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!

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'FRILUFTSLIV' GEAR TIPS

Interested 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 RECOMMENDATIONS

Jessica: 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' IDEAS

Taylor: 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. 

CREDITS

Produced and mixed by Taylor Quimby

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Additional editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, and Rebecca Lavoie

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional 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 [email protected] 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.

SUPPORT

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CREDITS

Reported and produced by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine Paradis

Host: Justine Paradis

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Additional editing by Cori Princell

Executive producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Mixed by Felix Poon, Taylor Quimby, Jessica Hunt, and Justine Paradis

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional 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_environment

Follow On The Green Fence on Instagram: @dw_globalideas

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LINKS

For more on the “meat paradox” that Neil and Gabriel mention in this episode, check out our previous episode The Meat Matrix. 

CREDITS

On 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 Hunt

Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Theme 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.

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LINKS

More about Mary Roach

CREDITS

Produced by Taylor Quimby and Jessica Hunt

Edited by Justine Paradis

Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Mixed by Taylor Quimby

Additional Editing: Jessica Hunt, and Felix Poon

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions

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

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 Pakarati

SUPPORT

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LINKS

A profile of Sergio Rapu Haoa for the 2002 Rotary World Peace Scholars program at Berkeley

Eating 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 Documentary

Lectures by Terry Hunt and Carl Lipo

CREDITS

Reported and produced by Felix Poon

Edited by Taylor Quimby

Executive Producer: Rebecca Lavoie

Mixed by Felix Poon

Additional Editing: Justine Paradis, Jessica Hunt, Rebecca Lavoie, and Erika Janik

Special thanks to Effie Kong, and Daniela Allee for her Spanish and Rapanui voiceovers.

Theme: Breakmaster Cylinder

Additional Music by Blue Dot Sessions

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

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

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