Outside/In

If climate change were a choose-your-own-adventure story

Dean Russell had just wrapped several reporting projects on climate change, mental health, and COVID. “My world was just so serious,” he said. That’s when his boss approached Dean with an idea. What if they made a fiction podcast about climate change? At first Dean wasn’t sold, but a few years later he’s become a full believer, and is the co-creator of WBUR’s The Midnight Rebellion, a choose-your-own-adventure podcast set in a futuristic climate-ravaged Boston. This week we’re sharing the first episode of the series. But we also hear from Dean directly about what it was like to tackle such a different kind of storytelling and why he thinks embracing a format borrowed from a hit book-genre of the nineties is so apt for exploring climate action. Featuring Dean Russell, and the cast of The Midnight Rebellion. To hear the rest of the series, subscribe to The Midnight Rebellion wherever you get your podcasts. Interview portion produced by Taylor Quimby. The Midnight Rebellion is produced by Dean Russell. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Willy Wonka factory of product testing

Producer Felix Poon goes on a field trip to the headquarters of Consumer Reports, where they test snow blowers on wet sawdust, drop bicycle helmets on anvils, and cover space heaters in towels to see how long it takes them to catch fire. How do they come up with this stuff? And, in a world of rampant consumerism, can Consumer Reports really be a force for good? Featuring Barrie Rosen, Paul Hope, Chris Regan, Scott Collum, Matt Schimmenti, Indu Sunkara, Paolo Fu, Sana Mujahid, Joan Muratore, and Phil Radford. Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS In Consumer Reports’ very first issue were investigations into the difference between Grade A versus Grade B milk (there was none) and the practice of “slack-fill,” when cereal companies put more air than cereal in their cereal boxes. Learn more about some of the topics referenced throughout the episode: Gas vs. Battery Lawn Mower: Which Is Better? Battery Platform Buying Guide Reducing the Risk of Arsenic in Rice Do you have the right to repair? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fiasco al fresco

At the height of summer, when so many of us are grabbing picnic blankets, hitting the beach, and embracing an al fresco lifestyle, a tale of two outdoor events gone spectacularly wrong. Featuring Anika Krause, Samuel Edward-Cook, Eloise Barker, Simon Vargas, and Stephen Deng. Produced by Marina Henke. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS You can watch the 2014 production of Titus Andronicus on the Globe’s website. As discussed, it’s incredibly bloody. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Night Owls

For over ten years, biologist Mark Higley has been stalking the forests of the Hoopa Valley Reservation with a shotgun. His mission? To save the endangered northern spotted owl. How? By shooting the more aggressive barred owl, which has spread from eastern forests into the Pacific Northwest. In 2024, the federal government made a plan to scale these efforts by killing hundreds of thousands of barred owls across multiple states. Today, despite lawsuits and opposition, that plan is just beginning to ramp up. But can it really save the northern spotted owl? And is the barred owl really “invasive”… or just expanding its range? In this episode, Nate Hegyi dons a headlamp and heads into the forest with Mark Higley to catch a glimpse of these two rivals, and find out what it takes to kill these charismatic raptors, night after night, in the name of conservation. This episode was first published in 2024. Featuring Mark Higley, Tom Wheeler, and Wayne Pacelle. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. ADDITIONAL MATERIALS The federal government’s barred owl management plan is very long but they have a helpful list of frequently asked questions. Check out some beautiful photos of Mark Higley’s work in this Audubon magazine story from a few years ago. Curious about the timber wars? Oregon Public Broadcasting has an excellent podcast miniseries you should listen to. Animal rights groups have sued to stop the plan from moving forward; in the meantime, People Magazine has reported that culling of barred owls is ramping up in the Yakama Indian Reservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The sunscreen episode

As consumers, we’re looking for a lot in our sunscreen. Not only do we want it to protect us from sunburns and skin cancer, we also want it to be invisible, lightweight, waterproof, nontoxic, shelf-stable, and cheap. Can we have it all in one product? Sometimes, the answer might be no. It’s high time for the Outside/In team to take a closer look at this surprisingly high-tech lotion that we apply every day (in theory). We review the definition of SPF, the choice between mineral and chemical filters, and if sunscreen is safe for our bodies and the environment. Featuring Anna Wang, David Whiteman, Ade Adamson, and Alexa Friedman. Produced by Justine Paradis. For full transcript and credits, visit outsideinradio.org. SUPPORT Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast. Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices