Outside/In

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When it comes to the environment, are natural fabrics better than synthetics? The answer might surprise you.

In this episode we compare the carbon footprints of polyester versus cotton, ask the experts whether our waterproof clothes are killing us, and talk about the number one thing you can do to make more sustainable clothing choices.

This episode was first published in June 2023.

Featuring Lucy Allosso, Jessian Choy, Joel Svedlund, and Akiera Charles.

Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

Our colleagues at NHPR’s Document team made a whole series about PFAS called Safe to Drink. If you want to learn more about PFAS, we highly recommend listening.

Check out our recent episode on microplastics.

The Bed-Stuy clothes swap was started in 2018 by Akiera Charles. You can see photos of past clothes swaps on their Instagram page.

Lucky Sweater is an app for trading clothes, and they’ve also got an “approved brand” list of companies that make more high-quality garments and provide livable wages across the supply chain.

There’s lots of other buy/sell/trade sites online like noihsafbazaar.com and Sell Trade Slow Fashion on Instagram. You can also use gem.app to search many resale sites at once, but you’re also likely to find local groups near you by simply searching for clothes swaps, Buy Nothing, or buy/sell/trade on Facebook and Google.

If you’re looking for slow fashion brands, some companies take preorders and only manufacture the amount ordered, reducing waste from unsold clothing. Elizabeth Suzann and Gustin are examples of this model.

Here are other actions you can take for a safer and more sustainable wardrobe:

Look for third-party certifications, like GOTS 7.0, OEKO-TEX (specifically Made in Green, Standard 100, or Leather Standard), Bluesign, ZDHC, and Cradle to Cradle Certified.

Consider brands that source from countries with cleaner energy grids. According to the Amplifying Misinformation report, the average factory in Bangladesh, Turkey, Vietnam, and Cambodia will have a Greenhouse Gas impact about 20% lower than brands sourcing from India, Indonesia, and China. And brands sourcing from the average factory in Pakistan, Italy, and Portugal will have an impact that’s 50-60% lower.

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A Christmas tree farmer with dementia named Jay Hickey vanishes from his small town in rural New Hampshire. Jay's wife Patty never reports him missing. A tipster claims "a lot of strangeness is starting to emerge" – and they're right.

From our colleagues on the Document team at New Hampshire Public Radio, the season three premiere of Bear Brook, A Private Matter, tells a story about family estrangement, the growing dementia crisis, and the legal gaps that leave vulnerable people behind.

To listen to more of the new season, follow Bear Brook here: https://play.megaphone.fm/3gfaxmufro-bjytd5eobrg

Visit the Bear Brook website to find photos from Jason's reporting and transcripts of each episode.

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
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To hear an ad-free version of this episode, join our Patreon.

Producer Felix Poon used to be a reckless moped driver who weaved in between semi trucks. Now he’s a cautious cyclist constantly looking over his shoulder for the slightest sign of danger, wondering why he still bikes at all.

To figure it out, Felix enlists the help of other cyclists. A city bike commuter who dismisses his mom's concerns about his safety. A self-identified "fat" woman who gets back on the bike after years of not biking. And a father who wished his son would risk the kind of scraped knees and broken bones he got when he was a kid.

Together, Felix and the gang consider what biking means to their lives, and what, at the end of the day, gets them back on the saddle.

Featuring Reece Taylor Williams, Marley Blonsky, and Taylor Quimby.

Produced by Felix Poon. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

CONNECT WITH US

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org. We answer questions about nature, climate change, sustainability, humans and evolution, and more. No question is too serious or too silly.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

The “Four Types of Cyclists” paper was written for the city of Portland, Oregon to try to understand risk tolerance and whether people choose to bike or not. Which type are you?

Photojournalist Reece Taylor Williams’ “Self-portrait, Die in for cyclists killed in hit-and-runs in New York City, City Hall Park, August, 26, 2026” (Instagram)

Learn more about Marley Blonsky’s size inclusivity work through the organization she cofounded called All Bodies on Bikes.
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“Operation Night Cat” is a special series from NHPR’s ⁠Document ⁠team and ⁠Outside/In.

Since we first brought you this series in November 2025, there have been two big updates. Host Nate Hegyi sits down with producer Jason Moon to explain.

Missed it the first time? Check out the original three-part series here.

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.
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On a recent fishing trip, Nate came across a bone-chilling sight. It was a salmon that seemed kind of… dead. Its skin was falling off, it smelled horrible, and it didn’t have any eyes. Turns out, Nate had stumbled onto a (barely) living example of a recent listener question: “Are there any real-life zombies?”

From mutant looking fish to the science behind mysterious lights that flicker in cemeteries, in this Outside/Inbox roundup the team takes on your Halloween curiosities.

Here’s the questions we cover…

Are there any real-life zombies?

Are bone conduction headphones better or worse for preventing hearing loss?

Can you eat those giant decorative pumpkins?

What’s the science behind will o’ the wisp lights?

Featuring Daniel Teske, Rick Neitzel, and Richard Zare. Thanks to Amelia, Shaina, and Meg for their questions.

Our next roundup theme is all about the cold! Send us your questions and you might hear them on the show. Email outsidein@nhpr.org or leave a voicemail at 1-844-GO-OTTER.

Produced by Marina Henke, Felix Poon, and Nate Hegyi. For full credits and transcript, visit outsideinradio.org

Episode logo artwork adapted from “Will o' the Wisp and the Snake” by Hermann Hendrich (Public Domain).

CONNECT WITH US

Outside/In is made possible with listener support. Click here to join our Patreon and get ad-free episodes of the podcast.

To share your questions and feedback with Outside/In, leave a voicemail on our listener hotline, 1-844-GO-OTTER, or email outsidein@nhpr.org.

Follow Outside/In on Instagram, TikTok, or join our private discussion group on Facebook.

ADDITIONAL MATERIALS

The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service have a lengthy page detailing the horrors of zombie salmon. You have been warned.

The current pumpkin record-holder we mentioned was a recent upset! Congratulations to Ron Wallace in Greene, Rhode Island.

Hermann Hendrich’s 1901 painting, “Will-o'-the-wisp Dance.”

You can read Richard Zare’s 2025 paper presenting his microlightning theory here. Check out our webpage to see videos of the phenomenon.
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