They say spending time in nature can change your life. But in a world packed with indoor life pressures, how can you make getting outside just a part of who you are?
Welcome to the Humans Outside podcast, where we explore life in the great outdoors from our perch in Alaska, all while hearing from fascinating outdoor-minded guests.
Spending a lot of time outdoors? You might find that you’ve started caring about the environment more than you used to. While Amy was a kid, “environmentalism” was seen by her family as a bad thing. But today she knows loving nature means taking care of it. And so she’s started doing some simple tasks to put those feelings into action.
[:50] What environmentalism was to Amy growing up
[1:58] How she thinks about environmentalism now
[2:14] Why spending time outside makes you care about the environment
[3:00] The selfishness of loving the environment
[3:22] What this has to do with “leave no trace”
[3:45] What it has to do with buying used stuff
[4:00] What it has to do with how you spend your time
No matter where you live you probably regularly see at least one kind of animal outside your window: birds. City or country, birds serve the ecosystem while providing humans with beauty, curiosity and entertainment.
And if you spend any time noticing them, you are already participating in birding. Feeling curious and want to learn more about these feathered friends? That’s where today’s guest, Yamina Nater-Otero, comes in. As a program coordinator for Audubon New York based in New York City, she knows that you don’t need to live somewhere with big forests or nearby mountains to learn about and watch birds. And in her role as secretary for Amplify the Future, she knows you also don’t need to look a certain way or come from any special background to participate. Birding and all of nature is for everyone.
In this episode of Humans Outside Yamina talks to us about how literally anyone can become a birder and the importance of birds in the use of nearby nature.
[3:04] Yamina Nater-Otero’s favorite outdoor space
[4:11] How Yamina became someone who likes to go outside
[5:39] How she got into birding
[7:12] What is her favorite bird and, also, is it possible to have a favorite bird?
[8:09] Amy’s favorite bird
[11:46] How birding was an outdoor gateway
[13:58] Misconceptions about birding
[18:20] What is a birder?
[22:49] Useful bonus items for birding
[24:17] What kind of binoculars to buy if you want some
[26:39] How to create a happy bird space
[29:48] How to get started with birding
[32:07] How birding might be a gateway activity
[35:17] Birding can even make you love this place
[38:10] Yamina’s favorite outdoor gear
[39:24] Yamina’s favorite outdoor moment
As so many faith traditions celebrate holy days in the spring, Amy has been thinking about the spirituality of heading outside and the ways her faith background misses the boat on understanding and appreciating spirituality in nature.
[:47] Is nature spiritual?
[1:03] Why we rarely talk about spirituality on Humans Outside
[2:05] The mistake of some faith traditions
[3:27] Where the Bible talks about the spiritual connection of nature
[3:58] A scripture connection to nature
If you spend time with nature you might start to feel like the great outdoors is a friend that you want to take extra care of. Even if you’ve been interested in conservation before, it might now seem more personal, more important.
But spending time outside also means you’re using nature more than you used to. So how can you maximize your time in nature while also creating a minimalist lifestyle? Today’s guest, Meg Carney, offers help for environmentally-minded outdoor uses through her podcast Outdoor Minimalist and upcoming book of the same title.
[2:51] Meg Carney’s favorite outdoor space
[4:01] How Meg learned to love to go outside
[5:54] Why people get into conservation
[7:15] What is “minimalism?”
[11:45] Meg’s book and podcast
[13:55] How to be a minimalist without also living in a tiny house
[23:40] Does one person’s minimalism matter in the big picture?
[30:00] How should the outdoor industry fit into this?
[36:34] Simple steps you can take towards minimalism right now
[40:00] Meg’s favorite outdoor gear
[44:30] Meg’s favorite outdoor moment
The great thing about nature is that it will always have what you need. But how do you know what that is? In this episode, Amy talks about a little bit of her journey to understand how to get what she needs from heading outside.
[:45] How seeking what I need got started
[2:00] The unique thing about a relationship with nature
[2:11] Why you’re not actually giving anything back so don’t say you are
[2:25] Why nature is like a buffet
[3:00] How people figure out what they need
[3:40] What you really have to do
[3:51] What I’ve been up to
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans
Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. The following is an edited transcript of this episode of Humans