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Outdoor Minimalist

Outdoor Minimalist

By: Black-Footed Ferret Productions LLC
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 A podcast raising awareness through conversation, information, and mindfulness regarding some of the most important environmental issues of our time. The goal of Outdoor Minimalist is to give outdoor enthusiasts and outdoor companies tools they can use to change their behavior when engaging in outdoor recreation to lower their overall environmental impact. INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/ WEBSITE: https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/ YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalistBlack-Footed Ferret Productions, LLC Politics & Government
Episodes
  • 206. The Most Widely Used Pesticide You’ve Likely Never Heard Of with Dan Raichel

    206. The Most Widely Used Pesticide You’ve Likely Never Heard Of with Dan Raichel
    Jan 12 2026

    What if one of the most widely used pesticides in the world is something most people have never even heard of, despite likely encountering it daily?

    In episode 206 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast we are discussing neonicotinoids, often called “neonics.”

    They’re the most commonly used insecticides in the United States, applied to crops, lawns, gardens, golf courses, and even found in flea and tick treatments for pets. They’re designed to make plants themselves toxic to insects—but that efficiency comes at a cost to people and the planet.

    So how are chemicals with these kinds of impacts still allowed in our food, water, and everyday products? And why has federal regulation lagged so far behind the science?

    To help answer those questions and more, I’m joined by Daniel Raichel, an expert on pollinators and pesticides at the Natural Resources Defense Council. The NRDC is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than three million members and online activists. Since 1970, NRDC has used science, policy, law, and people power to protect public health and confront the climate crisis.

    Dan is an attorney by training and directs NRDC’s work focused on protecting bees and other wildlife from toxic pesticides. Before joining NRDC’s Nature Program, he co-directed the Community Fracking Defense Project and worked on industrial pollution cleanup in the New York region.

    Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

    YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalist

    Buy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/outdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠

    Listener Survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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    More Information

    Dan Raichel: https://www.nrdc.org/bio/daniel-raichel

    Neonics 101: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/neonicotinoids-101-effects-humans-and-bees

    The Toxic Truth: https://www.nrdc.org/resources/neonics-toxic-truth

    NRDC sues EPA: https://www.nrdc.org/press-releases/nrdc-sues-epa-unreasonable-delay-addressing-toxic-pesticides-food
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    41 mins
  • 205. Are We Fighting Wildfires Wrong? with Connor Nelson

    205. Are We Fighting Wildfires Wrong? with Connor Nelson
    Jan 5 2026
    Happy New Year, and welcome back to the Outdoor Minimalist podcast. After a much-needed hiatus, I’ve had time to reflect on where this show is headed—and how I can better manage the energy and care that go into producing it.With that in mind, I want to share a few updates you can expect as we move through 2026.First, our Monday episodes aren’t changing. We’ll continue releasing weekly expert interviews on a wide range of topics, many of which come directly from listener requests. If there’s a topic or guest you’d love to hear on the show, I’d genuinely love to know. You can reach out to me on social media or through theoutdoorminimalist.com.Our Friday episodes are where you’ll see a small shift. We’ll continue covering public lands policy, but in a more focused way. There are incredible organizations—like Western Priorities and the newly founded Re:Public—doing dedicated, in-depth public lands reporting, and we want to help support and uplift that work. Producing two episodes every week, with one being a news-focused show, isn’t sustainable long-term, so moving forward, Friday episodes will be released every other week.The good news is that public lands coverage isn’t going away—it’ll just be less frequent on the podcast. For more regular updates, you can follow us on Instagram and TikTok, or subscribe to our weekly newsletter. And when those Friday episodes do drop, I hope you’ll continue tuning in.So, to recap: Monday episodes will continue weekly, just as they have for the past three years, and Friday episodes will now be released every other Friday.Now, onto the show.In episode 205 of the Outdoor Minimalist podcast, we are talking about wildfire—but not in the way it’s usually framed.So much of the public conversation around fire focuses on catastrophe: dramatic footage, scorched landscapes, and endless debates about forest thinning or suppression. But what often gets lost is the science—and more importantly, the solutions that actually determine whether homes and communities survive when fire inevitably arrives.My guest today has spent years working at the intersection of wildfire science, film, and public understanding, pushing back against misinformation and tragedy-only narratives in favor of something more constructive: community resilience.Connor Nelson is a Los Angeles–based cinematographer and documentary filmmaker whose work centers on wildfire, mental health, and addiction. Connor recently shot Inside the L.A. Firestorm, a NASA-supported documentary examining the Palisades and Eaton fires, and he’s currently working on an eight-part documentary series focused on wildfire, solutions-based storytelling, and what actually protects communities. Across his work, he challenges the media’s tendency to chase tragedy and misinformation, asking a harder—but far more useful—question: What would it look like if we told stories that changed outcomes instead of just documenting loss?Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/outdoor.minimalist.book/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.theoutdoorminimalist.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/@theoutdoorminimalistBuy Me a Coffee: ⁠⁠⁠https://buymeacoffee.com/outdoorminimalist⁠⁠⁠Listener Survey: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://forms.gle/jd8UCN2LL3AQst976⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠------------------Connor NelsonWebsite: https://www.connornelsondp.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/connornelson.dop/Inside the LA Firestorm: https://www.pbs.org/video/weathered-inside-the-la-firestorm-l31r0b/
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    32 mins
  • Hiatus

    Hiatus
    Nov 14 2025

    For over three years, the Outdoor Minimalist platform has been a big part of my existence and growth as a creative and journalist.

    I've put a lot into the show, especially this year when we added a Friday episode about public lands.

    But I need a break.

    With the recent passing of my dog, Ash, I need time to process and grieve the loss of my best friend and biggest inspiration. Ash is the reason I was able to write my book, create two podcasts, and chase my dreams. He walked beside me, quite literally, every single day for the last eight years.

    That said, we aren't ending the show, but for now, we're on pause.

    Ash's strength and propensity for motion until the very end will continue to inspire me. He loved our public lands and wild spaces more than anyone else I know.

    So, in the meantime, I'm going outside to grieve and recharge so I can live to fight another day to protect the spaces we so cherished in our life together.

    If you've enjoyed the show up until this point and want to show us some love, consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts.

    Stay tuned for more to come. 🌈
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    3 mins
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