Up From Dust

KCUR Studios
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Nature

Trees are swallowing prairies. Rivers are losing their fish. And stars are disappearing from view. Humans broke the environment — but we can heal some of the damage.Up From Dust is a podcast about the price of trying to shape the world around our needs, and how to live more sustainably. Host Celia Llopis-Jepsen brings you the stories of people across the Midwest and Great Plains who are working to fix our generational mistakes. From Harvest Public Media, KCUR Studios and the NPR Network.

  1. 10 Aug

    Getting more comfortable with 'sneks' and creepy-crawlies

    Justin was terrified of snakes – until he learned they’re scared of him, too. Tay’s fear was soothed after discovering the Internet’s affection for “nope ropes” and “danger noodles.” Can we ease our discomfort around critters by getting to know the animals? We spoke with psychologists, who offer their tips for overcoming phobias. This is part two of a two-part series on getting over the fears that spoil our outdoor fun.

  2. 20 Jul

    A nature lover confronts her fear of spiders

    How do you stop being so afraid? Tracy Twombly had such a strong phobia of spiders, it was messing with her life — stressing her out while she was working at her native plant nursery or hiking through the woods. So she embarked on a journey to make peace with her eight-legged neighbors (even the extra hairy ones). This is part one of a two-part series on getting over the fears that spoil our outdoor fun.

  3. 15 Jun

    Why you should kill your lawn

    All summer long, we run mowers over our lawns to keep them the perfect height – and run sprinklers to keep them emerald green. Add fertilizer and weedkillers into the mix, and it’s a real resource drain. But there’s something else about lawns: They’re inhospitable to most wildlife. Celia joins Marielle Segarra on NPR’s Life Kit to explain how to push back against American lawn culture by killing a small patch of grass and turning it into a wildlife friendly garden.

  4. 4 May

    Spying on box turtles

    Box turtles are cute and an absolute delight to spot while walking in the Midwest or Great Plains. But scientist Benjamin Reed wants us to know that these creatures are complex and widely misunderstood. Reed is a box turtle superspy, spending the last 13 years following the animals with radio equipment as they face daunting challenges like roads, lawnmowers, poachers and more. Reed has a laundry list of ways we can all help prairie turtles survive in a difficult world.

  5. 6 Apr

    Between land and water: Tribal relocation and resistance

    Climate change is altering the land we live on, and Indigenous communities are on the frontline. In this episode, we bring you to Alaska, where rapid permafrost thaw is threatening the Native village of Nunapitchuk. Then, we head to Louisiana, where the Pointe-Au-Chien Indian Tribe is watching their land disappear underwater due to sea level rise. These threats are forcing these tribes to make the difficult decision: to stay and adapt, or to leave their ancestral home. (This episode comes to us from the podcast Sea Change.)

  6. 2 Mar

    The bat scientist and the pecan farmer

    A Texas pecan farmer spent years rethinking whether he needed so many chemicals to grow food. He cut back on things like weedkillers, but when it came to ditching insecticides, crop pests posed a challenge. That’s what brought him together with a famous bat scientist — who helped him build an insect-eating army of bats.

  7. 2 Feb

    Stargazers, unite for science!

    Astronomers need your help! And you don’t have to be an expert, because it’s as easy as stepping outside your home and taking a good look at a constellation like Orion. For 20 years, the citizen science project Globe At Night has helped advance our understanding of light pollution – as scientists figure out how fast stars are disappearing from our sky.

  8. 7 Jan

    Our changing Midwest

    As we embark on our third year of Up From Dust, we discuss why we started an environmental podcast in the Midwest — and what we’ve learned along the way. In 2026, stay tuned for stories about farmers, astronomers, turtles, bats and more. We’ll overcome fears and rethink how we grow food and build our cities. And we’ll meet the people in the Heartland who tackle the challenge of climate change with determination and resolve. Thanks for coming along with us.

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About

Trees are swallowing prairies. Rivers are losing their fish. And stars are disappearing from view. Humans broke the environment — but we can heal some of the damage.Up From Dust is a podcast about the price of trying to shape the world around our needs, and how to live more sustainably. Host Celia Llopis-Jepsen brings you the stories of people across the Midwest and Great Plains who are working to fix our generational mistakes. From Harvest Public Media, KCUR Studios and the NPR Network.

Information

  • Creator
    KCUR Studios
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026
  • Show Website
    Up From Dust

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