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Highway Reborn as Public Park
The four-lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco, where it was at risk of flooding from sea level rise. Now it’s been transformed into a park where visitors can bike, walk, skate, and play next to the water.
Gardening for Special Needs
For people with developmental or physical disabilities, growing plants in a garden may offer personal growth opportunities that unlock new possibilities outside of the garden too. An avid gardener and occupational therapist speaks about her book Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs.
Great Blue Heron
The subtle grey plumage of the great blue heron can be appreciated across open water and wetlands in much of the Western Hemisphere. Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender observed a mother heron nurturing her chicks by the Black Hall River in Connecticut.
Baby Right Whales Bring Hope
North Atlantic Right whales were once so thoroughly hunted they nearly went extinct. When hunting these mammals was outlawed, they slowly started to bounce back, but today Right whales are dealing with newer deadly threats, such as fishing gear entanglement and warming in the Gulf of Maine. So, it’s a relief to advocates to have a successful calving season like this year with 23 new calves, the most since 2009.
Tylenol Upcycled From Plastic
Scientists in the UK were able to use genetically modified bacteria to turn plastic bottles into the common pain reliever acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and Tylenol. The lead researcher speaks with us about the potential applications of this biotech breakthrough.
Major National Climate Victory in S. Korea
The recipient of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Asia is South Korean activist Borim Kim. She and her organization, Youth 4 Climate Action, sued the South Korean government on the grounds that it was putting future generations at risk. And in August of 2024, they won a historic decision at the South Korean Constitutional Court, making this case the first successful youth-driven climate litigation in Asia.
Community-Led Wildfire Prevention in Africa
Nigerian conservation ecologist Iroro Tanshi rediscovered the short-tailed roundleaf bat in 2016, after decades when it was believed extinct in the region. The species is still critically endangered, with habitat loss from wildfires as one of its top threats. So Iroro joined with local groups to start a community-led program to develop safer field burning practices and wildfire fighting strategies, and she is the recipient of the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize for Africa.
Celebrating 30 years of Living on Earth!
Host Steve Curwood in the Living on Earth studio
Join the Living on Earth Book Club on October 13th!
Bestselling science journalist Ed Yong joins us to talk about his new book. Click here to learn more and register!
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Highway Reborn as Public Park
The four-lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco, where it was at risk of flooding from sea level rise. Now it’s been transformed into a park where visitors can bike, walk, skate, and play next to the water.
Gardening for Special Needs
For people with developmental or physical disabilities, growing plants in a garden may offer personal growth opportunities that unlock new possibilities outside of the garden too. An avid gardener and occupational therapist speaks about her book Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs.
The Light Between Apple Trees
As the air turns crisp in the northern U.S., many of us are heading out for the autumn tradition of apple picking. Priyanka Kumar, author of The Light Between Apple Trees: Rediscovering the Wild Through a Beloved American Fruit, shares the fascinating and complex science and history behind the iconic apple and why apple trees have so captivated her since childhood.
This Week’s Show
August 28, 2026
listen / download
Highway Reborn as Public Park
listen / download
The four-lane Great Highway used to run along the Pacific Ocean on the west side of San Francisco, where it was at risk of flooding from sea level rise. Now it’s been transformed into a park where visitors can bike, walk, skate, and play next to the water.
Gardening for Special Needs
listen / download
For people with developmental or physical disabilities, growing plants in a garden may offer personal growth opportunities that unlock new possibilities outside of the garden too. An avid gardener and occupational therapist speaks about her book Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Gardening for Special Needs.
Great Blue Heron
listen / download
The subtle grey plumage of the great blue heron can be appreciated across open water and wetlands in much of the Western Hemisphere. Explorer in Residence Mark Seth Lender observed a mother heron nurturing her chicks by the Black Hall River in Connecticut.
The Light Between Apple Trees
listen / download
As the air turns crisp in the northern U.S., many of us are heading out for the autumn tradition of apple picking. Priyanka Kumar, author of The Light Between Apple Trees: Rediscovering the Wild Through a Beloved American Fruit, shares the fascinating and complex science and history behind the iconic apple and why apple trees have so captivated her since childhood.
Special Features
Field Note: "After the Storm"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, ruminates on the storm as it meets the shore.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
Field Note: "Countermeasures"
Living on Earth's Explorer-in-Residence, Mark Seth Lender, shares observations about shorebirds in flight.
Blog Series: Mark Seth Lender Field Notes
...Ultimately, if we are going prevent large parts of this Earth from becoming not only inhospitable but uninhabitable in our lifetimes, we are going to have to keep some fossil fuels in the ground rather than burn them...
-- President Barack Obama, November 6, 2015 on why he declined to approve the Keystone XL Pipeline.
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