We have inadvertently filled our world with poorly designed outdoor lighting. The price? We’re losing our starry skies, hurting our health, killing pollinators, wasting billions of dollars and releasing millions of tons of avoidable carbon dioxide. Now people in a Missouri college town and a state park are proving that picking the right bulbs and fixtures can curb light pollution and its harms.

Resources:

• Better outdoor lighting: Steps for reducing light pollution
• Examples of shielded light fixtures

Places and organizations mentioned in this episode:

• Thousand Hills State Park and Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri
• DarkSky Missouri and DarkSky International

This episode of Up From Dust was written, reported and mixed by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Stephen Koranda.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

So you’ve been thinking about getting rid of your lawn, or at least having less. You’ll attract birds and bees and you won’t have to mow as much. Nice! But where to start? Master gardener Paula Diaz gives us the scoop on how to kill grass, where to look for the right native plant species to replace it, and how to start laying out your flower beds. Come learn from someone who’s been winning over her neighbors to give native plants a shot.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Top 10 lists to help you pick the right native flowers, bushes and trees (Missouri Prairie Foundation)

• GrowNative.org index of Lower Midwest native plant retailers

• GrowNative.org sample flower bed layouts

• Regional native plant books

• Heather Holm's "soft landings" explainer

• Deep Roots KC's nature advisors and Sweet 16 plants

• Homegrown National Park

• Bringing Nature Home book

• Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design

This episode of Up From Dust was written, reported and mixed by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Stephen Koranda.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Symbiotic fungi are all the rage right now. Farmers want them in their fields, gardeners want them in veggie patches and flowerbeds. The excitement has given rise to a billion-dollar mycorrhizae market, but many products don’t deliver on their promises. Come visit the world’s biggest collection of these fungi to learn what makes them so great — and why you should think twice before buying them.

This episode of Up From Dust was written, reported and mixed by Celia Llopis-Jepsen, with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Stephen Koranda.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

News article: Soil health is big business, but KU researchers say many fungal products don't work as promised

Scientific journal article: A.B. Frank and mycorrhizae

The AM fungi collection at KU website

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.