[This episode originally aired October 16, 2024] Plant-based cheese is better than ever, but can we expand our expectations of cheese to ease our reliance on Big Dairy?

Cheese is delicious. Even aspiring vegans find cheese hard to quit. But making dairy cheese is not only rough on the planet — the dairy cows’ lives aren’t great either. In this episode, we’re getting the full picture of the impact of dairy cheese, including the United States’ decades-long surplus cycle with the cheese industry and how it’s connected to Pizza Hut’s Summer of Cheese.

We’re chatting with famed vegan chef and cheese icon, Miyoko Schinner about how far plant-based cheese has come and her favorite plant-based cheese bases. We’re learning practical tips to learn to love plant-based cheese, and having our very own cheese taste test.

🌎 For photos of our contributors and further reading, check the full show notes.

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Episode Credits

• Listener contributions: Amea Wadsworth, Diana Holguin, Drew Crabtree, Kenzie Rattray, Melissa Athina, Miriam Jornet
• Editing and engineer: Evan Goodchild‍
• Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

• (01:41) - Our community loves cheese
• (03:28) - Big Dairy, cheese caves, adn America’s decades-long milk obligation
• (07:35) - We’re drinking less milk than we used to, but we’re eating more cheese. Let’s talk about it.
• (10:54) - If one person can teach us to learn plant-based cheese, it’s famed chef, Miyoko Schinner
• (25:37) - How does cheese production impact the planet?
• (33:50) - Is it all or nothing?

In the midst of the one-year anniversary of LA’s devastating, off-season wildfires, we’re reminded that to live in a time of drastic climate change is to prepare for the improbable. From bigger tornadoes and more severe floods to prolonged droughts and deadly heatwaves, no region is immune to the increasing intensity of natural disasters driven by climate change. The rest of the world is coming face-to-face with the brutal reality that people in the Global South have faced for years — when it comes to climate disasters, it's not a matter of if they'll hit you, but when.

But there are things we can do at home and in our communities to adapt before, during, and after disasters. On this episode, we hear from community members around the world about the climate disasters they’ve experienced and how their communities are adapting. We’re speaking with meteorologist Chase Chain about how discussing the weather means discussing climate change. And, we’re talking about how to make ourselves and our communities less vulnerable to the effects of climate disasters.

👉🏽 And don't miss Chase Cain's on-the-ground, behind-the-scenes coverage of the LA wildfires.

🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes.

📞 Want to submit your Community Classified? We'd love to hear from you!

📱 Want to be a part of the Commons community? Download the app.

📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram.

Episode Credits

• Listener contributions: Airlea Rasul, Anandi Yadav, Anna , Elisabeth , Tessa Maurer, Tiffany, Zayna Zubair
• Editing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍
• Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

• (00:09) - No one is immune to natural disasters.
• (02:40) - How can we better prepare for climate disasters, at home and in our communities?
• (05:52) - How people around the world are adapting to a new normal
• (12:44) - Interview with meteorologist and climate reporter, Chase Cain
• (36:15) - Your prep to-do list.
• (38:00) - Community Classifieds

Do you feel like you’re drowning in advertisements, clutter, or debt? A no-buy year could help. In a capitalistic society, we're brainwashed to default to buying our way out of our problems. That's what makes a no-buy challenge so much more than a New Year's resolution or an extreme budget.

A no-buy or low-buy challenge not only gives you permission to hop off the buy-buy-buy hamster wheel — it also makes you more privy to sneaky marketing and helps you put your money toward what actually makes you happy. These are the kinds of mental shifts that could stick with you for life.

In this episode, we hear from listeners about the different ways to do a no-buy or low-buy year, and what they've learned about themselves and their finances in the process.

🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes.

📞 Want to submit your Community Classified? We'd love to hear from you!

📱 Want to try no-buy challenge join the Commons community, download the app.

📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram.

Episode Credits

• Listener contributions: Amandine Thomas, Cara Sanford, Daria, Justina, Melissa Tan
• Editing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍
• Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

• (00:00) - What is a no-buy year?
• (03:18) - A no-buy new year’s resolution made Amandine more stylish and saved her lots of money.
• (06:43) - Melissa has found freedom and simplicity in her no-buy challenge.
• (11:20) - Daria’s secondhand challenge rippled out from clothes to other parts of her life.
• (13:15) - After switching to part-time work, Cara was still able to live comfortably due to the success of her no-buy challenge.