Second Nature

Commons
  • 4.7 (85)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

How can we live sustainably in an unsustainable world? Second Nature is a podcast by Commons exploring how our sustainable choices impact our lives and the planet. Every week hear how listeners are taking public transit, composting food waste, eating more plant-based meals and practicing deconsumption to create the kind of world they want to live in. We'll calculate the carbon impact of collective action and get expert answers to your burning climate questions. Everyone’s sustainable life is unique. Tell us about yours. thecommons.earth/podcast 🌎 Join a community of tens of thousands of people using the Commons app to track their emissions and get rewarded for sustainable living: https://www.thecommons.earth/get-the-app-second-nature Follow us on Instagram to get behind-the-scenes footage and more stories from Commons' climate community: https://instagram.com/secondnatureearth

  1. Can We Shop Our Way to "Clean"?

    6H AGO

    Can We Shop Our Way to "Clean"?

    The word "clean" on your shampoo bottle means exactly nothing — legally, anyway. The U.S. has taken so long to update regulations that it's created a huge gap between what consumers want — products without toxic chemicals — and what the government regulates. This means only a small portion of toxic chemicals used in manufacturing are actually regulated at a national level. Folks like advocate and author Lindsay Dahl have been working for decades to close this gap, passing dozens of laws in the process. But the regulatory gap has left space for a "clean" industry to emerge, and rack up lots of cash. The "clean" beauty industry alone is worth $7 billion. In this episode, we talk to Lindsay Dahl about how we've gone this far without adequate toxicity regulation and how to shop smarter, we hear how big beauty brands have pushed back against regulation, we find out how to use our voices for federal-level change, and we hear how our community is navigating this tricky landscape. If you want to check out any of the orgs Lindsay mentioned, you can find some here, and the full list is in her book, Cleaning House:  Toxic Free FutureNatural Resources Defense CouncilEnvironmental Defense FundEnvironmental Working GroupSaferstates.org  Episode rundown: (00:36) - Why is this my job? (01:49) - The history of chemical regulation (05:49) - What does “clean” mean to you? (12:06) - The fight rid our homes of toxic chemicals (29:24) - Following the money (38:17) - What you can do (40:14) - Community Classified 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Listener contributions: Anna, Darice Chang, Nyiah, Kayla Joy , Sawyer, Grace Hebert, Dom AltomariResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    41 min
  2. War Has Always Been a Climate Issue

    MAY 13

    War Has Always Been a Climate Issue

    Your workout leggings, your morning commute, and the fertilizer to grow your food — what do they have in common? They're all fossil fuel legacies of war. In this episode, we connect the dots between the military and the climate crisis, tracing how wartime decisions made decades ago still shape and pollute our everyday lives. We sit down with Neta C. Crawford, professor of international relations at the University of St. Andrews and author of The Pentagon, Climate Change, and War, to unpack a staggering blind spot in our global emissions picture: the military. We also follow the money with Commons co-founder Sanchali Pal to understand how the U.S. kept military missions out of the Kyoto Protocol, and what that means for climate targets today. We also hear how our community feels about using their money to avoid funding wars they don't support.  Episode rundown: (00:22) - The US military is the world's single largest institutional fossil fuel consumer. (01:31) - War's Industrial Afterlife: Nylon, fertilizer, and freeways. (05:55) - Community action: from campus divestment campaigns to rethinking their everyday spending. (09:02) - A deep dive into military emissions, hidden history, and the case for diplomacy. (38:07) - Following the Money: How Big Oil lobbied to keep military emissions off the global books (44:18) - Your vote and your wallet are more powerful climate tools than you think. (46:10) - Community Classified: Citizens’ Climate Lobby 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Listener contributions: Braden Marazzo-Nowicki, Diana Holguin, Drew, Julia Nolasco, Fionaa Bhatia, Nicole CollinsResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    47 min
  3. Composting Is for Everyone

    MAY 6 ·  BONUS

    Composting Is for Everyone

    [This episode originally aired June 19, 2024] Composting is one of the easiest, most rewarding climate actions. You get to repurpose food waste, save money on fertilizer, and give back to the soil. Plus, there are so many ways to do it! On this episode, you'll get a straightforward explanation of how composting works and all the inspiration and guidance you need to start composting — no matter where you live. Listen in to hear: Our community's firsthand advice for composting in any living situationYour composting questions answered by Dr. Sheridan Ross of Compton Community GardenThe carbon impact of composting our food waste📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode credits Listener contributions: Nicole Collins, Joëlle Provost , Lindsay Kerns, Bo Meisl, Sameera Mokkarala, Melissa Athina, Yolanda Gonzalez, Gracon Ladd, and Daniel Goh‍Featured guests: Dr. Sheridan Ross and Sanchali Seth Pal‍Editing and engineer: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    37 min
  4. Slow Shopping in a Fast World

    APR 29

    Slow Shopping in a Fast World

    In a world that tries to get us to shop fast, slowing down our shopping is an act of resistance. In this community episode, our listeners share how slowing down their shopping habits saved them money, cut down on waste, and made them appreciate their stuff any more.  Episode rundown: (00:00) - Why is slow shopping important? (03:07) - Slow shopping tips from our community (11:25) - Reflections on slow shopping 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Listener contributions: Grace Kinney-Broderick, Grace Hebert, Molly Barton, Sophia Anderson, Keionna Spalding, Gaby BeaudoinResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    14 min
  5. Is There a Sustainable Future for Flying?

    APR 22

    Is There a Sustainable Future for Flying?

    The aviation industry has gotten twice as fuel-efficient since 1990, and emissions have still quadrupled. In this episode, we reckon with the guilt of flying, tracing it from economy class all the way up to private jets, where a handful of ultra-wealthy passengers emit up to 500 times more carbon than the average person annually. Plus, we dig into sustainable aviation fuel with Alyssa Norris from Aether Fuels and what it would actually take to make flying something we don't have to feel guilty about. Episode rundown: (00:35) - Should we feel guilty about flying? (03:12) - Our flying footprint (05:17) - Reckoning with guilty consciences (09:52) - What is SAF and why aren’t all planes using it? (27:19) - Following the money from private jets to economy (37:08) - Individual actions for systemic change 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Listener contributions: Lorena, Morgan Gallagher, Bruno Olmedo Quiroga, Darice  Chang, Jessica Tucker, Kayla Joy , Lena, Dom AltomariResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    39 min
  6. It's Time to Kill Your Lawn

    APR 15

    It's Time to Kill Your Lawn

    Lawns cover more American soil than any other irrigated crop — but who decided they should look this way, and at what cost? In this episode, we trace the centuries-old aristocratic tradition behind the modern lawn, expose the billion-dollar industry profiting from invasive grasses and toxic chemicals, and with the help of nature educator Jason Wise (aka Journeyman), we’ll explore how your patch of green could become something far more prosperous. If you've ever questioned the monoculture outside your front door, this one's for you. Episode rundown: (00:00) - Chapter 1 (00:49) - Why are lawns a climate issue? (02:38) - How did lawns become popular? (06:05) - How is our community adapting their lawns? (12:34) - Tips to rewind your lawn from Jason Wise (aka Journeyman) (34:02) - Who’s profiting off the lawn industry? (43:07) - Imagining a lawn-free future 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 🌎 Find citations and further reading in the full show notes. 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Listener contributions: Craig Brown, Nick Blocha, Lena, Grace Kinney-Broderick, Haley MurphyResearch: Makenna McBriertyEditing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    47 min

  7. SEASON 5 TRAILER

    Next Season, We're Following the Money

    Season 5 is coming very soon and this season, we're talking about the thing that's on everyone's mind (whether we like or not) — money.  Maybe you've heard that Native American proverb, “Only when the last tree has been cut down, the last fish been caught, and the last stream poisoned, will we realize we cannot eat money.” But, the way we spend our money matters, and as a mindful consumer, financial decisions can feel like a burden — especially when we don’t have much control over them. We can often choose where to spend our money, but we can’t choose what companies do with that money.    Our society doesn’t run on money, it runs on the earth— water, soil, plants, air. As of late — we’ll call it the past 300 years — we’ve had a pretty one-sided relationship with these essentials we need to live and that largely has to do with the fact that what we value and the way we value it is measured in dolla dolla bills. This season we’re talking about —  How the rising cost of groceries is threatening food security in ways you might not expect If giving our money to offsets is actually worth itThe companies that are lobbying for fossil fuelsHow everyday people are footing the bill for data centersDecades of war propping up the fossil fuel industry, and how that extends to our front lawns.What it’s going to take to get proper investment in sustainable aviation fuelSubscribe so you don't miss an episode! 📱 Want to make your money count? Download the Commons app . 📞 Want to submit to the show? We'd love to hear from you! 📷 Follow Second Nature on Instagram. Episode Credits Editing and engineering: Evan Goodchild‍Hosting and production: Katelan Cunningham

    3 min

  8. MAR 27

    We Want to Hear from You! Season 5 Call for Submissions

    Have you always wanted to be one of the worldwide community of voices you hear on Second Nature? Now's the time! We're accepting submissions for season 5 and we can't wait to hear from you. For the best shot at getting on season 5, please send in your submissions by April 3. But feel free to continue submitting through April as well.  Submitting to the show is easy! Fill out this form to start your submission to Second Nature.After you fill out the form, you'll receive questions based on the topics you chose, with details about how to submit your audio.Record your audio and send it our way! (00:00) - We want to hear from you on season 5! (00:40) - How to submit

    2 min
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Trailers

4.7
out of 5
85 Ratings

About

How can we live sustainably in an unsustainable world? Second Nature is a podcast by Commons exploring how our sustainable choices impact our lives and the planet. Every week hear how listeners are taking public transit, composting food waste, eating more plant-based meals and practicing deconsumption to create the kind of world they want to live in. We'll calculate the carbon impact of collective action and get expert answers to your burning climate questions. Everyone’s sustainable life is unique. Tell us about yours. thecommons.earth/podcast 🌎 Join a community of tens of thousands of people using the Commons app to track their emissions and get rewarded for sustainable living: https://www.thecommons.earth/get-the-app-second-nature Follow us on Instagram to get behind-the-scenes footage and more stories from Commons' climate community: https://instagram.com/secondnatureearth

Information

  • Creator
    Commons
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    61
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 Commons
  • Show Website
    Second Nature

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