On this episode of The Common, Boston Globe Climate Reporter Erin Douglas joins the show to discuss how many Boston neighborhoods are built on artificial land, putting them at risk of flooding due climate change. Then, Team Common takes over the WBUR kitchen with senior correspondent Deborah Becker.

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If you listen to WBUR, you are probably familiar with Deb Becker’s voice. You might have heard any number of her reports as a senior correspondent on issues like mental health, addiction and the criminal legal system. Or, maybe you’re more familiar with her as a host on many WBUR Programs.

But, we learned when she has some time away from her work Deb loves to cook. So, a little while back, Team Common took over the WBUR kitchen so Deb could show us how to make one of her signature summer side dishes, while also dishing about her love of food, and her long journalism career.

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Deborah Becker’s vegan summer orzo salad

Ingredients:

• Fresh cherry tomatoes, halved
• Cucumbers, peeled, seeds removed and diced
• Scallions, roughly chopped One jar pitted calamari olives
• One can of garbanzo beans
• Fresh basil and parsley, chopped (lots of it!)
• A good olive oil
• Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• Orzo
• Salt and pepper to season

1. Bring a pot of water to boil, season boiling water with salt. Add orzo.
2. While orzo cooks, prepare vegetables and herbs, combine in a large bowl.
3. When orzo is cooked, strain and rinse under cold water until cooled. Coat lightly with olive oil to keep pasta from sticking together.
4. Combine balsamic, olive oil and sugar in a small bowl to create a dressing
5. Combine strained and cooled orzo with vegetables in bowl. Mix together with dressing and season with and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Enjoy!

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

On this episode of The Common, WBUR associate producer for digital Katie Cole joins the show to discuss Massachusetts' various shark species and the important role they play in our ocean ecosystem. Then, we sit down with author and podcast host Mark Cecil to talk about the value of deep conversations among men and why it is difficult for some men to open up with one another.

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Sharks get a bad rap, especially around these parts where great white sightings are a normal part of Massachusetts' summer. But great whites are far from the only shark species cruising through Bay State waters, and for the most part, they're all just minding their own business.

After the episode, take our quiz to test your shark knowledge!

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.

On this episode of The Common, WBUR State House reporter Walter Wuthmann joins host Darryl C. Murphy to recap the end of the state's legislative session. He tells us about the few bills that did get passed, and more importantly all the ones that didn't, and why. Then, Team Common hikes the Boston Walking City Trail with with founder, Boston-based journalist and trail builder Miles Howard. Listen to the podcast to hear the full episode.

Looking to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the city? The Boston Walking City Trail might be the perfect thing. Established in 2022 by Miles Howard (a journalist and urban trail builder based in Boston), the Walking City Trail is a community project connecting many of the city's most immersive green spaces into a continuous 27-mile route.

The Common's team hiked the Franklin Park section with the trail-builder to learn more about how it came to be, as well as the benefits of urban hiking as an accessible entry into the outdoors for city residents.

Here are some of our favorite things along the route:

• The Wizard of Franklin Park: Miles Howard claims that there's a hollowed out tree trunk in which someone painted a depiction of a Gandalf-like wizard. (We couldn't get through the brush to see it in person, though. But maybe you can! Send us a picture if you do.)
• Roxbury puddingstone: There's a lot of this in Franklin Park, and even around the neighborhood. It's a natural conglomerate, with small rocks and pebbles embedded inside. Fun fact: it's Massachusetts' official state rock.
• Bear dens: When the Franklin Park Zoo was built back in the late 1800s, it housed bears in these circular, caged-in dens, with spikes along the top to keep bears from climbing out. The abandoned cages are still there, all overgrown with plants, and all creatures are free to pass in and out these days.

Greater Boston’s weekly podcast where news and culture meet.