The Common

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American. The past two days we’ve been sharing Barb’s in-depth reporting on Cape Cod’s water, and the pollution that has been increasingly threatening its safety. We also heard about some of the costly solutions the community is considering to help prevent further wastewater pollution. But what if there was a way to clean up the Cape’s waters without spending hundreds of millions of dollars? Some of you may have heard of it before on The Common…it’s called urine diversion, or “pee-cycling.” Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American. In today's episode, Barb looks at some of the big-ticket solutions that could help solve the Cape’s water problems — for a price. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is still working on relaunching The Common as a longer weekly show. And we thank you so much for your patience. In the meantime, we want to share with you a project by WBUR’s own Barbara Moran and Science Quickly, a podcast from Scientific American. If you’re a regular listener of The Common, you might remember our episode with Barb on something taking place on Cape Cod called pee-cycling. Well, this series is a three-part deeper dive that looks into water pollution on Cape Cod, what’s causing it and how the Cape community is scrambling to fix it. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Seniors are healthier, better educated and living longer than in generations past. In his series "The Third Act," WBUR Senior Political Reporter Anthony Brooks tells the stories of people who have embraced these years of late and mid-life to improve and re-invented themselves. Today, Anthony joins The Common with more on these stories, and what we can all take away from watching others age with purpose, regardless of our own life stage. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Boston Little Saigon is one of the city’s four official cultural districts as designated by the state. Located in Fields Corner in Dorchester, the district was officially designated in 2021, but to its residents, Little Saigon has been an anchor for Vietnamese culture in the region for decades. To learn more about the district's food and experiences, and its place in the New England Vietnamese community, The Common toured Little Saigon with Annie Le, board president of Boston Little Saigon. This episode is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston, a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities. Take a look at the team's trip around the district here: Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Boston is known for its host of historic landmarks, such as the Boston Tea Party and the USS Constitution, but there are also many historical stories and sites in the city that too often go unheard and unseen. Researcher and educator Joel Mackall seeks to change this through his Hidden History of Black Boston tours — a series of driving and walking tours that highlight the city's often untold Black history. WBUR reporter Arielle Gray joins The Common to discuss Mackall's Hidden History of Black Boston tour in the North End, which took her from the Rose Kennedy Greenway to the Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Massachusetts is one of only two states where it's illegal for landlords to charge an application fee to perspective renters. Even so, advocates say that these fees are on the rise as rental options in the region remain tight. WBUR Senior Reporter Simón Rios joins The Common to explain how landlord application fees differ from other legal fees you may face as a renter, and what these fees can tell us about the reality of being a landlord or renter in Massachusetts today. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. We're big fans of trains here at The Common. And so is (formerly) Boston-based TikTok creator @jeddeo1, known for his deadpanned MBTA review series Adventures with Jed. In this episode, the team takes a trip down the Green Line E branch for their very own adventure with Jed. Watch the Jed's adventure to Heath street here. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. America was, and continues to be, forged by the gun industry. The Gun Machine, a new podcast from WBUR and The Trace looks at this intertwined history — from the founding of the nation, to the gun industry's roots here in Massachusetts, to the country's very present gun violence crisis in an eight-part series. Producer for The Gun Machine Grace Tatter joins The Common with a preview of this new project. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Almost one-third of adults in the U.S. say they, or someone in their family, have been addicted to opioids. Often, families have been encouraged to use a "tough love" approach with their loved ones, but a growing number of health care professionals are starting to rethink this. Instead, they want to more intentionally include families and friends in the recovery process. WBUR's Deborah Becker joins The Common to share the story of Ken Feldstein, an addiction councilor who said he "landed on love" in supporting his own son, Brendan, through his addiction recovery. Also, a look at training programs run through Boston Medical Center, which teach clinicians and families how to support people struggling with addiction. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. New Englanders are known for having a buttoned up rule or two, including around alcohol (we're looking at you, happy hour ban). And it's not uncommon to hear some of our region’ s founding colonizers, the Puritans, getting blame for that. But how involved were the Puritans in shaping our current rules around liquor, really? WBUR reporter Simón Rios looked into this as part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston series. He joins The Common with more on Massachusetts liquor laws, and how the traditions of the Puritans may or may not inform how they exist today. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Boston's moving season on the horizon, and settling into a new space isn't always a walk in the park. But one great way to make any house (or apartment, or studio... we know how it is) feel like home, is to add plants. Today on The Common, we visit Emerald City Plant Shop, New England's first Black-owned specialty plant store, to learn how best to care for green life indoors, and to learn more about owner Quontay Turner's journey opening this Norwood-based business. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Ruth E. Carter is a two-time Oscar-winning costume designer who has dressed characters in hit movies and TV series for more than three decades. Her designs can be seen in works such as Do The Right Thing, The Five Heartbeats, both Marvel Black Panther movies, Yellowstone and Seinfeld. She's also a native of Springfield, Mass. In 2023, she was honored with the Coolidge Award at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, an honor that celebrates one outstanding film artist whose body of work is recognized as consistently original and challenging. On today's episode, Ruth E. Carter joins The Common to talk about how her upbringing in Springfield continues to inspire her work today. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Beech trees are native to the Northeast and make up about 10% of forests in Massachusetts. The tree, which is identifiable by its smooth trunk and wide canopy, is a crucial habitat and food source for many animal species in the region. But in recent years, a microscopic worm-caused disease has been targeting beech leaves, causing many trees to starve to death over time. The disease is spreading, and fast. WBUR climate and environment reporter Paula Moura joins The Common to tell us more about this disease, how to identify it and the race to find a cure to save Massachusetts' beech trees. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Today, we're heading to Mattapan, looking for food. This culinary quest is part of WBUR's Field Guide to Boston — a station-wide effort to help you connect with the city's communities. WBUR arts reporter and Mattapan native Arielle Gray joins us as a local guide on this episode of The Common, and takes us to three of her can't-miss spots for top-tier food in the neighborhood. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. People in their twenties make up one-fifth of Boston's population, but some of these young people are struggling to make it in the city as the cost of living soars. Boston Globe Reporter Diti Kohli talked to more than two dozen Gen Z residents living in Boston to learn what financial concerns are making them question their future in the city. Today, she joins The Common to walk through the impact of debt, economic uncertainty and other money woes that are top of mind for Boston's under-25 crowd. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Black Men Run Boston is the local chapter of the national Black Men Run organization, which aims to create a safe and health-centered space for Black men to run and walk in community. Today, founder Jeff Davis shares his experience running while Black in Boston, and discusses what he believes can be done to make running more inclusive in the city. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. August 11, 2023 marked 50 years of hip-hop, one of the most impactful cultural contributions of the last century. And while hip-hop was born in New York City, Boston's scene has been around since the early days, and continues strong today. Edo.G has been part of the Boston hip-hop scene since the '80s, when he came on first as a dancer, and then as an emcee. He popped in the early '90s with an album he did with Da Bulldogs called “Life of a Kid in the Ghetto," and has released more than a dozen albums and collaborations in the years since. In this episode, Boston hip-hop legend Edo.G joins the show for a look back at 50 years of Boston hip-hop, and a look ahead to what's next for the scene. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Housing prices in Boston's Chinatown have been surging for decades, resulting in one of the most competitive real estate markets in the city. That's why housing advocates with the Chinatown Community Land Trust have turned to an alternative model for home ownership that helps working-class and immigrant residents stay in the neighborhood. WBUR reporter Simon Rios joins The Common to break it down. Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.

Team Common is currently working on our transition to a weekly show. We’ll be back this summer with new episodes. In the meantime, here’s one from our archives. Poison ivy seems to be booming, and researchers think climate change could be to blame. As carbon dioxide levels increase and temperatures warm, this toxic vine is not only getting bigger and growing faster, but the plant's oil, which causes allergic reactions in about 80% of the population, is becoming more plentiful and increasingly potent. In this episode, WBUR Senior Health and Science Reporter Gabrielle Emanuel joins The Common to discuss the troubling tie between human-caused climate change and the rise of poison ivy. Think you know poison ivy? Test your knowledge with Gabrielle's poison ivy quiz! Greater Boston’s daily podcast where news and culture meet.