Pantry to Dinner: A Deep Dive Into Spices with Caroline Saunders

London Hit 97°F — Before We All Move On, Listen to This

Imagine if the hardest part of climate action wasn't the science, it was just remembering to keep talking about it. When London hit a record-breaking 97°F this June, Cleo Carney was there — sheltering in a flat with no air conditioning, watching a London Climate Week panel on extreme heat get canceled because it was too hot to hold it. In this episode, Victoria Riskin, Janet Kraus and Ally Giebutowski check in with Cleo across the Atlantic, and what starts as a rundown of a brutal week turns into something bigger: a real conversation about heat domes, why the UK's political instability makes long-term climate planning so hard, and the strange irony of air conditioning as a climate "fix." Along the way, the hosts land on the question underneath all of it — not "is this bad?" but "how do we keep talking about this once the heat wave ends and life goes back to normal?" From reframing dinner-party weather complaints as an opening for real conversation, to a warm detour back to Bluedot's trip to Montana's B Bar Ranch and the wolves of Yellowstone, this episode is as much about staying in the conversation as it is about the weather itself. What you'll hear in this episode: * What London's record heat wave actually felt like on the ground — and why a major climate conference got canceled because of it * The science of "heat domes," and why an old, natural weather pattern is becoming newly dangerous * Why the UK's revolving door of prime ministers makes long-term climate adaptation harder to plan for * The complicated irony of air conditioning as a climate coping mechanism * How to turn everyday weather small talk into a real opening for climate conversation * A return trip (in memory) to Montana's B Bar Ranch, and why time in nature keeps the hosts motivated At Bluedot Living, we imagine if people were actually making progress on climate change — because they actually are. Each episode of Imagine If shares stories of people, policies, and projects that prove your choices matter, from micro decisions at home to macro shifts in law and industry. Explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and more stories at BluedotLiving.com. For daily inspiration, follow us @bluedotliving on Instagram.

Pantry to Dinner: A Deep Dive Into Spices with Caroline Saunders

What's actually in your spice drawer, and where did it come from? In this episode of the Pantry to Dinner mini-series, host Victoria Riskin sits down with food writer Caroline Saunders, Le Cordon Bleu graduate, Bluedot Living contributor, and author of the Substack Pale Blue Tart, for a tour of the spices every home cook should have on hand.  Caroline traces cardamom from the Western Ghats of India to the highlands of Guatemala, where farmers are developing their own heat-resilient plant varieties and moving operations higher up mountainsides to adapt to shifting climates. Vanilla, it turns out, is a climbing vine that grows best in forests — which makes it both fragile and a quiet argument for conservation. And sumac, which most shoppers walk past without a second glance, is a native North American plant with Indigenous culinary roots and a lemon-bright flavor that pastry chefs rely on for a very specific reason. What you'll hear in this episode: * How long ground and whole spices actually last — and what to do with the ones that have been sitting in the back of your cabinet * Cardamom: where it grows, how it's changing, and why one Indian farm is breeding its own resilient varieties * Vanilla as a climbing vine — and why forest preservation is part of its survival story * Sumac: the native North American spice with deep Indigenous roots that tastes like dried lemon and solves a pastry chef problem you didn't know existed * Cumin, thyme, and the case for building your own go-to spice blend * Where to buy spices that support farmers directly, including Diaspora Co. * Recipes: cardamom sugar cookie with cardamom glaze, and a vanilla date hemp shake from BluedotLiving.com Explore more recipes and sustainable living inspiration at https://bluedotliving.com/sustainable-recipes/ [https://bluedotliving.com/sustainable-recipes/] Get your copy of Bluedot Living’s Magazine: https://bluedotliving.com/magazine-subscriptions/ [https://bluedotliving.com/magazine-subscriptions/] Join Bluedot Living’s Newsletters: https://bluedotliving.com/sign-up-for-our-newsletters [https://bluedotliving.com/sign-up-for-our-newsletters/]

The Chef Who Won't Waste an Ounce: Cooking Close to the Land at B Bar Ranch

Imagine if the most important ingredient in your kitchen is the one you're about to throw away? In this episode of Imagine If, Victoria Riskin visits B Bar Ranch in Montana to talk with chef George Pierce about what it really means to cook close to the land. George breaks down why not all grass-fed beef is created equal, how B Bar traces every cut of beef back to the specific cow it came from, and how he turns corn cobs, lobster shells, and vegetable scraps into stocks instead of garbage. George also shares how he left the restaurant world during COVID to run the Livingston Food Resource Center, a food pantry stocked with local beef, fresh produce, and bread made from Montana wheat — built to feel like a grocery store, not a relief line.  What you'll hear in this episode: * Why not all grass-fed beef is the same, and how B Bar traces every cut to its source * George's core kitchen philosophy: make an ingredient taste like itself, nothing more * Turning kitchen scraps — corn cobs, lobster shells, vegetable trim — into stock instead of garbage * The scale of food waste in America, from restaurant kitchens to Yellowstone National Park * George's pivot to running the Livingston Food Resource Center, a food pantry built on dignity * The 10-day sourdough starter that turned into a decade-long obsession with fermentation * Imagine if we all got back in touch with our local food systems Be part of the Bluedot Living community At Bluedot Living, we imagine if people were actually making progress on climate change—because they actually are. Each episode of Bluedot Living Podcast shares stories of people, policies, and projects that prove your choices matter, from micro decisions at home to macro shifts in law and industry. If you want to explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and read interesting stories, you can find us BluedotLiving.com For daily inspiration you can follow us @Bluedotliving on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluedotliving/ [https://www.instagram.com/bluedotliving/]

Why Soap Might Be the Problem: Eli Halliwell on Rethinking Clean

Imagine if "squeaky clean" was actually a sign your skin is in distress, not a sign of health. In this episode of Imagine If, host Janet Kraus sits down with Eli Halliwell, co-founder of Hairstory and founder of Sans Savon, to question one of the most basic assumptions in personal care: that soap is good for us. Eli explains how the same detergents used to clean dishes and laundry ended up in shampoo and body wash, stripping away the skin's natural oils and microbiome and triggering a cycle of dryness, irritation, and overuse of moisturizers and styling products to compensate. He breaks down the simple chemistry of amphiphilic molecules (the "oil-loving, water-loving" compounds behind every cleanser) and explains why foam is usually a red flag for over-stripping, not effective cleaning. It's a fascinating look at how questioning a 100-year-old assumption about hygiene can lead to a more sustainable, less wasteful approach to everyday self-care. In this episode: Why modern soap and shampoo may be over-cleaning your skin and hair The science of amphiphilic molecules and why foam isn't a sign of effective cleaning What the skin microbiome is and why stripping it causes irritation, dandruff, and eczema flare-ups How Sans Savon developed soap-free, non-foaming cleansers using micellar technology The role of upcycled ingredients (avocados, grapeseed oil, Christmas tree clippings) in sustainable formulation Why Sans Savon became a Public Benefit Corporation and partners with 1% for the Planet Eli's personal sustainability habits, from composting in Canada to letting go of fitness tracking Be part of the Bluedot Living community At Bluedot Living, we imagine if people were actually making progress on climate change—because they actually are. Each episode of Bluedot Living Podcast shares stories of people, policies, and projects that prove your choices matter, from micro decisions at home to macro shifts in law and industry. If you want to explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and read interesting stories, you can find us BluedotLiving.com For daily inspiration you can follow us @Bluedotliving on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluedotliving/

Why Your Sheets Matter: Clean Bamboo, Better Sleep, and Plant-Based Fabrics with Phoebe Yu

Most of us have thought carefully about what goes on our skin — our skincare, our cleaning products, even our food. But what about what we sleep in for eight hours every night? This week, Jeanette sits down with Phoebe Yu, founder of Ettitude and PLNTMatter, who started out as a frustrated consumer searching for sheets that were soft, breathable, affordable, and better for the planet — and ended up becoming a materials innovator. In this episode: * Why bedding has historically been marketed as décor rather than a health decision — and how that's starting to change * The real connection between your sheets and your sleep quality, skin health, and exposure to toxins * Why not all bamboo fabric is created equal — and the difference between the conventional viscose/rayon process (think: industrial drain cleaner) and the cleaner Lyocell closed-loop process Phoebe developed * How polyester — which makes up 60% of all clothing — disrupts hormones and sheds microfibers into our oceans and food chain * What PLNTMatter is building: plant-based alternatives to polyester, silk, wool, and cashmere that match (and sometimes outperform) the originals * Three high-leverage changes Phoebe has made in her own life Learn more about Ettitude: https://bluedotliving.com/marketplace/products/ettitude-bedding-and-home/ [https://bluedotliving.com/marketplace/products/ettitude-bedding-and-home/] Be part of the Bluedot Living community At Bluedot Living, we imagine if people were actually making progress on climate change—because they actually are. Each episode of Bluedot Living Podcast shares stories of people, policies, and projects that prove your choices matter, from micro decisions at home to macro shifts in law and industry. If you want to explore our recipes, products for your home and lifestyle, and read interesting stories, you can find us BluedotLiving.com [http://bluedotliving.com/] For daily inspiration you can follow us @Bluedotliving on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bluedotliving/ [https://www.instagram.com/bluedotliving/]