Local, USA

AGAINST THE CURRENT provides a powerful look at how residents of Virginia’s Eastern Shore, like many coastal towns, are subject to rising sea waters and the challenges it has on their lives and livelihood. Through resilience and perseverance, they learn to co-exist and celebrate their rural home. How can this community shed light on conversations happening around these issues of climate change?

Yurok people have been putting fire on the land since time immemorial...but this practice has been disrupted by California settlers. Catastrophic fires in the West, however, has policymakers rethinking their commitment to fire suppression. FIRE TENDER shares the work of Margo Robbins, a Yurok knowledge keeper, seeking to return practices to Yurok territory, and to restore the land and its people.

Yurok people have been putting fire on the land since time immemorial...but this practice has been disrupted by California settlers. Catastrophic fires in the West, however, has policymakers rethinking their commitment to fire suppression. FIRE TENDER shares the work of Margo Robbins, a Yurok knowledge keeper, seeking to return practices to Yurok territory, and to restore the land and its people.

The Weeks Act of 1911 was signed into law for the creation of national forests, protecting millions of acres of land and water. The Act set up a foundation for fighting forest fires but this meant Native tribes could no longer put fire to land to prevent wildfires and ensure plant growth. Now, the federal government is turning to people like Margo Robbins and their knowledge of controlled burns.

In the U.S., fire is seen as destructive. But for Native tribes like the Yurok, it is essential to life. Margo Robbins explains how reclaiming fire and bringing it back to the land is a method of fire suppression known as controlled burning and also reignites the growth of plants that are used to create everyday items like baskets.

In the U.S., corn and soy are the top crop on farms because they are covered by federal insurance and therefore, protects farmers from a bad harvest. This leaves them little to no choice to grow other agricultural products needed in the country unless they are willing to financially bet on another crop like peas.

As the demand for plant-based alternatives to meat grows, so does the demand for new methods of farming and food production. In Dawson, MN, “alt-meat” is not new - soybean processing dates back to the '50s. Now, PURIS, one of the largest manufacturers of pea protein, has moved in to revolutionize the agricultural system. What impact will it have on the town's residents and surrounding communities?

Why is the yellow split pea and its protein so small and mighty? Ask PURIS. The manufacturer behind pea protein powder discovered that its ingredient has many positives including being a complete source of protein, being allergen-free, and being vegan. Plant manager Matt Karels walks us, and host and producer Amanda Anderson, through the process and the diet upsides.

Although known as the founder of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford was also a vegetarian. Working with soybeans, he and scientist Robert Boyer invented a plastic car but also advocated and invented plant-based foods and products that changed the landscape of American diets and lifestyles.

As the demand for plant-based alternatives to meat grows, so does the demand for new methods of farming and food production. In Dawson, MN, “alt-meat” is not new - soybean processing dates back to the '50s. Now, PURIS, one of the largest manufacturers of pea protein, has moved in to revolutionize the agricultural system. What impact will it have on the town's residents and surrounding communities?

At The Rusty Duck Bar & Grill in Dawson, MN - the home of PURIS which processes yellow pea protein, they cater to hamburger lovers of both the meat and veggie kind. Co-owner Tom Beals and Mayor Randy Tensen are put to the test by host Amanda Anderson to see if these plant-based rookies can tell the difference between the two.

Fruits and vegetables? Yes. Plant-based foods? Maybe. Kelli Fernholz, a preschool teacher in Madison, WI who talks about nutrition in her class, shares why she prefers the former and not the latter. Even with all of the alt-meat choices available on grocery store shelves, the switch to a plant-based diet for most people isn't quite as easy a decision.