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Conversations about Creating a Culture of Activity: Profiling the people, places, programs, and policies that help to promote a culture of activity within our communities.
Note: This transcript was exported from the video version of this episode, and it has not been copyedited
00:00:00:01 - 00:00:23:10
Eileen McGinnis
How can you not look at these photos? This photo I love so much that we can go back on. I got a message from the mom afterwards, and apparently this little boy had just learned to ride a bike just a couple weeks before. Kid. And I just feel like that sense of, like, just energy and excitement. There's a priceless photo for me.
00:00:23:12 - 00:00:50:18
John Simmerman
Hey, everyone, welcome to the Active Towns channel. My name is John Simmerman and that is Eileen McGinnis from the Parents’ Climate Community in Austin, Texas. We're going to be talking a little bit about what inspired her to form her group, and the joys of putting together both bike busses and critical mass events. But before we do that, I just want to say, if you're enjoying this content here on the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting my efforts by becoming an active town's ambassador.
00:00:50:19 - 00:01:08:13
John Simmerman
Hey, super easy to do. Just click on the join button right here in YouTube or navigate over to Active Towns. Click on the support tab at the top of the page and there's several different options. Okay, let's get right to it. With Eileen McGinnis.
00:01:08:15 - 00:01:12:26
John Simmerman
Eileen McGinnis thank you so much for joining me on the Active Towns podcast. Welcome.
00:01:12:28 - 00:01:15:04
Eileen McGinnis
It's great to be with you again, John.
00:01:15:07 - 00:01:36:27
John Simmerman
Yes, it's great to have you back on the channel because we had a chance to to talk a couple of years ago. And yeah, we're going to follow up on what's new and exciting there in your neck of the woods in Austin, Texas. But I love giving my guest just an opportunity to introduce themselves. So who the heck is Eileen McGuinness?
00:01:37:00 - 00:02:03:03
Eileen McGinnis
What am I these days? Hi, my name is Eileen McGuinness. I am the founder and executive director of Parents Climate Community where in Austin based climate families nonprofit. So our mission is to connect local families and caregivers with doable, meaningful action on climate and sustainable transit. Advocacy is a big a big part of that story.
00:02:03:04 - 00:02:33:03
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. Fantastic. And as I alluded to, we've had the opportunity to be together. And that was again a couple of summers ago or springs ago or whenever it was, I can't even remember. I think it was 20, 20, 25 at the first mass. And I'm sure we'll talk a little bit about that. But yeah, let's pull up your website real quick and we'll get a little bit of inspiration and background behind the organization.
00:02:33:03 - 00:02:38:10
John Simmerman
What inspired you all to launch the Parents Climate community?
00:02:38:12 - 00:03:02:18
Eileen McGinnis
Well, this is a very unexpected journey, John, as I think a lot of nonprofits are. So I had, you know, in my previous life, I was an adjunct professor in writing and literature at Saint Edwards University. So I really the kind of climate action I was taking, or the way I was thinking about carbon footprint, was more about just my personal actions, my household action.
00:03:02:18 - 00:03:28:09
Eileen McGinnis
I wasn't really connected at all to civic engagement on climate. And that changed, although I didn't realize it at the time when I became a parent, I think it just becoming a mom kind of opened up my world a little bit. Kind of. It sounds a little trippy, but it really just expanded my sense of, you know, how connected we are and my sense of timeline, how we're, you know, this isn't just about me.
00:03:28:10 - 00:03:56:04
Eileen McGinnis
It isn't just the The Eileen show anymore. Right? There's so it got me thinking about kind of what I owe the next generation. And that kind of came to a head for me in 2018. I think, like for a lot of people, the that was when the UN's Inter Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change or the IPCC issued a report that basically kind of gave us this like ticking clock of, of action on climate.
00:03:56:04 - 00:04:25:21
Eileen McGinnis
And suddenly I realized that this wasn't really climate change, wasn't really a future problem. It was a problem of the now and it and thinking about things like in terms of, you know, in terms of my child, you know, what would what kind of world would my child be growing up with? I realized I had this realization that, you know, part of what it means to be raising kids right now, in a time of extreme weather and climate change, is to be acting on climate in the ways that we can.
00:04:25:22 - 00:04:47:20
Eileen McGinnis
So I started out actually, so I because I have a literature degree, I started I got inspired by a book. I turned whenever I'm not sure what to do, I pull up a book to the book that I, that I pulled up was by Mary Democracy. She is climate organizer in Eugene, Oregon, and she had this book called The Parents Guide to Climate Revolution.
00:04:47:20 - 00:05:18:15
Eileen McGinnis
And what's funny about it is it's really it's a very approachable book. Highly recommend it for anyone who's looking to get started. But for me, it just kind of catalyzed, catalyzed a desire to take action. And I ended up calling Mary up and saying, hey, I want to start this group. And so we launched in 2019 as a as a group, we were on meetup.com and we were just like a monthly place for people to, you know, get get together at the playground, playground and talk about climate, talk about ways we could take action.
00:05:18:15 - 00:05:39:27
Eileen McGinnis
So we had very modest origins, but I think it really kind of stemmed from a desire to just not be alone with this, you know, not not wondering like, where is my community? Where where are the people? Is anyone else worrying about this or thinking about what this means for for raising kids right now? And it turns out the answer was a resounding yes.
00:05:39:27 - 00:05:45:28
Eileen McGinnis
But it took getting started and pressing publish on that meetup group to to realize that.
00:05:46:01 - 00:06:10:18
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And I'm going to pull up the landing page for that particular book, and I'll be sure to include this book in my Active Towns bookshop, which is associated with other small, you know, local bookstores and also gives folks who would like to see and learn more about the books that we mentioned here on the Active Towns Channel.
00:06:10:18 - 00:06:30:07
John Simmerman
You can you can reference all the books that we talk about and all the books, all the authors that I profile. So that was that's fascinating too. So you, you kind of lean back into what you know, which is books and writing and literature and, and you're like, oh my gosh, you know, what do we do with all of this?
00:06:30:07 - 00:06:44:25
John Simmerman
And and I think it's it's interesting too, because I can't remember the exact timing when, when Greta, you know, kind of like started her her climate action in her school protests there in Sweden. It.
00:06:45:01 - 00:06:47:00
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah, it's about it's about the same time.
00:06:47:02 - 00:06:48:04
John Simmerman
At the same time.
00:06:48:08 - 00:07:12:22
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. You use movement. And that was definitely another inspiration to you know, I remember yeah. I'm like trying to find my way. I know I need to get involved, let me read a book about it. But okay. What else? And I remember going to youth protest at the Texas State Capitol and was really inspired, you know, just really there to listen, but also feeling like I'm so and so admiring of youth activists.
00:07:12:22 - 00:07:32:07
Eileen McGinnis
And where are the grown ups? You know, where we're the ones who are, you know, the decision makers, the one we can't wait for our kids to grow up and make change. Like, why aren't we here alongside them? And so I think that was that was another catalyst, for sure, in feeling like there was a role for caregivers specifically in this, in this work.
00:07:32:09 - 00:08:08:28
John Simmerman
Yeah. And I think that that really was a little bit of, I think what it caught a lot of adults by surprise when you started seeing children protesting in and protests being framed in the context of our kids. And there's a lot of history to that. I mean, when you really look at the pivot that sort of took place in the Netherlands in the 1970s with regards to creating safer streets for for all ages and abilities.
00:08:09:01 - 00:08:41:25
John Simmerman
The turning point really was in the 1970s, we had the oil embargo that was happening. We had Vietnam was raging, we had a lot of housing being torn down in Amsterdam. And so there were protests on many different fronts. But one of the key things that happened was the stop to Kinder Mart movement, which was stop the child murder movement in the Netherlands that was specifically pushing back on auto dominance, car dominance on the streets there.
00:08:41:25 - 00:09:05:25
John Simmerman
And it was the children who were front and center that were, you know, along with the parents marching and holding banners just like this and saying, no, we want and need our streets to be friendly once again for all ages and all abilities. Our children should not feel at risk. They should be able to be free range kids.
00:09:05:25 - 00:09:30:21
John Simmerman
They should be able to get on their bike and go to school to go to their their their friend's house, to go to the park. And so I think there's a lot of history in, in that is when families and children are part of the change and part of the movement. It it kind of shakes the shakes us up, shakes the status quo in the norm of us adults.
00:09:30:21 - 00:09:38:15
John Simmerman
Who are the adults in the room, right? It's like, oh, maybe we need to rethink what the heck we're doing here.
00:09:38:18 - 00:09:57:27
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah, yeah, a lot to say about that too. And I also just to point out that his history to thinking about, you know, mothers rising up specifically for, you know, the social movements and social justice movements over, over time. But yeah, I do I think there's in some ways there's a, there's a kind of a purity to that.
00:09:57:28 - 00:10:18:06
Eileen McGinnis
Right? That impulse. Right. When, when caregivers get involved, when young people get involved and are visible, you know, we really kind of get down. We sort of break through some of the noise of the status quo, but also some of those political divisions. Right. And really just kind of get at what matters. And, you know, protecting what we love, protecting the next generation.
00:10:18:08 - 00:10:42:01
Eileen McGinnis
You know, that's really what it's all about. And so, yeah, I think there's there's kind of a clarity that that comes from young people being front and center, families being front and center. But I feel like what you're saying also makes me think of I've got seriously, I've got a stack of books that at the ready here. But another book that really inspired me is Rob Hopkins from What Is to What If?
00:10:42:01 - 00:11:13:09
Eileen McGinnis
And I think that, you know, the idea here is it's really the grown ups who need our imaginations sparked, right. Like young people have historically been those motive engines of cultural change and social change. They get it. They're seeing the world with fresh eyes. And so you Hopkins argument is, is that we as adults need, need more kind of practice getting imaginative and creative and really visioning what's possible.
00:11:13:09 - 00:11:28:25
Eileen McGinnis
And yeah, for me, that was a big part of of you know, why why mass and what I wanted to what I was hoping for just, you know, giving a giving the adults a new experience of, of what's possible and how we can get around our streets.
00:11:28:27 - 00:11:51:28
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And you know that in recent episodes, I have been talking a lot about this. And I don't know if that surprised you at all, but, you know, because we didn't really know each other in Austin prior to me showing up at mass and filming it. But we hit it right off and and had had a great time.
00:11:51:28 - 00:12:44:26
John Simmerman
But it seems like this theme of engaging children and listening to kids and, you know, recently the Navajo settlement here in Hawaii that I profiled, which was an extraordinary case of, you know, 13 children, you know, plaintiffs suing the state government and specifically the Department of Transportation for foreclosing on and and basically putting at risk future generations in their future because of the continuation of building more highway miles and not paying attention to other alternative modes of, of transportation, such as, oh, the original mode, like walking, you know, biking, transit, you know, these types of things.
00:12:44:26 - 00:13:16:01
John Simmerman
And so I was delighted to meet Luca, the guy in frame there in the middle at a conference in on Honolulu, on Oahu, in Honolulu. And I said, you know, I need to profile the Navajo in settlement. I need to profile the work that you are doing and our children's trust and. Oh, gosh. What was the name of the other organization, our Children's Trust and Earth Justice brought?
00:13:16:08 - 00:13:39:03
John Simmerman
You know, were the the attorneys that brought this suit forward. And so there's that side of it, too. I mean, there's this engagement include kids in the in the planning process. But then also what do we have to do to, again, you know, shake the status quo up and say, you know, adults listen to us, right?
00:13:39:04 - 00:14:02:00
Eileen McGinnis
And I mean, these are these are generational legacies. I think we we are planning things in this kind of short term mindset. We're planning things for and for a particular kind of inhabitant of a city, right? Like we're we're planning things for folks who are adults driving cars. And that's not the reality. You know, I think there's this one quote that really inspired me, and I'm not going to get it exactly right.
00:14:02:00 - 00:14:29:25
Eileen McGinnis
But the former mayor of Bogota, Enrique Pena, has this, this quote that it's something like, you know, what would it look like if we designed our cities with kids in mind? You know, what would that what would that be? What would that be like? You know, so so often, you know, kids are inhabitants of our cities, right? There they are, you know, and yet we're often kind of sequester them in these little, little spots, you know, the playground or the splash pad or the school.
00:14:29:25 - 00:14:44:18
Eileen McGinnis
But what would it look like if. Yeah, if we we sort of invited a broader understanding, first off of like, who lives in our city and how do they get around and how can we really design cities for them to not just get by but to thrive?
00:14:44:25 - 00:15:36:12
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, yeah. In fact, Enrique's brother, Gil Penalosa, who was the his parks director at the time and was instrumental in putting together the Open Streets events there in Bogota, he, you know, eventually went on to to found the 8 to 80 organization in Canada, in Toronto. And you know, it's that whole concept of we should be building our cities for all ages and all abilities and to enforce the fact that, as on a zivot talks about, is that 30 to 40% of our population are non drivers, they don't drive for whatever reason, they're too young to old, you know, have physical conditions that prevent them to or don't have the financial resources to be
00:15:36:12 - 00:16:00:08
John Simmerman
able to be a part of the driving status quo. And so we have to be keeping in mind that the environment that we're building should be appropriate for all ages and all abilities. And to Tim Gill's point, if we build it so that it's friendly and inviting and welcoming for children, it's going to also work for the elderly.
00:16:00:10 - 00:16:15:12
Eileen McGinnis
Exactly. It's like when you when you when you switch the lens, when you focus the lens on this one population, you also then realize that that's actually enabling every, you know, everybody to get around safely and more comfortably. So yeah, 100%.
00:16:15:13 - 00:16:18:10
JohnSimmerman
So let's let's talk a little bit about.
00:16:18:13 - 00:17:02:27
John Simmerman
Launching the nonprofit and starting to have these conversations as a meetup with these parents in a state that is blood red in terms of political ideology. And so one of the challenges that we have is that so much of what we talk about in terms of creating livable places and livable communities and active towns is that oftentimes there is a, a, a politicization of the concept and the dialog to the point where it's like, oh, you know, it's a hot button issue.
00:17:02:28 - 00:17:27:13
John Simmerman
Oh, this is the this is a culture war issue. And you want to take away whatever that is. You want to take away my cars, you want to take away. It's like, no, no, no, that's not what we're talking about. Because you and I know this, and I think that this is kind of what you're trying to deal with your parents is have these conversations, is that this should resonate across political spectrum.
00:17:27:15 - 00:17:28:19
JohnSimmerman
Talk a little bit about those.
00:17:28:19 - 00:17:31:09
John Simmerman
Early days of having those conversations.
00:17:31:12 - 00:18:03:18
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, just a couple of things to say to your point, two is, you know, I think, right. I think coming together around this, this different framing is so important, especially in, you know, in the red state to really when we when we sort of flip our attention a little bit toward, you know, kids, kids well-being and what we owe our kids, then I think we we're already creating a shared, a common ground to then explore different but kind of within that shared the shared values.
00:18:03:20 - 00:18:27:04
Eileen McGinnis
So yeah. So I also want to say another thing to you about like okay, so yeah, it's tough. It's tough being in Texas. You know we sometimes our dreams are quashed. But I also think there's such value in the local, you know, I think people are. And the role that cities can play in, in just sort of advancing, advancing change and advancing these kind of models of possibility.
00:18:27:12 - 00:18:45:21
Eileen McGinnis
But yeah, to think back to those early meetups, this was right before the pandemic, which was also a little, little bit of a curveball for us. Yeah. I think, you know, one thing I will say that that is valuable in itself is to find people who to realize that you're not alone with some of those, with some of those worries and some of those concerns.
00:18:45:21 - 00:19:11:01
Eileen McGinnis
So it's not like, hey, we have all the answers. It's not like we don't know that there are, you know, that there are obstacles, that progress is not going to be linear. But I think just the act of of seeing other other parents who and guardians who, you know, have had some of those concerns, and we're hearing that their kids are worried that in itself is really kind of important.
00:19:11:01 - 00:19:28:26
Eileen McGinnis
It creates this like this opening this space to be talking even just to be talking about climate, you know, we know. So there are these statistics that so, so many folks know that climate change is real. But like the number of folks who are actually having regular conversations and kind of bringing this into this, into their everyday is so much lower and so.
00:19:28:27 - 00:19:50:21
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah, so, so and I think the other thing that comes up and this is an important message, there can be a lot of guilt, you know, parental guilt about oh, I didn't get you know, I used the single use plastic or I took that trip, that plane trip and, and I think a message for us. I mean, certainly we want to, you know, model leadership in our own, our own lives, in our households.
00:19:50:21 - 00:20:08:00
Eileen McGinnis
But I think just the sense of it's not an all or nothing, you know, it's we can be imperfect. We are imperfect. We're in imperfect system. So so what can we do? And also what can we do together? You know, what is what is the if we only have limited time to spare, which, you know, that's certainly a common a common challenge.
00:20:08:00 - 00:20:19:12
Eileen McGinnis
Like let's use it toward driving change at the city level or driving change in our schools like we don't. Let's not let the small stuff, you know, let's come together for bigger change, right?
00:20:19:13 - 00:20:48:16
John Simmerman
Right. And that's an important point to let's let's come together for for bigger change. And Grant Innes and I had this conversation talking about his book dark PR and really coming to understand that a lot of the fights that we need to be having is at the level of structure that we don't think that we really have power with.
00:20:48:18 - 00:21:37:04
John Simmerman
And so and just to give an example, is like, you know, the, the, the personal carbon footprint concept was actually presented and put together by BP as a means to try to shift the responsibility and the blame over to the individual and away from the corporate structure that, you know, is like, hey, as long as we've got policies and we've as long as we've got influence at the very, very top, you know, we can keep, you know, the oil flowing in the, in the party going and drive everywhere for everything because we're now shifting the onus over to the individual and, and, and it's sort of like victim blaming to in motor vehicle crashes.
00:21:37:06 - 00:22:01:03
John Simmerman
Let's, let's not let's not address the system and try to, you know, oh, gee, maybe we should slow down the cars in our neighborhood versus, you know, shifting the blame to the nut behind the wheel or even worse, the, you know, shift the blame to the child that was killed because the child wasn't wearing blinky lights or something like that.
00:22:01:07 - 00:22:16:02
John Simmerman
It's it's speak to that a little bit because there's a little bit of that that you kind of have to do it all. But even that's one of the frames is that, hey, this is complicated. We got to do it all and so nothing gets done.
00:22:16:04 - 00:22:36:09
Eileen McGinnis
So yeah, I mean, I think what we're getting at to is, is also one of the things that shut us down, you know, that that kind of get us overwhelmed or the narratives around climate action that just feel like, oh, well, let's hope it's too big or I have too much guilt about this, I can't, so I can't do it all.
00:22:36:12 - 00:23:03:16
Eileen McGinnis
But I think, again, finding your people and finding finding something, you know, whatever it is that you're going to stake your claim on and going with it and then trusting that, you know, there are people there are people doing this work not just locally, but but globally. One thing that was really encouraging for me as I went on this journey is to be connected with a group called Our Kids Climate, which is a global network of parent led climate organizations.
00:23:03:16 - 00:23:22:15
Eileen McGinnis
And to realize, like there are there are folks now, I know folks in Mongolia and Ecuador who are who are doing air quality work and, you know, and so, yeah, we're not we're not alone. And we just have to find our little piece, our little piece of the puzzle to, to contribute to. But but I'm big on like, let's let go of the guilt.
00:23:22:16 - 00:23:38:07
Eileen McGinnis
You know, there's so much you know this all or nothing. It doesn't have to be all or nothing. It's, you know, what can we what can we do right here, right now? Understanding that, yeah, we're busy caregivers and there's a lot of other there are lots of layers and a lot of social safety net and a lot of other support for caregivers.
00:23:38:07 - 00:23:44:13
Eileen McGinnis
But so what can you do that fills the feels, that feels meaningful but realistic?
00:23:44:15 - 00:23:52:06
John Simmerman
Yeah. Yeah. So finding your people and growing the tribe. And we're here pausing at our team talk.
00:23:52:06 - 00:23:55:09
John Simmerman
A little bit about, you know, what ended up evolving.
00:23:55:10 - 00:24:19:07
John Simmerman
You know, from 2019 to where we're at now. And the fact that you, you know, have come together and you've grown your group of of engaged parents and individuals to the point where, yeah, in 2025, we were able to have that very first mass. So talk a little bit about where we're at now with who who the team is.
00:24:19:09 - 00:25:03:19
Eileen McGinnis
Sure. So so I think this is something that I'm still kind of pinching myself sometimes. Right. So I started this journey like alone at two, two in the morning, awake at two in the morning, worrying about climate, who like, does anyone else care. And since then, you know, through the meetup, through the challenge of the pandemic and then kind of on the other side of that, when we really started connecting with grassroots advocacy in Austin, we have now almost a dozen caregivers on our leadership team who are contributing their skills, everything from a climate aware therapist who offers like eco therapy for families and really just supporting climate and mental health for families, to director
00:25:03:19 - 00:25:36:02
Eileen McGinnis
of community Arts. Who's done this some amazing work helping people come together around art making for energy justice. And, you know, these beautiful bike wheel weavings. And so bringing, bringing that piece, the art and the creative side. So and then again, this international community that we've found. And so, you know, I will say one, one sort of flip side of this is really just, you know, that the, you know, when I, when I name this group parents Climate Community, it was just sort of like an offhand thing.
00:25:36:02 - 00:26:09:10
Eileen McGinnis
But that community is real and it's growing and, and I want other people to experience it, I think to, to pull another book for my for my stack. The Kathy City by Charles Montgomery is another classic. But I think when when other thing that is so important in terms of flipping the narrative about climate is that I think a lot of us are really hungry for in-person connection, for it, for a sense of community, you know, and, you know, I think the pandemic exacerbated that.
00:26:09:12 - 00:26:32:02
Eileen McGinnis
And so one thing I want to challenge about so much of how we talk about climate is, as you know, in terms of sacrifice, what do we sacrificing, how we have to suffer? What do we give up that in fact, it's about what we gain. And I think Happy City does a beautiful job of talking about that, how happiness is about our ability to find purpose and our ability to be connected.
00:26:32:02 - 00:26:59:27
Eileen McGinnis
And I will say that personally, through this work, you know, I've experienced that firsthand, like what it's like to to find your purpose and find your people. And so, yeah, I think just kind of shifting our thinking about it to like that we can actually have joy and connection while doing this work. You know, it's not to diminish the the urgency of it and the, the health, you know, our kids, our kids health is as a risk, you know, and there are impacts.
00:27:00:01 - 00:27:11:06
Eileen McGinnis
But we can work toward change in ways that also kind of fulfill, just and sustain us and address some of that loneliness or that search for meaning that, that we're looking for.
00:27:11:13 - 00:27:45:16
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And I did have Tristan Cleveland from the Happy City organization on and I actually know Charles knows Charles Montgomery. He and I shared an Airbnb back in at CNU in Buffalo. I think it was when he was on his book tour and he was launching. He was delivering a keynote address at that particular conference. And then I also had a chance to meet up with him in his hometown of Vancouver back in.
00:27:45:18 - 00:28:27:02
John Simmerman
Oh, gosh. When was that? That was 2016. When? When I saw him. So yeah. Happy City very, very I think it's a transformational book. It's it's it's this it really helps bring home this concept that again how we design our communities, how we design our cities profoundly impact us. And I think one of the great things that I love about the work that you are doing within your community there, and how you're trying to connect with neighbors and connect with people and have these conversations, is that a fair amount of this gets centered around, hey, let's have some fun.
00:28:27:03 - 00:28:40:13
John Simmerman
And so that's where that's where the mass just took off and was amazing. Talk a little bit about this and the inspiration for having your very first mass there in the Mueller community.
00:28:40:15 - 00:29:00:02
Eileen McGinnis
Well, I think that in some ways the inspiration was my global community. I saw that this was the mass was happening maybe in somewhere in Canada, maybe it was Ottawa. And I just it just came up on my social media feed. And it was one of those things where I was like, man, I want, I want, I want to be a part of that.
00:29:00:03 - 00:29:26:09
Eileen McGinnis
You know, it's sort of the first it was like, this is an event I want to see in Austin. And so I think that's sort of a good. Yeah, that, that like from that initial spark of curiosity became, you know, you know, an inspiration to, to kind of get make it happen. But it's I think what you're saying is right on that, you know, there are some serious things that were, were advocating for and that we're bringing.
00:29:26:10 - 00:29:53:26
Eileen McGinnis
I mean, mass is about bringing visibility to kids, you know, safety, mobility, independence, the climate impacts of, you know, increasing freeways, expanding freeways. I know the air quality impacts of our of our highways, like all of all of that is kind of in the mix. Those are those are the stakes. But we can kind of bring visibility to those issues in a way that's fun, that's intergenerational.
00:29:53:26 - 00:30:13:00
Eileen McGinnis
That puts a smile on everybody's face, that creates a gathering that, yeah, that really kind of sensors joy and connection. And it also has has that kind of deeper this deeper levels to and I think that that's yeah something I feel really proud to, to be a part of. And I think something we need more of that we need more of that.
00:30:13:00 - 00:30:17:20
Eileen McGinnis
Thinking about how do we gather in ways that that really center joy?
00:30:17:24 - 00:30:18:04
John Simmerman
What I.
00:30:18:04 - 00:30:43:22
John Simmerman
Loved about this particular event to is that you could just see the joy and the the uplifting mood that was happening with the kids, with the parents, and it was centered around, you know, again, this this concept of, hey, we should be able to do this all the time. I mean, and I talk about this all the time.
00:30:43:22 - 00:31:10:15
John Simmerman
It's like, yes, it's one thing to have a critical mass. It's one thing to be having a bike, bus or a walking school bus. But even better, let's create an environment, a community where kids can be able to get around. And again, kids being a proxy of all ages, all abilities. Because if a kid can do it, then an 80 year old can do it or more on screen.
00:31:10:15 - 00:31:27:19
John Simmerman
Right now we have a photo with Lloyd Doggett, our representative to Congress at the federal level. They showed up to. I mean, give me a break. I mean, your very first mass. And it was a massive success. I think it was, what, 250, 300 people.
00:31:27:20 - 00:31:30:24
John Simmerman
Is something ridiculously huge. And you got.
00:31:30:25 - 00:31:33:10
John Simmerman
Sarah Eckhart on screen here as well.
00:31:33:12 - 00:31:34:21
John Simmerman
Talk a little bit about.
00:31:34:22 - 00:31:59:10
John Simmerman
That in terms of being able to engage with the politicians. I mean, you've got federal representation, you have state representation. City council members were there. I was able to get Zo on, on, on film that particular day as well. The local district city council member who actually lives in the community to.
00:31:59:13 - 00:32:00:15
John Simmerman
Talk a little bit about.
00:32:00:15 - 00:32:07:16
John Simmerman
That, being able to tap into that, because that's very special that the politicians also showed up.
00:32:07:18 - 00:32:24:03
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. You know, it's funny, I think the same thing that put a smile on everybody's faces. You know, I think it was the adults who had a smile on their faces. You know, I think that's also what brought the politicians out. In some ways it was it was a way to connect, you know, some of the some of the policy and some of the things that they're working toward.
00:32:24:03 - 00:32:33:03
Eileen McGinnis
But there's a there's more of a personal joy to, you know, we had Lloyd Doggett back again this year, and actually he got I got a call from his office and he said, can I come back?
00:32:33:07 - 00:32:37:06
Eileen McGinnis
You know, he invited himself, which I'm like, yeah, of course you can come back.
00:32:37:08 - 00:33:10:28
Eileen McGinnis
But yeah, I think that what you're speaking to this idea of like, we should have a mass whenever we want to, right? I think the idea of this event was never I mean, it's a really fun annual event that we have, but the idea of it getting back to this catalyzing imagination and vision is, how can we be a hub for these ongoing conversations with our with our elected officials, with our with fellow caregivers, at our schools, with nonprofits, with city, city offices?
00:33:11:01 - 00:33:23:26
Eileen McGinnis
So the idea is really to kind of bring everybody together. But, you know, the hope is that we're going to, you know, we're just this is a catalyst for for ongoing conversation and action throughout the year.
00:33:23:28 - 00:33:46:25
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And I've got some of the, the video sort of playing here off to the side. This is from I produced two videos from from this event. I did the long version, which was the uncut version where I had all of our interviews and I interviewed you, and then I have a shorter version, which is just the ride, and that's what we're looking at right now.
00:33:46:27 - 00:33:50:22
John Simmerman
I think that there is something.
00:33:50:25 - 00:33:52:12
John Simmerman
To tapping.
00:33:52:12 - 00:34:16:10
John Simmerman
Into a movement and topping tap, tapping into the momentum of an event like this, an awareness like this, because I say it often, is like open streets, events, critical masses, bike busses. That also helps reframe what our streets are for. And that's an eye opener for for especially for parents sometimes.
00:34:16:13 - 00:34:42:01
Eileen McGinnis
Sure. And for passers by. This year, this year's route, we went through a little bit more of the the business district. And it's just sort of like looking at, you know, people, kind of the questions on their faces, I think was we're really, really amazing. But I was shoot, I had a thought, oh, I was just as I was looking at that footage, I was thinking about a couple of things people had said to me or on the ride or after the ride.
00:34:42:03 - 00:35:20:13
Eileen McGinnis
I remember this year's ride. I was next to this five year old, maybe five year old who he he just exclaimed in amazement, there are more bikes on the road than cars like, you know, it was just it was such an important moment for him, right, to just have that realization. But then I also am thinking about another parent who I saw in that video footage who said to me later, you know, getting back to community, I felt sort of alone, like I'm the only parent who is maybe interested in these, you know, active transportation and to really find my people, you know, to find to find that like, oh, I'm not alone, that there
00:35:20:13 - 00:35:33:25
Eileen McGinnis
are hundreds of us, you know, that that was really powerful. So I think yeah, I think just the experience itself really opens up a door to, to thinking in different ways about how we.
00:35:34:00 - 00:35:45:07
John Simmerman
I love it, I love it. When you think about where this has come from and where this has gone, what's what's the future hold.
00:35:45:07 - 00:35:45:22
John Simmerman
For you?
00:35:45:24 - 00:36:07:10
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah, yeah, you have you have me. Also, it's summer and it's like a very introspective moment for me. For me. So I have been thinking about it. Well, one thing I will say, one thing we've we've worked on between the first and the second. Masa. Between 20 and 25 and 26. Austin launched in that time. Austin, the city of Austin launched a bike bus pilot.
00:36:07:10 - 00:36:29:12
Eileen McGinnis
And, you know, so sort of really innovative in a lot of ways and that there's this paid bike bus leader program. And then there's also, you know, just informal trainings. They're working with the nonprofit Jesolo Cycling Initiative to kind of get, get folks trained and connected. The pictures that you're showing here are from a bike bust social that we organized.
00:36:29:12 - 00:36:57:10
Eileen McGinnis
So we are you know, we were just sort of offering some of that community weaving, part of connecting, you know, caregivers and families with the city folks with with folks from schools who'd already started a bike bus. So I think that that first year that like building community around bike to school. This is Brentwood Elementary School who have, you know, who spoke at our social and our share sharing information.
00:36:57:10 - 00:37:19:26
Eileen McGinnis
So yeah, I think I think we have we live in a city that has some really great and, you know, innovative programing, but also kind of alongside that you always need those sort of soft those those ways of like connecting people. Right. And lowering the barrier to entry, you know, and sometimes just talking to another person who's done a thing can help, can help you get started.
00:37:19:28 - 00:37:57:14
Eileen McGinnis
But I think, yes, to your question, I think what's next? Aside from the annual event and maybe some smaller pop ups, I'm really interested in this idea of building a kind of advocacy circle for for parents and guardians and allies. So how can we take. Yeah. How can we take that momentum into whether it's citywide, you know, initiatives that we're trying to kind of push for or even kind of supporting more local, you know, here's there's an unsafe school crossing, and we need to get a bunch of, you know, parent voices and youth voices in the mix.
00:37:57:16 - 00:38:12:19
Eileen McGinnis
So that's that's sort of on my mind as a next step for mass is how do we connect more people? How do we invite more, more caregivers and young people to step into that leadership role when it comes to to shaping our transportation future?
00:38:12:26 - 00:38:43:27
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, I know that you're inspired a little bit by some of the the other folks that I've been interviewing over over the years. And again, one of the themes that keeps coming back up is how do we listen better to the kids and how do we engage the kids in the process? I mean, because we do this again, the adults in the room, we do this and we say we should be able to know better, but then we don't even pause to even ask the kids.
00:38:43:27 - 00:39:11:06
John Simmerman
And so Maura mintzer with Growing Up Boulder, we talked a little bit about, well, how do you engage the kids in that planning process? And Tim Gill and I had this conversation of, are we even listening to the kids in terms of what it is they want with their public realm? So it seems like there's that opportunity as well, is to like pausing and listening to kids as to what really resonates for them.
00:39:11:08 - 00:39:32:15
Eileen McGinnis
Yes. Again and again, I you know, when we're doing sort of advocacy, we're at City Hall. I look around the room and I think, wow, this room just does not reflect children's voices or youth voices. You know, certainly something we've we've tried we've worked on trying to get kids to City Hall to speak. It's it's hard. It's not really a space that like, the timing doesn't work.
00:39:32:16 - 00:39:54:08
Eileen McGinnis
But yeah, I agree that's something that I'm thinking about too is a next step is, you know, how do we. Yeah. How do we how do we connect kids in into those planning processes. Because again this is this is about generational legacy. This is about these we are really shaping and building the future for them. And they should have a say in what that looks like.
00:39:54:10 - 00:39:54:22
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:39:54:24 - 00:39:55:25
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:39:55:27 - 00:40:07:12
John Simmerman
Now one of my past episodes was with the director of the film motherlode. And I know you had a mother lode screening. Talk a little bit about that whole process.
00:40:07:15 - 00:40:32:08
Eileen McGinnis
Oh, sure. So that actually so speaking of finding your people. So my first step when we, when we brought masks to Austin was to talk to other organizers. So I ended up talking to an organizer in Ottawa and she, she said, oh, like you got to check out this movie. And so we had a really fun screening of Mother Lode at Yellow Bike Project, which is this awesome nonprofit bike shop here in Austin.
00:40:32:10 - 00:41:03:21
Eileen McGinnis
So it was kind of a fun venue to watch this movie, but I feel like this movie really gets out another piece that we haven't quite touched on yet that I definitely want to bring in, which is the connection to caregiving and gender. Right. And how that kind of plays out in terms of, you know, first off, you know, there, you know, the film explores how mothers who are making that choice to to be on cargo bikes with their kids or, you know, bike their streets, you know, do get a piece of significant amount of backlash.
00:41:03:21 - 00:41:29:14
Eileen McGinnis
Right. And that is sort of disproportionate. So so, you know, you're talking a little bit about that tension between drivers and cyclists. And then you see that kind of manifesting. But I think that the film also really highlights the role of caregivers in, in getting getting kids around. That's a big part of and that there is a lot of there is a gender nature to to who, who takes kids to to what event.
00:41:29:14 - 00:41:53:06
Eileen McGinnis
And, you know, I was reading this on the on the bike mayor network, bicycle mayor network. There's a fabulous post about the women who carry our cities. And this statistic really stuck with me that, you know, 40% of trips by women globally were for some sort of caregiving, whether that was checking in on elders or picking up kids, versus 9% by men for for caregiving.
00:41:53:12 - 00:42:18:10
Eileen McGinnis
And so, yeah, so I think that thinking about gender equity and sort of making sure that that women and moms kind of feel safe cycling around, that's there's that whole aspect to the story that I think motherlode really, really brings to the fore. Yeah. And I think also, you know, and this is something that's been touched and I know I haven't had a chance to to read the women, Women Changing Cities book that came out pretty recently.
00:42:18:13 - 00:42:52:18
Eileen McGinnis
It'll probably be added to my stack. But, you know, this idea of caregiving and care as a principle, can we can we put that, you know, can we design our cities and design our roadways with that as a framework? Right. Like instead of just how do we get from point A to B as quickly as possible? What would it look like if those values found their way into the planning process itself, that we really prioritized care and and I think, like you said before, you know, kids can be like a very cute and and emotionally resonant focal point for that.
00:42:52:18 - 00:43:08:15
Eileen McGinnis
But but I think there's a broader idea, like, if we really extend out care to everybody who kind of inhabits our cities, you know, I think that that could be a radical way of thinking about urban planning.
00:43:08:18 - 00:43:40:06
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. And here is that landing page for the episode that I did with Liz Canning way back in season two, episode 80, long time ago now, but yeah. And and you bring up some really good points there. You know, the care trips and the term that Melissa used is they do trip chaining. You know it's like you you've got this one trip here and then you've got another care trip over here and then another one over here.
00:43:40:06 - 00:44:03:01
John Simmerman
And so when I see Liz and her her cargo bike there, and the kids are in the front, it's like, yeah, when I drop the kids off at daycare or whatever, etc. then I'm sipping over to the pharmacy to get some stuff, and then zipping over to the grocery store to get some stuff. It's like all of these trips, the trip chaining aspect of of what we see happening.
00:44:03:01 - 00:44:28:18
John Simmerman
And you're going to love the book Women Changing Cities. You know, I had Chris and Melissa on to talk about the book, and it's just so powerful. And when I think of what you just said there, though, that, you know, keeping in mind these caregivers, as we're also kind of thinking about and talking about how we design our cities, it brings me back to.
00:44:28:24 - 00:44:29:07
John Simmerman
Is.
00:44:29:08 - 00:45:07:13
John Simmerman
Is it enough to say that the community, the built environment is appropriate for all ages and all abilities, and I want to think that it is comprehensive enough if it truly is safe and inviting for all ages and all abilities. It hopefully is also broad enough in scope to say, oh, and by the way, the the you know, active mobility infrastructure needs to be wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs and, and adaptive cycles and cargo bikes and all of these other things.
00:45:07:13 - 00:45:37:18
John Simmerman
And so I try to make sure that that I come back to that touchstone is is all ages, all abilities abroad enough and inclusive enough goal for us to move towards. You know, that it should be inviting, it should be welcoming, it should be beautiful and really encourage everybody to feel comfortable in this environment, including the mom who is doing trip chaining with her cargo bike.
00:45:37:21 - 00:45:39:16
Eileen McGinnis
Right? Right.
00:45:39:19 - 00:45:40:21
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:45:40:24 - 00:45:41:02
John Simmerman
I.
00:45:41:02 - 00:46:01:24
John Simmerman
Don't know. Do you have a thought on that, or is there a different terminology that we should do that? Not not to make things more complicated. I like to try to try to come up with a term that is inclusive enough that it does accommodate everybody, which I think is why it's so important all ages and all abilities.
00:46:01:24 - 00:46:07:00
John Simmerman
It's not just about ableism. It should be. It should work for everybody.
00:46:07:02 - 00:46:34:08
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. No, I hadn't I hadn't contemplated that, that terminology. But I think that yeah, I think that that's a great a great term to use. I think it's more just how do we kind of invite these different perspectives to the table though, you know, kind of within that broad framework, how do we make sure kind of maybe coming back to how do we make sure we're hearing from these different voices and, and getting those little shades of nuance in terms of, of how people are experiencing our streets.
00:46:34:10 - 00:46:59:13
John Simmerman
So we are in summer time right now. You led into the conversation about this. And because summertime is a little bit different, a little bit special for for everything that you're doing as a parent. Talk a little bit about the the camp guides and the resources that you're in to, you know, do to help facilitate and backstop some of the parents who, again, are like, oh.
00:46:59:14 - 00:47:02:28
John Simmerman
Man, what are we going to do?
00:47:03:01 - 00:47:30:07
Eileen McGinnis
Well, you know, okay, so one other thing that I that I've really heard at the starter, I keep hearing again from caregivers who finds our organization is I really want to model you know, this this is also about modeling for my kids what sustainable actually look like. And so yeah. So so our we also in addition to, you know, bringing people together for those in-person events and those gatherings, we do have resources on our on our website or, you know, asynchronously.
00:47:30:07 - 00:48:09:02
Eileen McGinnis
So yeah, if you're if you're scrambling still for, for a camp for your child, that's, that's a great place to look. So, you know, again, just sort of highlighting opportunities to write to, to sort of share those values with kids to, to cultivate kids leadership. And I think there are some there are some active transportation and alternative transportation ideas on there, including there's an awesome group called Kid Camp Kids Camp where kids go on adventures on Metro, on our local bus system, and access museums and, you know, volunteer opportunities by bus.
00:48:09:02 - 00:48:28:13
Eileen McGinnis
I think that's such a great way to encourage a new generation of riders. So yeah, so I mean, I think, I think this this guide also just speaks to what we want. We want to be here for each other. Right? It comes back to community care and mutual care. You know, how can we kind of support other other caregivers on this journey.
00:48:28:13 - 00:48:35:12
Eileen McGinnis
And yeah, that's everything from online resources to to just making space in real time to to be together.
00:48:35:14 - 00:49:00:27
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah. Now I notice that, you know, this is not called the Austin's parent guy parent climate community. It's it's pretty broad. Are you do you get contacted by folks from other communities and or has it already happened? Have you expanded to communities outside of the Austin area?
00:49:01:00 - 00:49:34:00
Eileen McGinnis
That's still sort of TBD, right? Right now we're in Austin organization. But it's true that this has a little bit of room. We have a little bit of room to grow. I've definitely I've gotten, you know, requests from folks like, you know, in San Marcos or San Antonio, like, what are what are you starting a new chapter, you know, so so it's definitely a possibility, I think particularly because in Austin, we're we're really lucky with, you know, we do have a really robust, you know, environmental and climate, you know, landscape here of folks who are advocates.
00:49:34:00 - 00:49:48:10
Eileen McGinnis
And that's I know that's not true. You know, not everybody has those kinds of resources in those communities. So so it's a possibility. But for right now, I think we're really interested in kind of growing our roots, steeping in our deepening in our roots in Austin before we expand.
00:49:48:12 - 00:50:02:24
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I could totally see that there could be opportunities for this to be a national movement and a national organization. And who knows, maybe it's a membership bay. I don't know, I'm just I'm like, looking at this.
00:50:02:26 - 00:50:03:12
Eileen McGinnis
You're dreaming.
00:50:03:12 - 00:50:04:10
Eileen McGinnis
Big for us, John.
00:50:04:13 - 00:50:06:14
John Simmerman
Yeah, well know it.
00:50:06:16 - 00:50:11:03
John Simmerman
I just noticed that it didn't have the word Austin in there anyway, so I'm like.
00:50:11:03 - 00:50:11:27
John Simmerman
Well, maybe.
00:50:11:27 - 00:50:16:28
John Simmerman
Maybe in naming it, you were thinking big, right?
00:50:17:01 - 00:50:18:07
Eileen McGinnis
Well, did I know?
00:50:18:09 - 00:50:19:14
John Simmerman
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
00:50:19:19 - 00:50:24:19
John Simmerman
Is there anything that we haven't covered yet that you want to make sure that we address?
00:50:24:20 - 00:51:03:16
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. I mean, I think that one thing I want to invite your audience is, again, when I was, was planning kit. Like, if that idea of, of a mass ride kind of sparks your interest or for that matter, of a playground meetup in your hometown where you talk about climate, like, I really want to offer that. I'm here to sort of brainstorm and chat with you if you'd like to follow up about that and what that could look like, I will say, you know, I think we touched on this before, but, you know, starting by finding your people for whether those are just a few, you know, caregivers who are at your kid's school or
00:51:03:19 - 00:51:26:07
Eileen McGinnis
their organizations, like Gisella Cycling, who helped us make maps a reality, and then really kind of getting clear on on what your purpose is, finding your purpose, what is what is the gathering that you wish was out there, and can you be the one to make it happen? But yeah, I'm happy to happy to chat through logistics. If anyone looks at these, I mean, how can you not look at these photos?
00:51:26:07 - 00:51:48:19
Eileen McGinnis
This photo I love so much that if we can go back on. So I got a message from the mom afterwards, and apparently this little boy had just learned to ride a bike just a couple weeks before Kid Mass. And I just feel like that sense of like, just energy and excitement. There's this. It's a priceless photo for me.
00:51:48:21 - 00:51:50:02
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah.
00:51:50:04 - 00:52:26:12
John Simmerman
Yeah, that that is just amazing. Any advice that you would have for a parent, an organization, anybody who's who's tuning in and going, you know what, we need to do something like this, whether it's a meetup group or an organization or just pulling together their very first critical mass. Any advice, sage advice from the years and from being able to successfully pull off two huge successful masses?
00:52:26:14 - 00:52:53:15
Eileen McGinnis
Sure. So a couple of things. One thing just specifically about about the match, like I said, just sort of getting taking stock of like, who wants to be on your team is really important. So, so what are the resources? Where are people gathering already? You know, is there a school community that's already active? Is there a local bike shop really starting with that, I remember sending out just a flier with like a couple of great, like just photos like this, right from other other rides to potential partners.
00:52:53:15 - 00:53:14:06
Eileen McGinnis
And I really feel like those visuals kind of helped help get them on board. Or maybe it was the name mass. It just there's just something about that, right? That just brings a smile to your face. So yeah, really, I think that's that's my, my biggest tip is kind of really starting with finding your people and just taking stock of what are the resources that are already out there.
00:53:14:08 - 00:53:37:04
Eileen McGinnis
But I would say for any organization or group that is looking to engage families and caregivers specifically, I mean, one challenge that I had when I years ago, when I just sort of awoke to this need to to do something on climate, you know, is that, practically speaking, a lot of the ways that we gather aren't always conducive or easy for, for caregivers to attend.
00:53:37:04 - 00:53:58:21
Eileen McGinnis
So I remember, you know, weeknight meetings where, you know, I told my kids bedtime and I there wasn't childcare and, you know, how was I going to make it work? So I definitely the advice is, you know, to really think about what are what are some like weekend times or what are some time, what are some locations or venues that are really kind of approachable for families?
00:53:58:27 - 00:54:16:20
Eileen McGinnis
The other thing that I think caregivers are always wanting, like having a having a frequently asked questions like, where are the bathrooms? Are they going to be snatch like all those practical things, you know, that people really want to know, to be able to decide, you know, is this is this worth the effort to, like, get my family out of the house and go to?
00:54:16:21 - 00:54:32:27
Eileen McGinnis
Because it's not always that's not always. That could be a struggle. So yeah. So I think just choosing approachable, family friendly locations and times and then kind of giving almost over, communicating about everything they need to know to to make that decision to attend.
00:54:33:00 - 00:55:09:14
John Simmerman
Yeah. Yeah. And you know, heading back to the, the website here and as a resource as a landing point for, for people to, to gain, you know, awareness and ideas. Again, the website is parents climate community. And there's a, there's a connect button there. So you can click on the connect button and collect connect with Eileen and her team and learn more about everything that you all have been doing.
00:55:09:14 - 00:55:40:27
John Simmerman
And and, you know, moving forward, I do want to pause and just talk a little bit about how special it is to be based in Austin. Pause just a moment to shift away from just talking about the organization, but talk a little bit about being able to raise your children in an environment where the city has been very intentional about creating an environment that has safe and inviting all ages and abilities, infrastructure.
00:55:40:28 - 00:56:21:09
John Simmerman
I mean, Marshall Middle School literally has a protected two protected bike lanes that connect to the campus in the form of Tilly and also Zach Scott. Connecting to parks, connecting to other meaningful destinations, connecting to the vibrant second downtown that exists there, and then the quiet residential streets that are have no infrastructure per se for for cycling. But it's traffic calmed and very, very inviting for for people to families to be able to ride and control the lane on those quiet residential streets.
00:56:21:10 - 00:56:29:14
John Simmerman
Talk a little bit about how that has helped empower you as a family to be able to embrace active mobility.
00:56:29:15 - 00:56:51:06
Eileen McGinnis
And I will say so for mass. I mean, we couldn't have picked a better look. We couldn't have built a better location than Marshall Middle School in the neighborhood, you know, and we we've toyed with ideas of, we do want to take some mini rides around town and make sure other people get to experience them. But I think Marshall is our home base because it's just so conducive.
00:56:51:06 - 00:57:16:12
Eileen McGinnis
So even like you see here, we're taking over the streets, you know, where we weren't necessarily we were too big of a group to to stay on the land. But but it was just that sort of peace of mind of that environment and of kind of the way the environment is set up really just, I think just allowed us to have like the best experience, you know, that we could and yeah, for, for my family, just personally, I'm not based in Mueller, but I'm really close by.
00:57:16:12 - 00:57:40:02
Eileen McGinnis
I'm pretty central in Austin and having been able to bike to school with my kid, you know, since since second grade, he was, you know, we were biking a school daily, you know, having feeling feeling comfortable about about that, you know, and I think it's done wonders for his, his independence and his sense of leadership to, to be able to get places by bike.
00:57:40:03 - 00:58:02:07
Eileen McGinnis
So I will say that there, you know, there's still room for improvement in our city. Right? I think we're, we're we're at the forefront, but they're still work to do, you know, in terms of connectivity especially, you know, and safe crossings at various locations. But but it is you know, it is an amazing kind of starting point to, to work with to be in Austin.
00:58:02:09 - 00:58:09:12
John Simmerman
Yeah. Now does your, your child go to Marshall Middle School. Is that your home, middle school.
00:58:09:14 - 00:58:12:06
Eileen McGinnis
He'll be at Keeling Middle School in the next year.
00:58:12:10 - 00:58:15:28
John Simmerman
Okay I thought I thought he was a marshall Middle School kid. I thought that was the.
00:58:15:28 - 00:58:17:18
John Simmerman
Connection for you guys.
00:58:17:24 - 00:58:40:26
Eileen McGinnis
Know Marshall reason we ended up in Marshall. So Bobby Sandoval, who is a teacher at Marshall, who is just an absolute like, powerhouse of of advocacy, kind of getting getting teachers on bikes, getting kids on bikes. And so she was she was the, the hub. She was the reason why we ended up at Marshall. Because she's just such an amazing advocate.
00:58:40:27 - 00:58:45:10
John Simmerman
The driving force. Yes, Bobby Sandoval is a force of nature.
00:58:45:15 - 00:58:47:20
John Simmerman
For sure.
00:58:47:22 - 00:58:53:09
John Simmerman
Well, Eileen McGinnis, thank you so much for joining me on the Active Towns podcast. This has been so much fun.
00:58:53:12 - 00:59:09:24
Eileen McGinnis
This was really great. I remember last time we spoke, I was just like kind of gobsmacked, like we had just done this big event. I was like a little star struck by the whole thing. So it's been really nice to to reflect back on it, you know, over over a year later and have a chance to kind of process a bit with you.
00:59:10:00 - 00:59:10:22
John Simmerman
Yeah, yeah.
00:59:10:22 - 00:59:18:19
John Simmerman
Well, and I can't wait to reconnect and maybe I'll make it to mass 3.0.
00:59:18:21 - 00:59:20:03
Eileen McGinnis
Yeah. I would love to have you.
00:59:20:04 - 00:59:21:20
John Simmerman
Yeah.
00:59:21:22 - 00:59:23:14
John Simmerman
Again, thank you so much.
00:59:23:16 - 00:59:25:03
Eileen McGinnis
All right. You too. Take care. John.
00:59:25:08 - 00:59:41:12
John Simmerman
Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for tuning in. I hope you enjoyed this episode with Eileen McGuinness. And if you did, please give it a thumbs up. Leave a comment down below and share it with a friend. And if you haven't done so already, I'd be honored to have you subscribe to the channel. Just click on that subscription button down below and ring that notification bell.
00:59:41:12 - 01:00:03:12
John Simmerman
And again, if you're enjoying this content here on the Active Towns Channel, please consider supporting my efforts by becoming an Active Towns Ambassador. Again, super easy to do right here on YouTube. Click on the join button right down below. You can also leave a YouTube super! Thanks for. Navigate over to Active Towns. Click on the support tab at the top of the page, and there's several different options, including becoming a Patreon supporter.
01:00:03:13 - 01:00:26:00
John Simmerman
Patrons do get early and ad free access to all this video content, or you can make a donation to my nonprofit advocates for Healthy Communities that help support my travel and doing pro bono work for communities around the nation as well as non-profits. And this is a great opportunity to acknowledge all my current Active Towns ambassadors. Thank you all so very much.
01:00:26:01 - 01:00:43:00
John Simmerman
I simply could not produce this content without your financial support. Mahalo Nuea. Thank you so much again. Really appreciate you tuning in for this episode. And until next time, this is John signing off by wishing you much activity, health and happiness. Cheers and aloha!