In this episode, I connect with documentary filmmaker Liz Canning for a candid conversation about MOTHERLOAD, a movie and a movement. 

MOTHERLOAD captures a new mother’s quest to understand the increasing isolation and disconnection of modern life, its planetary impact, and how cargo bikes could be an antidote.

Filmmaker Liz Canning cycled everywhere until she had twins in 2008. Motherhood was challenging, but to Liz hauling babies via car felt stifling. She Googled “family bike” and uncovered a global movement of people replacing cars with cargo bikes: long-frame bicycles designed for carrying heavy loads. Liz set out to learn more, and MOTHERLOAD was born.

Additional Helpful Links:

Active Towns Landing Page for this episode - for more photos and videos

The MOTHERLOAD website:  http://motherloadmovie.com

Here is where you can rent the film:  https://vimeo.com/ondemand/motherload

The Motherload Films site:  https://www.motherload-films.com - find out more about hiring Liz!

The trailer on Vimeo: http://motherloadmovie.com/welcome
MOTHERLOAD Facebook Group
MOTHERLOAD on Twitter

Episode 1 of Global Mosaic: "Could Empowering Girls Transform the World?"
Director's Cut
Broadcast Edit

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What a Bakfiets looks like

Xtracycle

Jared Diamond

Daniel Lieberman

Velo-City Conference

Kidical Mass - Shane MacRhodes article

Critical Mass - Tim White doc "Return of the Scorcher"

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Credits:

All video and audio production by John Simmerman

Music:

Various mixes also by John Simmerman

Resources used during the production of this episode:

- My awesome recording platform is Ecamm

- Adobe Creative Cloud Suite

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Background:

Hi Everyone, my name is John Simmerman.

I’m a health promotion professional with over 30 years of experience and my area of concentration has evolved into a specialization of how the built environment influences human behavior related to active living and especially active mobility.

In 2012 I launched the non-profit Advocates for Healthy Communities as an effort to help promote and create healthy, active places.

Since that time, I've been exploring, documenting, and profiling established, emerging, and aspiring Active Towns wherever they might be, in order to produce high-quality multimedia content to help inspire the creation of more safe and inviting, environments that promote a "Culture of Activity" for "All Ages & Abilities."

My Active Towns suite of channels feature my original video and audio content and reflections, including a selection of podcast episodes and short films profiling the positive and inspiring efforts happening around the world as I am able to experience and document them.

Thanks for tuning in; I hope you have found this content helpful.

Creative Commons License: Attributions, Non-Commercial, No Derivatives, 2021

Advocates for Healthy Communities, Inc. is a nonprofit 501c3 organization (EIN 45-3802508) dedicated to helping communities create a Culture of Activity. To donate, click here.

Music: Various Logic Pro X mixes by John Simmerman