December 4, 2025 • 42 mins
In this episode of The Social Impact Podcast, Bree talks with Molly Morgan, Texas State Director for the Trust for Public Land (TPL), about how parks and green spaces are essential infrastructure for health, equity, and community life. Molly shares her journey from studying studio art and landscape architecture to becoming a community-focused designer and then a statewide leader. She explains that her work centers on community-designed park spaces shaped by residents’ needs and stories, rather than just professional plans.
Molly walks through TPL’s work in Texas, especially in Dallas, including:
- The Five Mile Creek urban greenbelt—an 80-year-old city vision being realized as a trail and park system.
- Turning vacant public lots into small, affordable neighborhood parks.
- Preserving Big Cedar Wilderness, nearly 300 acres of nature inside Dallas city limits.
Throughout the conversation, she highlights the mental and physical health benefits of green spaces, including reduced stress and cortisol levels, improved outcomes for children’s mental health and test scores, mitigation of extreme heat, and even faster recovery after illness. She and Bree also explore temporary and creative solutions, such as pop-up parks, potted plants, painted asphalt, and green alleys, that can quickly bring relief to communities, like fire-impacted schools with no play space.
The episode closes with Molly’s advice for aspiring impact professionals and community members:
- You don’t have to be an “environment person” to help—nonprofits need skills in finance, web, marketing, and operations.
- Small actions, like simply showing up to a local park, can make others feel safer and more welcome.
- Everyone deserves “a place to breathe,” and parks are a powerful way to give that to communities under stress.
tpl.org/our-work/greener-dallas-greater-dallas
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Episode Transcript
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Unknown (00:00):
On today's episode of the social impact podcast, we're
(00:03):
joined by a leader who isreshaping how Texans connect
with the outdoors. Molly Morganis the Texas State Director of
the Trust for Public Land, whereshe and her team are working to
ensure that every Texan hasaccess to health equity and
community benefits that comewith close to home parks and
(00:23):
green spaces. Since joining TPLin 2017 Molly has played a
pivotal role in projects likethe Five Mile Creek urban
Greenbelt plan, the South OakCliff Renaissance Park and the
Dallas green greeninginitiative. She's also helped
secure major federal funding toexpand trails and transform
(00:43):
school yards into vibrant publicspaces. We had an incredible
conversation where we talkedabout community impact, mental
health and so many things. Solet's get started. Hi Molly,
thank you very much for talkingwith us today. I know just now
when we're doing kind of our preconversation, I said I have so
(01:04):
many questions for you aboutland banking and all the things
being in the current situationthat a lot of our listeners or
followers now in altitude areworking on the fire recovery. So
I'm really happy to hear aboutyour work and all the things
that you're doing in Texas andall the things so we're going to
(01:24):
get there. But I'm just curious,Molly, if you kind of introduce
yourself to all of us and sharea little bit of how you even got
into this work,absolutely Well, excuse me.
Thank you for having me. I'malways thrilled to be able to
talk about our work, but also tohear what other people are doing
make an impact in theircommunities too. So thank you
for what you're doing with thispodcast. So I am the Texas State
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Director for Trust for PublicLand, which is a nonprofit, and
our mission is to provide thejoy and benefits of the outdoors
to everyone and to connect morepeople with nature and parks and
open spaces. And how I came intothis role, actually. You know,
my first degree was in studioart and in art history, and I
(02:05):
loved the process of making art,but I wasn't really sure that I
was going to do it for otherpeople, so it was kind of an
interesting degree to get. Iworked in a bunch of creative
fields, and have always justloved being outside, and didn't
really know enough about thedesign connection to being
outside until I realized Iwanted to go back to grad
(02:26):
school. I found landscapearchitecture, and it's what I
really decided I wanted topursue, because I could bring my
design background intodelivering something for people
that could make their livesbetter, my life better, and
bring more people into kind ofthe spaces that I got to be in
that provided good for me andfor me that was outdoors. I
thought I would be like atherapeutic garden designer. I
(02:47):
thought I'd be doing like, youknow, kind of traditional garden
work. And I fell in love,actually, with community work
while I was in grad school. Soafter that, I really pursued
community based projects. Andwhat became my specialty and
niche was community design, soworking directly with
communities to build park spacesand design green spaces that
match their needs, andtranslating the needs of a non
(03:10):
design practitioner into a greenspace that they're going to use
every day. I started doing thatkind of work, and then worked at
TPL to deliver that kind ofwork, and have been at TPL for
over eight years doing that. SoI have worked up and into
different positions and ondifferent projects, and now I
lead our work here, and I'mthinking about how we expand
that work. And so that's whatkeeps me here, too, is
(03:34):
delivering those green spacesfor others, and just getting to
see the joy of bringing morenature to people that need it,
especially in the times that welive in where life can be a
little stressful.
Yeah, just a little just a fewthings going on in the world to
(03:55):
stress people out. Yeah, no,that's fantastic. And I, love
your journey of initially youwere or you still are an artist,
but you were very focused onthat, and then we're able to
bring it into community work andimpact work. We do a school
program where we teach studentsabout using their talents and
their loves to create adifference in the world. And so
(04:19):
what more would you say aboutthat? Because I think in impact
industries, it's like, how doyou even get into like, doing
good work and getting paid forit, right? And how do you use
your talents and discover whatyou're good at and then find a
way to make this a career, tohelp people?
You know, that's one of the topquestions. I feel like people
(04:40):
ask me, especially youngprofessionals too, is I had a
career change. I came back intothis field after going to grad
school. I would say that when Istarted grad school, and even
when I was getting close toending, I didn't think that jobs
like this were out there forpeople, right? I thought that I
would go work at a firm andmaybe. If I worked hard enough
(05:00):
and I was good enough at what Iwas doing, that I would
occasionally get to work on aproject that you know, was
really community based, butthere would be other things I
would be doing. And so I wouldsay that it I mean, those jobs
are out there, and sometimesthey take persistence to find
them. But I think if you arecentered on what you know, the
(05:22):
good you want to create, andyou're open to how that unfolds.
You can really find those thingsand excel and thrive. And I
think for me, you know, I don'tdo as much design work anymore,
right? Like I do a lot moremanagement. I do a lot more
community, bringing peopletogether and facilitating. But
(05:43):
to me, that still tickles mycreative side while also
creating the impact. And I thinkthat while when I was younger in
my career, I might not have beenable to make that connection as
easily. So I would say like, ifyou feel like you're doing good,
even if it's not the exactvision you started out with
yourself with then you're on theright path, and you will find
(06:05):
the things and be able to shape,as you grow, the things that
deliver that impact, too. Ithink the other thing is that
when I started my career in thisI was, you know, designing
potential park spaces on, youknow, trace paper for council
people actually to advocate formore park spaces in a local bond
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election, more funding to gointo a bond election for green
spaces. And at that time, Ithink I didn't, I was newer in
this type of work. I didn't knowthe impact that that that would
make, and it, you know, wasn'tdirect community work. I wasn't
hearing somebody's dreams andtrying to make it happen at that
time. But this year, we actuallyopened a park that I worked on.
(06:46):
Then, Wow, that's great. Firstthought, what happened? I know
so I think you know, if you feellike you're doing good, even if
it's not what you think you'regoing to do, to like to see it
through, let it play out, andtry to
try to let the process take youwhere it's going to take you.
(07:08):
I really love that. And I lovewhen time goes by. You can look
back and say, Wow, that projecthappened. Sometimes we don't
take the time to just invest andlike, let it be nurtured and
then grow and and also, whileyou were talking, I was thinking
too, those that have those kindof, like, hard skills, it's
great, like, say you're somebodythat's really good at numbers
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and finance, go into thosecareers, and then you can come
into the impact space with somany skills that impact needs,
right? So if you're a creative,like, go work at the studio, you
know, do all these things, butthen you can bring that into
your work later, like you'vedone. I'm curious why parks,
like, what kind of, you know,got you curious? You said that
(07:49):
you were working on somethingwith account. Was it a council
member? And you're like, I'lljust draw a park. Like, what?
What happened there? You know,um, parks are like the public
expression, I think of a garden,right? Of an outdoor place. And
they can take a lot of differenta lot of different directions,
right? You know? So when I sayPark, it could be, and sometimes
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you don't even refer to them asparks, you know, some community
spaces we refer to as greens,or, as you know, pocket parks,
community areas. But to me, Parkmeans public and it means a
place that everyone can enjoy.
So if, even if it's more of anarboretum or it's a neighborhood
park, and that's sort of kind ofthe training that I gravitated
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to when I was in my educationalkind of career is just that,
what are the things that in apublic space bring people
together or serve a neighborhoodneed and parks, I think are what
does that? And one of the thingsthat we work on at Trust for
Public Land, that I've beenworking on, you know, for my
career here too, is making surethat everybody in an area has
(09:03):
access to a park close to theirhome, within a 10 minute walk of
their home, so that's a distancethat somebody can walk to right
and also enjoy the space spendtime there. And we know that
there are benefits to people andto communities by having those
spaces in their neighborhoods,and so I loved, even starting
(09:25):
when I was at that time, likedrawing all these just sample
parks on vacant properties inthe city of Dallas to see if one
was an opportunity was thatthere's so many different
expressions of those parkspaces, whether they're big or
small, and whether they're aplace that you drive to for a
festival or you walk to everyday in your neighborhood. And so
(09:46):
for me, professionally, it nevergets boring. But two, you know,
it's an endless celebration ofthe individual, like nature of
the space in the community.
No, I love that. One of thethings that has really been
supportive for the Eaton firerecovery is the Dodgers
Foundation, right away came inand redid one of our main parks,
(10:08):
Loma Alta, and now that's becomea space that, excuse me, that
people are coming back to tospend time when they're trying
to make new memories in thearea. They don't have their
homes there, but they're able tocome back and remember and while
they're rebuilding. So I thinkit's an incredible community
resource. I'm curious what itmeans to have access, or, you
(10:31):
know, equitable resource, to apark, because I'm thinking like
my mind is thinking, LA,downtown, LA, like most of the
schools in downtown LA arecement and the public spaces are
like dog parks and things likethat. So, you know, in a
situation, because I don't knowDallas as well, like, if you can
(10:52):
kind of give us a picture ofwhat it would look like in an
area that doesn't have accessand some and what you would do
to come in and and improve that.
Yeah.
So I think that's one of thereally fun things that working
at an organization like mine, isthat generally a park has green
in it, or it's green and it'spublic and like, it can take any
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expression beyond that. So inTexas, I have worked on school
yards where we have and acrossthe country, we do that kind of
work, where really the best kindof space in the neighborhood is
your school yard. Anyways,there's this network of
infrastructure that we cansometimes bring neighbors more
into and improve and, you know,but the also actually, LA, I
actually trained in LA at TPL,and there's this really great
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program they have there that,you know, called the equipo
Verde, that is a green alleynetwork, and so working with
communities to connect people totheir institutions and to each
other through this network ofmaking their alleys green. And
this dual benefit of it's also astormwater management component
underneath those alleys. So thenall of a sudden you have this
green connectivity betweenpeople areas where people can
(11:58):
come together and thrive and getplaces safely, and then a
benefit to the city with thewater component. And I think
Dallas is different in a lot ofways, because a lot of the
vacant space we're looking at isalready green, but it needs to
be cleaned up for things likepublic safety, like fire
protection, like sight lines,and be made places that
(12:18):
communities feel safe using.
That's a lot of what I'm workingon here. But back to all of it.
I think the like the throughline is that, from an equity
perspective, people can thrivemore when they have green spaces
in their neighborhood, and itcan be just as simple as getting
outside for 20 minutes a day.
And it doesn't, you know,there's tons of benefits to
running, jogging, whatever youlike to do climbing, skating,
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but really, even just sittingoutside in nature for 20 minutes
a day, or even looking at naturefor 20 minutes a day can reduce
your cortisol levels, and it canmake you less stressed. And then
we also know that parks andthese type of public green
spaces bring people together,and after covid, in isolation,
the Surgeon General saidisolation can be the equivalent
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of smoking 15 cigarettes a dayfor your health. And so
providing people a place,whether it's smiling at somebody
that's walking on the trail, orwaving at a parent who is
playing with their kid, alsothere's the opportunity for that
kind of just human interaction.
It can be as deep or not as asneeded, but everyone benefits
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from it. And then there's evenstatistics about, you know, like
kids mental health benefits ofjust having a green space in
your neighborhood can have a,you know, statistical reduction
in mental health incidences inadulthood, in childhood, and I'm
going on and on, because Ibelieve in it in Texas, heat is
a big issue. And the moreconcrete there is, the more
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urban heat island effect thereis, which means the ambient air
is hotter, which means thatcardio vascular illnesses are
exacerbated. And that is likeone of the big health concerns
here in Texas right now is howour health is impacted by heat
waves and by these kind ofincidences in neighborhoods and
green space, you know, helpsaddress all that in communities.
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And so whether it's a schoolyardor a traditional park or more
street trees or like the greenalleyways, adding green is good,
and giving people that accesscan really make an impact on
people's lives that I don'tthink we always connect to,
right? We just experience itsometimes, and we don't stop and
(14:31):
think like how important it is.
Yeah, absolutely. So I'mthinking about my daughter's
school Odyssey. So they losttheir school in the fire and
were graciously taken in byseveral organizations in
(14:54):
Pasadena all last year, and nowthey have a new space back in
the burn zone, and it's a good.
Building, however, zero playspace, zero green space. It's a
parking lot. So I've beenbrainstorming, okay, what do you
do when you have a parking lotand it's an immediate need for
the mental health of thesekiddos that just went through a
fire? What would you suggest? Imean, is there like interim
(15:17):
green spaces that you can createthat support kind of the
situationyou totally can. And actually,
that's something we do. It's atool we use in community
engagement a lot. Is a lot oftimes we're working on vacant
lots or areas where people can'tsee the arc, like they see a
problem site, or they see likesomething that's really
overgrown, and think, how couldthis possibly be a space we're
(15:38):
going to come in and use? Orthey see something with a lot of
concrete, or ask, concrete orasphalt that say No way. And we
work with a really greatorganization here that works
across the country. They'recalled Better Block. And for us,
they do all kinds of things. Butfor us, they in our community
engagement process, they bringtemporary Park furniture out,
like pop up furniture, and in alot of cases, they can gift
(16:00):
those to communities if they'reworking with the community. For
us, we take it to a lot ofplaces. We kind of clean up the
site. We do like a mini kind ofpark design, and we use that to
gage what people want forever onthe site, to like, compare site
plans, and really also just getpeople comfortable there. We
throw kind of a party that dayto like a picnic, and we have a
DJ and all kinds of fun stuff.
(16:22):
But you can totally do temporarystuff that can be really
impactful sometimes, just even,like potted plants too. And in
the perimeter can be reallygreat in a learning opportunity
for kids, right? And then, youknow, there, we've done all
these the school yard work inNew York City, where same thing.
There's so much kind of asphaltand concrete, and they've come
(16:44):
up with some really great waysto identify some areas of that
concrete that could be removedfor turf, and then water capture
underneath and resurfacing thatconcrete so it's a usable
surface, like a track, or usingan artist to really activate it
in the interim or long term, tomake it fun for kids. And I
think also, like thinking abouttrees don't have to be like it.
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They're great if you'reunderneath them. But also they
provide a benefit around and so,like, even around a green space,
even if it's not providing shaderight where you are, a lot of
them can lower the airtemperature around it, which
helps with, like thatreflectivity and the micro
climate, and so there are a lotof things, and I think that's a
really important point too. Iseverything can start somewhere,
(17:30):
right? But does it have to be aginormous project for people to
enjoy it?
Yeah, I really like that idea,especially because it can create
kind of a space where they'renot seeing so much of what's
going on around then, likeconstruction, which is a very
(17:51):
good sign right now, by the way,I have lots of questions, and
some of them are probably goingto sound so silly because I've
just been asking everyone, and Istill don't get it. But if you
don't mind sharing a little moreabout what land trusts are in
general, and land banking and,like, just the 101, of it all.
(18:14):
But the more I learn, the moreI'm like, wow, this is
incredible for communities. Ijust don't fully get it. If you
don't mind sharing a little bitabout that,
you're good. I also, I'll giveyou what I know too. But as my
background is landscapearchitect on the capital side.
That's a expertise in TPL thatwe have, and really important.
But I think Texas worksdifferently than a lot of other
(18:35):
places too. So a land trustoperates like they own land in
many cases, or own easements onland to take care of it and
protect it for a certain reason.
So something that we do a lot isconservation easements land
banks buy up property to holdthose the ownership structure
can be different in everycommunity, whether it is a group
(18:56):
of people, group of individuals,a group of businesses or
associations can own that landtogether and make decisions
based on it. Land banking can befor a lot of different purposes,
right? So whether it's housingor green space, the important
thing about land banking andworking with like a community
land trust on some of this isthat the people who need to or
(19:17):
want the outcome, are engaged inthat outcome, as opposed to
advocating for an outcome whenyou don't own the space, right,
and you're limited maybe to,maybe this is complicated, but
to what the zoning allows, orwhat the you know a developer
wants, and you know we love itwhen we have great developers,
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but sometimes you you don't havethe same vision. It's great if
you can come together. But anyway that communities or people
thinking about things can havemore stake in the final decision
making, I think the better,especially when you guys are
thinking about kind of greenspace networks and. At trust
Republican in Texas, we actuallytry our best not to hold land
(20:02):
anymore, but our job as anonprofit is to identify where
land should or could be publicand manage that process, the
real estate process of it, andthen transfer it to a public
agency who has the same outcomeand vision, right? So for us,
that's it's going to be a publicpark, or it's going to be public
(20:23):
and have Park access, it's goingto have people, amenities and
things, and so that's really howwe work, is helping communities
identify, you know, where isthis opportunity? What is this
opportunity, and what does thatactual real estate kind of
transaction look like, to makeit happen. And then, who is the
the final takeout, is it like astate agency? Maybe in this
(20:46):
case, it's like a land it's aland trust. Maybe it is a
community group who has puttogether, you know, some, some,
some policies for you all tocome together, a structure for
you all to come together and ownsomething together, and, you
know, so there's a lot ofthere's a lot of ways that it
happens.
(21:07):
Yeah, that's really helpful. AndI mean, I think the more
conversations I'm having, themore I'm understanding. And so
I'm like, Okay, I think I'mtracking with you. The things
that are happening here inAltadena is we're a very tight
community, and the goal of thecommunity is that everyone comes
back that wants to come back,but that's challenging because
we have insurance issues. Wehave people that were there for
(21:30):
decades and their house was paidoff. I mean, so many different
we have, like, historicalchallenges. So there's an
organization I want to give thema shout out. They're called
Green Line housing, led by an EDnamed Jasmine, and she's doing
land banking, and the hope, youknow, is to get altadeanians
back, so maybe they were rentersand lost their rental and then
now they can become owners, youknow, just things like that. So
(21:53):
I think it's a really, I'mlearning a lot about it, and I
think it's an incredible thing.
And also I think we could use,I'm thinking of like, Are there
any lots for sale around theschool that we could bank and
use for, you know, green spaceand all that? So thinking
creatively, I'm definitely goingto connect you with our LA
office. Amazing. I love that.
(22:15):
I mean, that's the, I thinkthat's like, the a great example
and inspiration for other peoplelistening to this about
organizing is a nonprofit orforming a group that can help
you as a community, be thedrivers of change, right? And
(22:36):
that's really what a land bankdoes, is like you get to decide
the needs as your group, as thepeople who live there, the
experts, and then make thathappen. And that's a mechanism,
a really good mechanism to doit. So yeah, I'll definitely
connect after but I want tolearn a little bit more too.
Yeah, amazing.
So speaking of your currentwork, I know we've we've touched
(22:56):
on it throughout theconversation, but I know that
your organization has some biggoals. So I'd love to dive into
that, what initiatives you allare working on, how you make it
happen within the community thatyou're in, and all of that, all
of a sudden stuff, yeah, well,I first, you know, I'm really
lucky that I've gotten to workat trust Republican for eight
years, and so I've worked in alot of positions, which helps
(23:19):
figure out how to get thingsdone, I would say. But we have
three, you know, we have, wehave a big initiative going on
in Dallas right now is somethingthat we're taking learning
lessons from to for the rest ofthe state. But it's called
greener Dallas, Greater Dallas,and it's a program that combines
all of our current work in thecity with this goal of
(23:39):
connecting nearly a quartermillion people to a park trailer
green space. I don't have oneright now, or a safe one, and we
do that through a variety ofways. So we have a program
called Five Mile Creek that islooking at a creek corridor that
was actually a plan. It was inthe city plans over 80 years
(24:01):
ago. It's never implemented, andit is one of the most beautiful
corridors in Dallas. It's agreat opportunity for this park
and trail system. So it's an 80year old vision that we picked
up in 2018 to work on. And sowe're working on the trail,
funding for it, and we'rebuilding three large parks in
(24:22):
the corridor. We've alreadybuilt the first two, and we're
working on the third. And sothat's that's a big vision area.
And then another project we'reworking on to bring more green
spaces to people, is working oncity owned already public,
vacant lots that are notappropriate for housing, right?
They might have a water utilitypurpose, or they might be like a
(24:43):
corner of a lot on the libraryand looking and saying, these
could have better access. Theycould have things that make, you
know, they could be a benefit tocommunities, and they don't have
to change, you know, the thefinal use of them. Um, but how
can we make those quickly andaffordably into spaces for
community? And so we just brokeground on our first yay, yeah,
(25:05):
and we're building 15 of thosein five years, and we have all
the designs done for the firstfive with the communities that
we work in. We also form friendsof groups, volunteer groups, and
support them to support theirlocal spaces and work with the
public agency. And then the lastof our big projects in Dallas or
(25:26):
initiatives in Dallas that we wealso do this work across the
state, not just in Dallas, islooking at areas like we're
talking about, land bank like,areas that are not public, that
are really great for a greenspace. And so in saving those
for the public. And so lastyear, we or two years ago, we
(25:47):
saved a property called bigcedar wilderness, which is
nearly 300 acres in the citylimits. It was an existing
mountain biking property. Andwe're doing a master plan there.
And then we're always lookingfor properties like that, either
bigger or smaller, that could beprovide a real environmental
education, health and wellness,green space opportunity. And so
(26:07):
we're, you know, those are thethree big initiatives we are
working on to deliver all thatwork, and for me as a mother,
you know, that will serve over70,000 children who don't have a
green space near them, and so Ithink that that's why it's
important. And I think forgetting stuff done, it's great
(26:27):
to work at a nonprofit, or thatallows you to be flexible,
right? Like, I've got colleaguesin New York who are doing these
incredible school yardsprojects, and we worked on
schoolyards here too, but whatthey're working on there is
really specific to their market.
And in Texas, we had to think alittle bit differently to
deliver our mission here. Butthe important thing is, we're
(26:50):
all delivering the same missionjust slightly different ways
across the country, and so wejust make that happen however
you need to bread and butter ismaking sure that communities are
engaged in the process theentire time, from start to
finish, from decision making todictating design to being a part
(27:10):
of conversations around budgets,democratic budgeting, making
sure that phasing matches theirneeds and desires. Because at
the end of the day, people can'tuse the benefit of a park space
if they're not going to use it,if they don't see themselves in
it. And so that's what I spentthe bulk of my career doing at
TPL, and what I love about whatwe do,
(27:31):
yeah, that's incredible, andthat's impact work right there.
If you can't make things happen,then it's probably not for you.
You know, you just got to getcreative. And that's why I
always tell people like, youhave to be an innovator and
think, you know, be able topivot and creatively. And if you
think, if you think you're notcreative because you're doing
(27:52):
systems, no, you are definitelycreative because I'm actually
most creative because you haveto really figure it out, but
that's fantastic, and I love thecreek space that was my young
years. We lived in the mountainsfor a few years, right by a
little creek, and I would takemy Barbies down in Tupperware
(28:14):
and float them down the creek,and I would spend all my days
doing that as like an onlychild. My siblings are a lot
older, so that is like Creekspeaks my language. I mean,
anything that kids can just bekids, right? Because there's so
many places, like big cities,that we as parents maybe don't
feel great about just lettingthem run. So if it's in a
(28:36):
controlled way, but it feelsfree, I think that's so
incredible.
Yeah, you know, we're working onthis project right now. That's
in that system, right? But it'sa large part parcel too, and
we've been doing communityengagement there. I'm really
excited about it, because it's avery kind of forested property.
It's got this creek on it. It'sgot all these amazing things.
(28:57):
But working with the community,actually, it's so big, they
identified this place that theyall went to as kids. Oh, wow,
waterfall on site, really, backin there. And so it's so fun to
hear those stories, and to beable to kind of unearth that
activity and bring that to lifeagain for the next generation of
(29:23):
people. And to your point, too,from your first question about,
like, getting into the field, Ithink you have to think about
everything you're doing. Youhave to remind yourself that
everything you're doing hasimpact. And like, sometimes that
looks like getting a contractsigned right, doing a request
for a proposal, stuff that youthink today, man, I'm not seeing
(29:44):
the impact. I am. My task listis super long, and the last
thing I want to do is bereviewing a contract to document
for an environment, you know,something that is. Still just a
small piece of this biggerthing, but at the end of the
day, like all those things, makeprojects happen, and you got to
(30:08):
be pretty dedicatedto absolutely, yes, absolutely
and celebrate the wins, right?
Yeah. So I love that greatadvice, and it just makes me
want to go play in some likesplash area with my kids right
now. But, um, okay, so anythingelse that you're like, people
(30:29):
need to know this. And thenwe're going to get into some
rapid fire questions that we askeveryone, but just some top of
mind things that you want tomake sure we all know,
you know, I think just to theschoolyards point earlier that
you were talking about, I thinksomething that I hear a lot is
people think green spaces arelike, they're something
(30:53):
beautiful, but they're andthey're not a need, right?
They're, they're just, they're awant, or they're an extra,
they're not a priority, butlike, there are real benefits,
and I know I've already talkedabout that, but even for
schoolyards, like having a parkand green space kids can use
actually, like, can reduce ADHDsymptoms on paper, like it's not
(31:13):
just an anecdotal kind of piece,and improve test scores. And so,
you know, people get out of thehospital faster, recover faster
when it can see a green space.
And so it's not just a mindfulthing to bring into each of our
lives. It's to remember that,you know, even if it feels good
and it's, you know, fun for usto do, it still has a real
benefit.
(31:34):
Yes, that's super important.
Thank you for sharing that.
Okay, so our rapid firequestions are and we just, you
know, it's fun to ask the samequestions for all these
different impact professionalsand see what you all come up
with. So the first one is, whatmotivates you to create social
(31:54):
change? I mean, we were justkind of alluding to it, can we
can have some hard days, right?
So, so why keep doing it? Why doyou keep going?
Yeah, I feel like I already gavesome of this, but really,
honestly, I mean, I've gotten tothe benefit of it from working,
you know, doing this work forsome time. But really, I, you
know, I had my daughter overjust over three years ago, and
(32:18):
my first, first baby, new mom,thought it was going to come
supernaturally, but I wasstressed. I had the baby blues.
I was overwhelmed. And I thinkyou can Well, I think you can
relate to that, even if you'renot a new parent, right? A life
change or something ishappening, a stressful life. But
my husband and I actually weretalking about it one day, and I
(32:40):
was overwhelmed, and he said,You still love you know, just
getting outside or going in thegarden when you were stressed,
why don't you guys take a walk?
And it's such a reminder topractice what you preach, right?
Yeah, but so every day westarted small, we would just go
outside, and then that turned toa walk to our park, and it's
something we still do. And youknow, when times are stressful,
the list is long, and thelaundry, you can't find the sock
(33:03):
that matches.
Wait, does that ever happen? Bythe way?
No, we go outside, and I it madesuch a world of difference for
me, especially at that timewhere I was experiencing a
(33:23):
really different mental healthtime and more. And everyone
deserves that. Everyone deservesto have a place where they can
breathe right, where they canrefresh, where you can let the
list go, and so that you knowthat even though I'd worked in
the space it was, it changed myperspective, again, on how
important it is, and especiallyin communities that don't have a
(33:48):
green space interface facingeven more pressures or extra
stresses than I am, I amreminded that what I can do in
my profession is help providesomething that can give them
that break. And so that's whatkeeps me going and keeps, you
know, me thinking in our work,how do we deliver some of this
stuff faster? How do we dothings differently? And then I
(34:10):
get to hear the stories, youknow, I tell that story, and I
get to hear a million otherpeople tell me same stories,
whether it's in my work orothers about something that also
is what kind of keeps me goingand motivated.
Yeah, very good. What are yourwell being tips? I think it
probably goes along the same.
Get outside, right? But what areyour words for it outside?
(34:32):
But I do like to tell peoplelike, and this goes back to my
experience too. Is like, make itfun for you. Like, don't put
pressure on yourself. Startsmall, if that feels right. You
know, I think that I have atendency as a doer to be like,
I'm going to start doingsomething that I haven't done in
five years, and it's going tocome back. But like I said, just
(34:54):
sitting outside and just walkingin just, you know, my one of my
favorite activities. Ispicnicking. I love to picnic at
our local like Lake and park.
And so you know to remember thatthe benefit you get from a
mental health perspective, ifyou're not talking physical
health, you can get from justgoing outside. So whatever makes
(35:15):
you happy to start thatpractice, is my tip, if you're
open to it. And my other tipabout that is, if you're, if
you're in a hot climate like me,and you're like, I don't like
bugs in the summer, is to switchfrom a bug spray to a bug
lotion, because, oh, they're notas sticky and they don't smell
I'm in a mosquito climate. Soyeah, for me,
(35:37):
I yeah, I appreciate that wehave horrible mosquitoes,
believe it or not, in LosAngeles, like it's terrible.
So I love that.
Yeah, we switched to, I mean, Ihave a lotion from, I think it
was on a trip in Costa Rica,where I was younger, and, you
know, just so much more pleasantfor me when it's bug season.
But okay, you'll have to emailme
(35:58):
that product that you because I,I have sensitive skin, and I
have a random question, becauseyou did bring up bugs. And the
first thing I thought was, Arethere alligators in your lakes
in Texas? Is that a sillyquestion?
It's not a silly questionoccasionally, but not in this
particular lake.
This is a okay, because I waslike, I don't want to unexpected
(36:20):
guest, anddefinitely in some other like
larger lakes. But actually, allthe lakes in house are man made,
and so sometimes there'swildlife up there. There's
obviously fish and stuff.
But no, yeah, I lived in Floridaas a kid for a few years, and
we'd have for sure, yeah, we'dhave to check under the cars
(36:44):
before we went out. I mean, IIt's not funny. I'm a West Coast
girl,so it's kind of, I mean, it's
interesting. Actually, this is adual purpose, like water
reservoir, so you're actually,you don't swim in it. You can
non motorized boat or, like,paddle boards, pretty. It's
beautiful. We're kind of picnicblanket picnic people, so like
we're enjoying it.
(37:06):
I love it. And alligatorfreight. And then the last one
is, how can those of us that arelistening to your tips, how can
we make an impact? Because, youknow, there's different our
audiences is full of impactprofessionals, people that want
to go into the impact fields,and then people that are like,
Hey, I just really care about mycommunity. So what would you
(37:30):
say?
Something you said earlierreally struck me, because being
at a nonprofit, this issomething we talk to people
about a lot, is like, I thinkthat it's important to think
about what impact you want tomake and how you want to make
it. Because at a nonprofit,right? I have a board of people
who help us, help us out, andthere are people with real
(37:52):
estate experience withaccounting, experience with
business structure, experiencewith marketing experience,
right? And so you just becauseyou if you wanted to get
involved in a green spaceorganization or something,
doesn't mean you have to be alandscape architect. It doesn't
mean you have to be anenvironmentalist or an
ecologist. We at nonprofits andpeople who are trying to put
(38:13):
together pieces to make changeneed partners in all kinds of
fields, and that goes across theboard at every kind of
organization, right? And so, youknow, I think if you are that
kind of person who is lookingfor an opportunity to step in
somewhere and help, but maybeit's not your full time career
that to remember that we needhelp. And oftentimes we're not.
(38:38):
We're great at asking for helpabout the top three things, but
not everybody knows your skillset. So if you're an incredible
website builder, and you say youwant to volunteer, and the only
volunteer opportunity that comesup for with me is planting
trees, but if I had known thatskill about you, maybe we could
have talked about somethingdifferently. So I think, don't
be afraid to pitch yourself.
Don't be afraid to afraid tosay, I can help in this way, and
(39:00):
I love your mission, and I orand I want to do X, Y and Z, or
I could help you think about X,Y and Z, and I guarantee you no
one will say, No, right? Theymight say, we don't know right
now how to make that happen, butlet's keep talking, and then
maybe that evolves intosomething else. And I think the
other thing for people is torecognize that small impact does
(39:21):
make a really big impact. I feellike I'm talking about that a
lot, but like, you know, justfor me, if you go to your local
park, right, just take a walkthere, or sit and read a book
you're you might be makingsomebody else feel more
comfortable to be there thatwants to be there. Maybe there's
a young mom or parent who'sthere alone with a stroller and
(39:42):
is a little nervous about beingsomewhere in public and
navigating that. Maybe there'ssomebody who's worried that
maybe they have an injury andthey're not super comfortable
being somewhere where they'realone, places that are populated
by people make people feel selfsafer and. Are welcoming and
welcomed. And so even if whatyou're doing is is seemingly
(40:04):
small to you, you could bemaking an impact for somebody
else. And so to give yourselfthe grace and the encouragement
to recognize the good in alllittle things,
yeah, I think that advice isfantastic, especially, I mean,
both sides are so good. I'mthinking of what you're talking
(40:27):
about with. You know, nonprofitwill not say no. I mean, so
often nonprofits are asking,obviously, for funds and things
like that. But if, if you cangive of your talents, that's
incredible and a huge value tononprofits, absolutely. Yeah.
So thank Yeah, and spreading theword, I mean, like a social
(40:49):
media post, Yeah, huge.
So, huge. So, well, Molly, thankyou so much. I just really
enjoyed our conversation, and Ithink it was helpful. You know,
in community work, where, wherewe all live in communities.
That's one thing we all have incommon. And so this is such a
great way to increase connectiontoo. I mean, people meet at
(41:10):
parks, people you know, haveplaydates at parks. It's a great
way to connect as well. So thankyou so much, Molly. Thank you
forwhat you're doing, and thank you
for chatting today. I lovetalking about this kind of work,
and I love hearing about it. Soagain, thank you.
Thank you for joining us todayon the social impact podcast. We
hope that you found theconversation meaningful and
(41:33):
helpful. We would love a reviewif you'd like to share it, and
also, don't forget to subscribeso that you don't miss a
podcast. Also, this is broughtto you by the social impact
firm, where we work withorganizations on their good for
the world projects. So if youhave something that you need
support with, withcommunications, advocacy,
(41:54):
program development, projectmanagement, and so much more we
can support you, please feelfree to reach out to us at Hello
at the social impact.co, andwe'll catch you next time.
Thanks. You.
On today's episode of the social impact podcast, we're
(00:03):
joined by a leader who isreshaping how Texans connect
with the outdoors. Molly Morganis the Texas State Director of
the Trust for Public Land, whereshe and her team are working to
ensure that every Texan hasaccess to health equity and
community benefits that comewith close to home parks and
(00:23):
green spaces. Since joining TPLin 2017 Molly has played a
pivotal role in projects likethe Five Mile Creek urban
Greenbelt plan, the South OakCliff Renaissance Park and the
Dallas green greeninginitiative. She's also helped
secure major federal funding toexpand trails and transform
(00:43):
school yards into vibrant publicspaces. We had an incredible
conversation where we talkedabout community impact, mental
health and so many things. Solet's get started. Hi Molly,
thank you very much for talkingwith us today. I know just now
when we're doing kind of our preconversation, I said I have so
(01:04):
many questions for you aboutland banking and all the things
being in the current situationthat a lot of our listeners or
followers now in altitude areworking on the fire recovery. So
I'm really happy to hear aboutyour work and all the things
that you're doing in Texas andall the things so we're going to
(01:24):
get there. But I'm just curious,Molly, if you kind of introduce
yourself to all of us and sharea little bit of how you even got
into this work,absolutely Well, excuse me.
Thank you for having me. I'malways thrilled to be able to
talk about our work, but also tohear what other people are doing
make an impact in theircommunities too. So thank you
for what you're doing with thispodcast. So I am the Texas State
(01:45):
Director for Trust for PublicLand, which is a nonprofit, and
our mission is to provide thejoy and benefits of the outdoors
to everyone and to connect morepeople with nature and parks and
open spaces. And how I came intothis role, actually. You know,
my first degree was in studioart and in art history, and I
(02:05):
loved the process of making art,but I wasn't really sure that I
was going to do it for otherpeople, so it was kind of an
interesting degree to get. Iworked in a bunch of creative
fields, and have always justloved being outside, and didn't
really know enough about thedesign connection to being
outside until I realized Iwanted to go back to grad
(02:26):
school. I found landscapearchitecture, and it's what I
really decided I wanted topursue, because I could bring my
design background intodelivering something for people
that could make their livesbetter, my life better, and
bring more people into kind ofthe spaces that I got to be in
that provided good for me andfor me that was outdoors. I
thought I would be like atherapeutic garden designer. I
(02:47):
thought I'd be doing like, youknow, kind of traditional garden
work. And I fell in love,actually, with community work
while I was in grad school. Soafter that, I really pursued
community based projects. Andwhat became my specialty and
niche was community design, soworking directly with
communities to build park spacesand design green spaces that
match their needs, andtranslating the needs of a non
(03:10):
design practitioner into a greenspace that they're going to use
every day. I started doing thatkind of work, and then worked at
TPL to deliver that kind ofwork, and have been at TPL for
over eight years doing that. SoI have worked up and into
different positions and ondifferent projects, and now I
lead our work here, and I'mthinking about how we expand
that work. And so that's whatkeeps me here, too, is
(03:34):
delivering those green spacesfor others, and just getting to
see the joy of bringing morenature to people that need it,
especially in the times that welive in where life can be a
little stressful.
Yeah, just a little just a fewthings going on in the world to
(03:55):
stress people out. Yeah, no,that's fantastic. And I, love
your journey of initially youwere or you still are an artist,
but you were very focused onthat, and then we're able to
bring it into community work andimpact work. We do a school
program where we teach studentsabout using their talents and
their loves to create adifference in the world. And so
(04:19):
what more would you say aboutthat? Because I think in impact
industries, it's like, how doyou even get into like, doing
good work and getting paid forit, right? And how do you use
your talents and discover whatyou're good at and then find a
way to make this a career, tohelp people?
You know, that's one of the topquestions. I feel like people
(04:40):
ask me, especially youngprofessionals too, is I had a
career change. I came back intothis field after going to grad
school. I would say that when Istarted grad school, and even
when I was getting close toending, I didn't think that jobs
like this were out there forpeople, right? I thought that I
would go work at a firm andmaybe. If I worked hard enough
(05:00):
and I was good enough at what Iwas doing, that I would
occasionally get to work on aproject that you know, was
really community based, butthere would be other things I
would be doing. And so I wouldsay that it I mean, those jobs
are out there, and sometimesthey take persistence to find
them. But I think if you arecentered on what you know, the
(05:22):
good you want to create, andyou're open to how that unfolds.
You can really find those thingsand excel and thrive. And I
think for me, you know, I don'tdo as much design work anymore,
right? Like I do a lot moremanagement. I do a lot more
community, bringing peopletogether and facilitating. But
(05:43):
to me, that still tickles mycreative side while also
creating the impact. And I thinkthat while when I was younger in
my career, I might not have beenable to make that connection as
easily. So I would say like, ifyou feel like you're doing good,
even if it's not the exactvision you started out with
yourself with then you're on theright path, and you will find
(06:05):
the things and be able to shape,as you grow, the things that
deliver that impact, too. Ithink the other thing is that
when I started my career in thisI was, you know, designing
potential park spaces on, youknow, trace paper for council
people actually to advocate formore park spaces in a local bond
(06:25):
election, more funding to gointo a bond election for green
spaces. And at that time, Ithink I didn't, I was newer in
this type of work. I didn't knowthe impact that that that would
make, and it, you know, wasn'tdirect community work. I wasn't
hearing somebody's dreams andtrying to make it happen at that
time. But this year, we actuallyopened a park that I worked on.
(06:46):
Then, Wow, that's great. Firstthought, what happened? I know
so I think you know, if you feellike you're doing good, even if
it's not what you think you'regoing to do, to like to see it
through, let it play out, andtry to
try to let the process take youwhere it's going to take you.
(07:08):
I really love that. And I lovewhen time goes by. You can look
back and say, Wow, that projecthappened. Sometimes we don't
take the time to just invest andlike, let it be nurtured and
then grow and and also, whileyou were talking, I was thinking
too, those that have those kindof, like, hard skills, it's
great, like, say you're somebodythat's really good at numbers
(07:29):
and finance, go into thosecareers, and then you can come
into the impact space with somany skills that impact needs,
right? So if you're a creative,like, go work at the studio, you
know, do all these things, butthen you can bring that into
your work later, like you'vedone. I'm curious why parks,
like, what kind of, you know,got you curious? You said that
(07:49):
you were working on somethingwith account. Was it a council
member? And you're like, I'lljust draw a park. Like, what?
What happened there? You know,um, parks are like the public
expression, I think of a garden,right? Of an outdoor place. And
they can take a lot of differenta lot of different directions,
right? You know? So when I sayPark, it could be, and sometimes
(08:14):
you don't even refer to them asparks, you know, some community
spaces we refer to as greens,or, as you know, pocket parks,
community areas. But to me, Parkmeans public and it means a
place that everyone can enjoy.
So if, even if it's more of anarboretum or it's a neighborhood
park, and that's sort of kind ofthe training that I gravitated
(08:39):
to when I was in my educationalkind of career is just that,
what are the things that in apublic space bring people
together or serve a neighborhoodneed and parks, I think are what
does that? And one of the thingsthat we work on at Trust for
Public Land, that I've beenworking on, you know, for my
career here too, is making surethat everybody in an area has
(09:03):
access to a park close to theirhome, within a 10 minute walk of
their home, so that's a distancethat somebody can walk to right
and also enjoy the space spendtime there. And we know that
there are benefits to people andto communities by having those
spaces in their neighborhoods,and so I loved, even starting
(09:25):
when I was at that time, likedrawing all these just sample
parks on vacant properties inthe city of Dallas to see if one
was an opportunity was thatthere's so many different
expressions of those parkspaces, whether they're big or
small, and whether they're aplace that you drive to for a
festival or you walk to everyday in your neighborhood. And so
(09:46):
for me, professionally, it nevergets boring. But two, you know,
it's an endless celebration ofthe individual, like nature of
the space in the community.
No, I love that. One of thethings that has really been
supportive for the Eaton firerecovery is the Dodgers
Foundation, right away came inand redid one of our main parks,
(10:08):
Loma Alta, and now that's becomea space that, excuse me, that
people are coming back to tospend time when they're trying
to make new memories in thearea. They don't have their
homes there, but they're able tocome back and remember and while
they're rebuilding. So I thinkit's an incredible community
resource. I'm curious what itmeans to have access, or, you
(10:31):
know, equitable resource, to apark, because I'm thinking like
my mind is thinking, LA,downtown, LA, like most of the
schools in downtown LA arecement and the public spaces are
like dog parks and things likethat. So, you know, in a
situation, because I don't knowDallas as well, like, if you can
(10:52):
kind of give us a picture ofwhat it would look like in an
area that doesn't have accessand some and what you would do
to come in and and improve that.
Yeah.
So I think that's one of thereally fun things that working
at an organization like mine, isthat generally a park has green
in it, or it's green and it'spublic and like, it can take any
(11:13):
expression beyond that. So inTexas, I have worked on school
yards where we have and acrossthe country, we do that kind of
work, where really the best kindof space in the neighborhood is
your school yard. Anyways,there's this network of
infrastructure that we cansometimes bring neighbors more
into and improve and, you know,but the also actually, LA, I
actually trained in LA at TPL,and there's this really great
(11:35):
program they have there that,you know, called the equipo
Verde, that is a green alleynetwork, and so working with
communities to connect people totheir institutions and to each
other through this network ofmaking their alleys green. And
this dual benefit of it's also astormwater management component
underneath those alleys. So thenall of a sudden you have this
green connectivity betweenpeople areas where people can
(11:58):
come together and thrive and getplaces safely, and then a
benefit to the city with thewater component. And I think
Dallas is different in a lot ofways, because a lot of the
vacant space we're looking at isalready green, but it needs to
be cleaned up for things likepublic safety, like fire
protection, like sight lines,and be made places that
(12:18):
communities feel safe using.
That's a lot of what I'm workingon here. But back to all of it.
I think the like the throughline is that, from an equity
perspective, people can thrivemore when they have green spaces
in their neighborhood, and itcan be just as simple as getting
outside for 20 minutes a day.
And it doesn't, you know,there's tons of benefits to
running, jogging, whatever youlike to do climbing, skating,
(12:42):
but really, even just sittingoutside in nature for 20 minutes
a day, or even looking at naturefor 20 minutes a day can reduce
your cortisol levels, and it canmake you less stressed. And then
we also know that parks andthese type of public green
spaces bring people together,and after covid, in isolation,
the Surgeon General saidisolation can be the equivalent
(13:05):
of smoking 15 cigarettes a dayfor your health. And so
providing people a place,whether it's smiling at somebody
that's walking on the trail, orwaving at a parent who is
playing with their kid, alsothere's the opportunity for that
kind of just human interaction.
It can be as deep or not as asneeded, but everyone benefits
(13:26):
from it. And then there's evenstatistics about, you know, like
kids mental health benefits ofjust having a green space in
your neighborhood can have a,you know, statistical reduction
in mental health incidences inadulthood, in childhood, and I'm
going on and on, because Ibelieve in it in Texas, heat is
a big issue. And the moreconcrete there is, the more
(13:47):
urban heat island effect thereis, which means the ambient air
is hotter, which means thatcardio vascular illnesses are
exacerbated. And that is likeone of the big health concerns
here in Texas right now is howour health is impacted by heat
waves and by these kind ofincidences in neighborhoods and
green space, you know, helpsaddress all that in communities.
(14:08):
And so whether it's a schoolyardor a traditional park or more
street trees or like the greenalleyways, adding green is good,
and giving people that accesscan really make an impact on
people's lives that I don'tthink we always connect to,
right? We just experience itsometimes, and we don't stop and
(14:31):
think like how important it is.
Yeah, absolutely. So I'mthinking about my daughter's
school Odyssey. So they losttheir school in the fire and
were graciously taken in byseveral organizations in
(14:54):
Pasadena all last year, and nowthey have a new space back in
the burn zone, and it's a good.
Building, however, zero playspace, zero green space. It's a
parking lot. So I've beenbrainstorming, okay, what do you
do when you have a parking lotand it's an immediate need for
the mental health of thesekiddos that just went through a
fire? What would you suggest? Imean, is there like interim
(15:17):
green spaces that you can createthat support kind of the
situationyou totally can. And actually,
that's something we do. It's atool we use in community
engagement a lot. Is a lot oftimes we're working on vacant
lots or areas where people can'tsee the arc, like they see a
problem site, or they see likesomething that's really
overgrown, and think, how couldthis possibly be a space we're
(15:38):
going to come in and use? Orthey see something with a lot of
concrete, or ask, concrete orasphalt that say No way. And we
work with a really greatorganization here that works
across the country. They'recalled Better Block. And for us,
they do all kinds of things. Butfor us, they in our community
engagement process, they bringtemporary Park furniture out,
like pop up furniture, and in alot of cases, they can gift
(16:00):
those to communities if they'reworking with the community. For
us, we take it to a lot ofplaces. We kind of clean up the
site. We do like a mini kind ofpark design, and we use that to
gage what people want forever onthe site, to like, compare site
plans, and really also just getpeople comfortable there. We
throw kind of a party that dayto like a picnic, and we have a
DJ and all kinds of fun stuff.
(16:22):
But you can totally do temporarystuff that can be really
impactful sometimes, just even,like potted plants too. And in
the perimeter can be reallygreat in a learning opportunity
for kids, right? And then, youknow, there, we've done all
these the school yard work inNew York City, where same thing.
There's so much kind of asphaltand concrete, and they've come
(16:44):
up with some really great waysto identify some areas of that
concrete that could be removedfor turf, and then water capture
underneath and resurfacing thatconcrete so it's a usable
surface, like a track, or usingan artist to really activate it
in the interim or long term, tomake it fun for kids. And I
think also, like thinking abouttrees don't have to be like it.
(17:08):
They're great if you'reunderneath them. But also they
provide a benefit around and so,like, even around a green space,
even if it's not providing shaderight where you are, a lot of
them can lower the airtemperature around it, which
helps with, like thatreflectivity and the micro
climate, and so there are a lotof things, and I think that's a
really important point too. Iseverything can start somewhere,
(17:30):
right? But does it have to be aginormous project for people to
enjoy it?
Yeah, I really like that idea,especially because it can create
kind of a space where they'renot seeing so much of what's
going on around then, likeconstruction, which is a very
(17:51):
good sign right now, by the way,I have lots of questions, and
some of them are probably goingto sound so silly because I've
just been asking everyone, and Istill don't get it. But if you
don't mind sharing a little moreabout what land trusts are in
general, and land banking and,like, just the 101, of it all.
(18:14):
But the more I learn, the moreI'm like, wow, this is
incredible for communities. Ijust don't fully get it. If you
don't mind sharing a little bitabout that,
you're good. I also, I'll giveyou what I know too. But as my
background is landscapearchitect on the capital side.
That's a expertise in TPL thatwe have, and really important.
But I think Texas worksdifferently than a lot of other
(18:35):
places too. So a land trustoperates like they own land in
many cases, or own easements onland to take care of it and
protect it for a certain reason.
So something that we do a lot isconservation easements land
banks buy up property to holdthose the ownership structure
can be different in everycommunity, whether it is a group
(18:56):
of people, group of individuals,a group of businesses or
associations can own that landtogether and make decisions
based on it. Land banking can befor a lot of different purposes,
right? So whether it's housingor green space, the important
thing about land banking andworking with like a community
land trust on some of this isthat the people who need to or
(19:17):
want the outcome, are engaged inthat outcome, as opposed to
advocating for an outcome whenyou don't own the space, right,
and you're limited maybe to,maybe this is complicated, but
to what the zoning allows, orwhat the you know a developer
wants, and you know we love itwhen we have great developers,
(19:39):
but sometimes you you don't havethe same vision. It's great if
you can come together. But anyway that communities or people
thinking about things can havemore stake in the final decision
making, I think the better,especially when you guys are
thinking about kind of greenspace networks and. At trust
Republican in Texas, we actuallytry our best not to hold land
(20:02):
anymore, but our job as anonprofit is to identify where
land should or could be publicand manage that process, the
real estate process of it, andthen transfer it to a public
agency who has the same outcomeand vision, right? So for us,
that's it's going to be a publicpark, or it's going to be public
(20:23):
and have Park access, it's goingto have people, amenities and
things, and so that's really howwe work, is helping communities
identify, you know, where isthis opportunity? What is this
opportunity, and what does thatactual real estate kind of
transaction look like, to makeit happen. And then, who is the
the final takeout, is it like astate agency? Maybe in this
(20:46):
case, it's like a land it's aland trust. Maybe it is a
community group who has puttogether, you know, some, some,
some policies for you all tocome together, a structure for
you all to come together and ownsomething together, and, you
know, so there's a lot ofthere's a lot of ways that it
happens.
(21:07):
Yeah, that's really helpful. AndI mean, I think the more
conversations I'm having, themore I'm understanding. And so
I'm like, Okay, I think I'mtracking with you. The things
that are happening here inAltadena is we're a very tight
community, and the goal of thecommunity is that everyone comes
back that wants to come back,but that's challenging because
we have insurance issues. Wehave people that were there for
(21:30):
decades and their house was paidoff. I mean, so many different
we have, like, historicalchallenges. So there's an
organization I want to give thema shout out. They're called
Green Line housing, led by an EDnamed Jasmine, and she's doing
land banking, and the hope, youknow, is to get altadeanians
back, so maybe they were rentersand lost their rental and then
now they can become owners, youknow, just things like that. So
(21:53):
I think it's a really, I'mlearning a lot about it, and I
think it's an incredible thing.
And also I think we could use,I'm thinking of like, Are there
any lots for sale around theschool that we could bank and
use for, you know, green spaceand all that? So thinking
creatively, I'm definitely goingto connect you with our LA
office. Amazing. I love that.
(22:15):
I mean, that's the, I thinkthat's like, the a great example
and inspiration for other peoplelistening to this about
organizing is a nonprofit orforming a group that can help
you as a community, be thedrivers of change, right? And
(22:36):
that's really what a land bankdoes, is like you get to decide
the needs as your group, as thepeople who live there, the
experts, and then make thathappen. And that's a mechanism,
a really good mechanism to doit. So yeah, I'll definitely
connect after but I want tolearn a little bit more too.
Yeah, amazing.
So speaking of your currentwork, I know we've we've touched
(22:56):
on it throughout theconversation, but I know that
your organization has some biggoals. So I'd love to dive into
that, what initiatives you allare working on, how you make it
happen within the community thatyou're in, and all of that, all
of a sudden stuff, yeah, well,I first, you know, I'm really
lucky that I've gotten to workat trust Republican for eight
years, and so I've worked in alot of positions, which helps
(23:19):
figure out how to get thingsdone, I would say. But we have
three, you know, we have, wehave a big initiative going on
in Dallas right now is somethingthat we're taking learning
lessons from to for the rest ofthe state. But it's called
greener Dallas, Greater Dallas,and it's a program that combines
all of our current work in thecity with this goal of
(23:39):
connecting nearly a quartermillion people to a park trailer
green space. I don't have oneright now, or a safe one, and we
do that through a variety ofways. So we have a program
called Five Mile Creek that islooking at a creek corridor that
was actually a plan. It was inthe city plans over 80 years
(24:01):
ago. It's never implemented, andit is one of the most beautiful
corridors in Dallas. It's agreat opportunity for this park
and trail system. So it's an 80year old vision that we picked
up in 2018 to work on. And sowe're working on the trail,
funding for it, and we'rebuilding three large parks in
(24:22):
the corridor. We've alreadybuilt the first two, and we're
working on the third. And sothat's that's a big vision area.
And then another project we'reworking on to bring more green
spaces to people, is working oncity owned already public,
vacant lots that are notappropriate for housing, right?
They might have a water utilitypurpose, or they might be like a
(24:43):
corner of a lot on the libraryand looking and saying, these
could have better access. Theycould have things that make, you
know, they could be a benefit tocommunities, and they don't have
to change, you know, the thefinal use of them. Um, but how
can we make those quickly andaffordably into spaces for
community? And so we just brokeground on our first yay, yeah,
(25:05):
and we're building 15 of thosein five years, and we have all
the designs done for the firstfive with the communities that
we work in. We also form friendsof groups, volunteer groups, and
support them to support theirlocal spaces and work with the
public agency. And then the lastof our big projects in Dallas or
(25:26):
initiatives in Dallas that we wealso do this work across the
state, not just in Dallas, islooking at areas like we're
talking about, land bank like,areas that are not public, that
are really great for a greenspace. And so in saving those
for the public. And so lastyear, we or two years ago, we
(25:47):
saved a property called bigcedar wilderness, which is
nearly 300 acres in the citylimits. It was an existing
mountain biking property. Andwe're doing a master plan there.
And then we're always lookingfor properties like that, either
bigger or smaller, that could beprovide a real environmental
education, health and wellness,green space opportunity. And so
(26:07):
we're, you know, those are thethree big initiatives we are
working on to deliver all thatwork, and for me as a mother,
you know, that will serve over70,000 children who don't have a
green space near them, and so Ithink that that's why it's
important. And I think forgetting stuff done, it's great
(26:27):
to work at a nonprofit, or thatallows you to be flexible,
right? Like, I've got colleaguesin New York who are doing these
incredible school yardsprojects, and we worked on
schoolyards here too, but whatthey're working on there is
really specific to their market.
And in Texas, we had to think alittle bit differently to
deliver our mission here. Butthe important thing is, we're
(26:50):
all delivering the same missionjust slightly different ways
across the country, and so wejust make that happen however
you need to bread and butter ismaking sure that communities are
engaged in the process theentire time, from start to
finish, from decision making todictating design to being a part
(27:10):
of conversations around budgets,democratic budgeting, making
sure that phasing matches theirneeds and desires. Because at
the end of the day, people can'tuse the benefit of a park space
if they're not going to use it,if they don't see themselves in
it. And so that's what I spentthe bulk of my career doing at
TPL, and what I love about whatwe do,
(27:31):
yeah, that's incredible, andthat's impact work right there.
If you can't make things happen,then it's probably not for you.
You know, you just got to getcreative. And that's why I
always tell people like, youhave to be an innovator and
think, you know, be able topivot and creatively. And if you
think, if you think you're notcreative because you're doing
(27:52):
systems, no, you are definitelycreative because I'm actually
most creative because you haveto really figure it out, but
that's fantastic, and I love thecreek space that was my young
years. We lived in the mountainsfor a few years, right by a
little creek, and I would takemy Barbies down in Tupperware
(28:14):
and float them down the creek,and I would spend all my days
doing that as like an onlychild. My siblings are a lot
older, so that is like Creekspeaks my language. I mean,
anything that kids can just bekids, right? Because there's so
many places, like big cities,that we as parents maybe don't
feel great about just lettingthem run. So if it's in a
(28:36):
controlled way, but it feelsfree, I think that's so
incredible.
Yeah, you know, we're working onthis project right now. That's
in that system, right? But it'sa large part parcel too, and
we've been doing communityengagement there. I'm really
excited about it, because it's avery kind of forested property.
It's got this creek on it. It'sgot all these amazing things.
(28:57):
But working with the community,actually, it's so big, they
identified this place that theyall went to as kids. Oh, wow,
waterfall on site, really, backin there. And so it's so fun to
hear those stories, and to beable to kind of unearth that
activity and bring that to lifeagain for the next generation of
(29:23):
people. And to your point, too,from your first question about,
like, getting into the field, Ithink you have to think about
everything you're doing. Youhave to remind yourself that
everything you're doing hasimpact. And like, sometimes that
looks like getting a contractsigned right, doing a request
for a proposal, stuff that youthink today, man, I'm not seeing
(29:44):
the impact. I am. My task listis super long, and the last
thing I want to do is bereviewing a contract to document
for an environment, you know,something that is. Still just a
small piece of this biggerthing, but at the end of the
day, like all those things, makeprojects happen, and you got to
(30:08):
be pretty dedicatedto absolutely, yes, absolutely
and celebrate the wins, right?
Yeah. So I love that greatadvice, and it just makes me
want to go play in some likesplash area with my kids right
now. But, um, okay, so anythingelse that you're like, people
(30:29):
need to know this. And thenwe're going to get into some
rapid fire questions that we askeveryone, but just some top of
mind things that you want tomake sure we all know,
you know, I think just to theschoolyards point earlier that
you were talking about, I thinksomething that I hear a lot is
people think green spaces arelike, they're something
(30:53):
beautiful, but they're andthey're not a need, right?
They're, they're just, they're awant, or they're an extra,
they're not a priority, butlike, there are real benefits,
and I know I've already talkedabout that, but even for
schoolyards, like having a parkand green space kids can use
actually, like, can reduce ADHDsymptoms on paper, like it's not
(31:13):
just an anecdotal kind of piece,and improve test scores. And so,
you know, people get out of thehospital faster, recover faster
when it can see a green space.
And so it's not just a mindfulthing to bring into each of our
lives. It's to remember that,you know, even if it feels good
and it's, you know, fun for usto do, it still has a real
benefit.
(31:34):
Yes, that's super important.
Thank you for sharing that.
Okay, so our rapid firequestions are and we just, you
know, it's fun to ask the samequestions for all these
different impact professionalsand see what you all come up
with. So the first one is, whatmotivates you to create social
(31:54):
change? I mean, we were justkind of alluding to it, can we
can have some hard days, right?
So, so why keep doing it? Why doyou keep going?
Yeah, I feel like I already gavesome of this, but really,
honestly, I mean, I've gotten tothe benefit of it from working,
you know, doing this work forsome time. But really, I, you
know, I had my daughter overjust over three years ago, and
(32:18):
my first, first baby, new mom,thought it was going to come
supernaturally, but I wasstressed. I had the baby blues.
I was overwhelmed. And I thinkyou can Well, I think you can
relate to that, even if you'renot a new parent, right? A life
change or something ishappening, a stressful life. But
my husband and I actually weretalking about it one day, and I
(32:40):
was overwhelmed, and he said,You still love you know, just
getting outside or going in thegarden when you were stressed,
why don't you guys take a walk?
And it's such a reminder topractice what you preach, right?
Yeah, but so every day westarted small, we would just go
outside, and then that turned toa walk to our park, and it's
something we still do. And youknow, when times are stressful,
the list is long, and thelaundry, you can't find the sock
(33:03):
that matches.
Wait, does that ever happen? Bythe way?
No, we go outside, and I it madesuch a world of difference for
me, especially at that timewhere I was experiencing a
(33:23):
really different mental healthtime and more. And everyone
deserves that. Everyone deservesto have a place where they can
breathe right, where they canrefresh, where you can let the
list go, and so that you knowthat even though I'd worked in
the space it was, it changed myperspective, again, on how
important it is, and especiallyin communities that don't have a
(33:48):
green space interface facingeven more pressures or extra
stresses than I am, I amreminded that what I can do in
my profession is help providesomething that can give them
that break. And so that's whatkeeps me going and keeps, you
know, me thinking in our work,how do we deliver some of this
stuff faster? How do we dothings differently? And then I
(34:10):
get to hear the stories, youknow, I tell that story, and I
get to hear a million otherpeople tell me same stories,
whether it's in my work orothers about something that also
is what kind of keeps me goingand motivated.
Yeah, very good. What are yourwell being tips? I think it
probably goes along the same.
Get outside, right? But what areyour words for it outside?
(34:32):
But I do like to tell peoplelike, and this goes back to my
experience too. Is like, make itfun for you. Like, don't put
pressure on yourself. Startsmall, if that feels right. You
know, I think that I have atendency as a doer to be like,
I'm going to start doingsomething that I haven't done in
five years, and it's going tocome back. But like I said, just
(34:54):
sitting outside and just walkingin just, you know, my one of my
favorite activities. Ispicnicking. I love to picnic at
our local like Lake and park.
And so you know to remember thatthe benefit you get from a
mental health perspective, ifyou're not talking physical
health, you can get from justgoing outside. So whatever makes
(35:15):
you happy to start thatpractice, is my tip, if you're
open to it. And my other tipabout that is, if you're, if
you're in a hot climate like me,and you're like, I don't like
bugs in the summer, is to switchfrom a bug spray to a bug
lotion, because, oh, they're notas sticky and they don't smell
I'm in a mosquito climate. Soyeah, for me,
(35:37):
I yeah, I appreciate that wehave horrible mosquitoes,
believe it or not, in LosAngeles, like it's terrible.
So I love that.
Yeah, we switched to, I mean, Ihave a lotion from, I think it
was on a trip in Costa Rica,where I was younger, and, you
know, just so much more pleasantfor me when it's bug season.
But okay, you'll have to emailme
(35:58):
that product that you because I,I have sensitive skin, and I
have a random question, becauseyou did bring up bugs. And the
first thing I thought was, Arethere alligators in your lakes
in Texas? Is that a sillyquestion?
It's not a silly questionoccasionally, but not in this
particular lake.
This is a okay, because I waslike, I don't want to unexpected
(36:20):
guest, anddefinitely in some other like
larger lakes. But actually, allthe lakes in house are man made,
and so sometimes there'swildlife up there. There's
obviously fish and stuff.
But no, yeah, I lived in Floridaas a kid for a few years, and
we'd have for sure, yeah, we'dhave to check under the cars
(36:44):
before we went out. I mean, IIt's not funny. I'm a West Coast
girl,so it's kind of, I mean, it's
interesting. Actually, this is adual purpose, like water
reservoir, so you're actually,you don't swim in it. You can
non motorized boat or, like,paddle boards, pretty. It's
beautiful. We're kind of picnicblanket picnic people, so like
we're enjoying it.
(37:06):
I love it. And alligatorfreight. And then the last one
is, how can those of us that arelistening to your tips, how can
we make an impact? Because, youknow, there's different our
audiences is full of impactprofessionals, people that want
to go into the impact fields,and then people that are like,
Hey, I just really care about mycommunity. So what would you
(37:30):
say?
Something you said earlierreally struck me, because being
at a nonprofit, this issomething we talk to people
about a lot, is like, I thinkthat it's important to think
about what impact you want tomake and how you want to make
it. Because at a nonprofit,right? I have a board of people
who help us, help us out, andthere are people with real
(37:52):
estate experience withaccounting, experience with
business structure, experiencewith marketing experience,
right? And so you just becauseyou if you wanted to get
involved in a green spaceorganization or something,
doesn't mean you have to be alandscape architect. It doesn't
mean you have to be anenvironmentalist or an
ecologist. We at nonprofits andpeople who are trying to put
(38:13):
together pieces to make changeneed partners in all kinds of
fields, and that goes across theboard at every kind of
organization, right? And so, youknow, I think if you are that
kind of person who is lookingfor an opportunity to step in
somewhere and help, but maybeit's not your full time career
that to remember that we needhelp. And oftentimes we're not.
(38:38):
We're great at asking for helpabout the top three things, but
not everybody knows your skillset. So if you're an incredible
website builder, and you say youwant to volunteer, and the only
volunteer opportunity that comesup for with me is planting
trees, but if I had known thatskill about you, maybe we could
have talked about somethingdifferently. So I think, don't
be afraid to pitch yourself.
Don't be afraid to afraid tosay, I can help in this way, and
(39:00):
I love your mission, and I orand I want to do X, Y and Z, or
I could help you think about X,Y and Z, and I guarantee you no
one will say, No, right? Theymight say, we don't know right
now how to make that happen, butlet's keep talking, and then
maybe that evolves intosomething else. And I think the
other thing for people is torecognize that small impact does
(39:21):
make a really big impact. I feellike I'm talking about that a
lot, but like, you know, justfor me, if you go to your local
park, right, just take a walkthere, or sit and read a book
you're you might be makingsomebody else feel more
comfortable to be there thatwants to be there. Maybe there's
a young mom or parent who'sthere alone with a stroller and
(39:42):
is a little nervous about beingsomewhere in public and
navigating that. Maybe there'ssomebody who's worried that
maybe they have an injury andthey're not super comfortable
being somewhere where they'realone, places that are populated
by people make people feel selfsafer and. Are welcoming and
welcomed. And so even if whatyou're doing is is seemingly
(40:04):
small to you, you could bemaking an impact for somebody
else. And so to give yourselfthe grace and the encouragement
to recognize the good in alllittle things,
yeah, I think that advice isfantastic, especially, I mean,
both sides are so good. I'mthinking of what you're talking
(40:27):
about with. You know, nonprofitwill not say no. I mean, so
often nonprofits are asking,obviously, for funds and things
like that. But if, if you cangive of your talents, that's
incredible and a huge value tononprofits, absolutely. Yeah.
So thank Yeah, and spreading theword, I mean, like a social
(40:49):
media post, Yeah, huge.
So, huge. So, well, Molly, thankyou so much. I just really
enjoyed our conversation, and Ithink it was helpful. You know,
in community work, where, wherewe all live in communities.
That's one thing we all have incommon. And so this is such a
great way to increase connectiontoo. I mean, people meet at
(41:10):
parks, people you know, haveplaydates at parks. It's a great
way to connect as well. So thankyou so much, Molly. Thank you
forwhat you're doing, and thank you
for chatting today. I lovetalking about this kind of work,
and I love hearing about it. Soagain, thank you.
Thank you for joining us todayon the social impact podcast. We
hope that you found theconversation meaningful and
(41:33):
helpful. We would love a reviewif you'd like to share it, and
also, don't forget to subscribeso that you don't miss a
podcast. Also, this is broughtto you by the social impact
firm, where we work withorganizations on their good for
the world projects. So if youhave something that you need
support with, withcommunications, advocacy,
(41:54):
program development, projectmanagement, and so much more we
can support you, please feelfree to reach out to us at Hello
at the social impact.co, andwe'll catch you next time.
Thanks. You.
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