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		MEMBER SNAPSHOT
	It's a Family Affair Envisioning a Future with Fewer Cars, Cleaner Air, and Closer-Knit Communities
				Courtesy of Karen Kendrick-Hands Everyone in the Kendrick-Hands family is an active and effective citizen. From left to right, Larry, Karen, Philip, and Stephen.
			Stephen Hands wears tie-dyed shirts, plays bass in a "basement" rock band, and swims for his high school varsity team. But the real passion of this Grosse Pointe Park teen is to improve mass transit in Detroit and throughout the state. Having just turned 15, Stephenalready hasmadeanameforhimselfin transportationadvocacycircles.Hefoundedthe TransportationRiders'Union, a grassroots group in Detroit. He also organized and led a workshop at the "National Town Meeting for a Sustainable America," a conference last May that brought thousands of the nation's eco-entrepreneurs and activists to Cobo Hall in Detroit. His topic: diversifying transportationchoicestohelp revitalizethecity. Stephen, who speaks with quiet confidence, now is promoting the idea of "soft rail" for Detroit. A sophisticated bus system, it works like a rail line on rubber tires. Stephen's goal is to take up to 30 politicians and planners to Curitiba, Brazil, where such a system operates successfully. His parents, Larry Hands and Karen Kendrick-Hands, have instilled a sense of the possible in their children and enthusiastically support theirinterests.Theiroldest son, Philip, 18, also is interested in political and environmentalissues.Atalented artist, his insightful editorial cartoons are featured regularly in the Grosse Pointe News. Larry, an engineer, works with manufacturing and energy companies to improve their environmental and safety performance. He often comments at advisory meetings of the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, a regional planning agency for the Detroit area. Karen, an environmental attorney, has scored a number of triumphs over the years in reducing air pollution. The Michigan chapter of the American Lung Association recently honored her as Advocate of the Year. We talked with Karen, Larry, and StephenonMemorial Dayto f indout whatmakes this dynamic and dedicated family tick. Q:Stephen, what sparked your interest in transportation? S:When I was five years old, I rode the city buses with my parents. I also rode the bus to the Detroit Waldorf School. I really enjoyed it.Itfeltlikeanadventurewhen Iwas younger,andnowIlikegoinganywhere I want without having to ask my parents to drive me. Q:What's your vision for Detroit? S:I'd like to see the entire city redeveloped with a great transit system so people wouldn't spend hours locked up in traffic. The city would have to be full and dense with shopping districts, a pedestrian-friendly design, and bike paths. People would come in to go to a ball game and then stick around afterwards and shop downtown. Q:Karen, how do your efforts to reduce air pollution relate to Stephen's interest in reducing the over-reliance on cars? K:There's a big connection. Up to half of some air pollutants come from mobile units, including cars, trucks, boats, and lawn mowers. Q:You've been to meetings with Stephen. Does he change the dynamics? K:I think he does. Sometimes people have been over and over the same ground and everyone's entrenched in their positions. Stephen has a way of making them want to do the right thing. The Michigan Land Use Institute's transportation coalition was the first group to treat Stephen like he was a regular participant, as an equal. Stephen proposed dedicating a higher percentage of the gas tax to mass transit, and the coalition adopted his idea as one of its top priorities. They made a big deal out of that at the National Town Meeting. Q:Stephen, what's the biggest piece of advice you'd like to share? S:You can't work just to make things better for yourself and your family. If you have a nice house, but feel isolated and disconnected, what do you have? You need to work for a better community, too. Q:Larry, your children seem to have adopted your and Karen's values through osmosis. L:It is very satisfying to see how our children are taking the best of our traits into their lives. I am very proud of both Stephen and Philip. They are wonderful children and they both are making a difference in our communities. —Anne Stanton