October 2013
BIKENOMICS
[I like biking] because I like to go fast… I like to go to parks so I can get exercise like at gym daycare.
Honey by Beecycle Business: Urban Bee Company Founder: Bob Redmond Industry: Agriculture
I
CYCLIST OF THE MONTH
WYATT BROOKS by Anne-Marije Rook, Staff Writer Age: 3 Wheels: Blue Strider balance bike and orange pedal bike Occupation: being a kid he only person of his household to currently hold a Cascade Membership, Wyatt “the Riot” Brooks, age 3, is arguably our youngest card-holding individual member. Perhaps one of the happiest bicyclists we have ever seen, Wyatt has been on a bike since he was 18 months old. “[I like biking] because I like to go fast. I go biking with mom or daddy, and we go to the parks,” said Wyatt. “I like to go to parks so I can get exercise like at gym daycare.” Growing up along the Interurban Trail, Wyatt is exposed to a lot of bikes, explained his father, John. “He sees a lot of bikes. And when I saw the Strider bike, I was intrigued,” said John. “We first got him on the bike partially because he’s a high-energy kid and to focus his energy on biking instead of breaking things. He just loves it.” Now progressing to his first pedal bike, Wyatt has been receiving safe riding lessons from his neighbor, Sound Transit’s Bicycle Program Coordinator, Rebecca Roush. “When I found out he had a bicycle I thought, ‘boy, this is great.’ This is somebody I can help learn how to ride, learn how to ride safe and learn how to ride right,” said Roush. “So I asked his parents if I could start riding with him and they said yes. We go out at least every other weekend – if not every weekend – and just ride around the neighborhood. He loves it. He loves riding that bike.” Together, Roush and Wyatt ride to the park, to the coffee shop, even to the new cycletrack on Linden. And while he’s still a bit too young to grasp the concept and danger of traffic and riding in a straight line, Wyatt knows to look for cars before crossing the street, to stop at corners and that the sidewalk is the safest place for him to ride.
T
10
“Reb has been integral in Wyatt’s bike riding. More often than not she’s the one who takes him on bike rides,” said Wyatt’s mom, Kate. We are so grateful to have her. She takes him everywhere – it’s great.” Wyatt is also fortunate to be living along a bicycle-friendly street. “One of the good things about living along the Interurban is that he does see people riding bikes back and forth all day, and so he is exposed to bike riding everywhere and not just as a means of exercise but also as a means of commuting,” said Kate. Inspired by Roush and Wyatt, Kate looks forward to getting back on a bike herself as well. “I bought my road bike about six months before I got pregnant and went on my first 60-mile-ride maybe a week before I got pregnant and subsequently put my bike in the garage. Two kids later…the bike was tuned up last week. So [the youngest] is four months old and I’m ready to get back on the bike,” she said. “I want to be the mom with the bright pink cruiser with a bucket on the front and carrying my kids and bikes and pails and snacks.” Additionally, Kate and Wyatt even tried their hands at bike racing, lining up for their first Cyclocross races last month. Whether as a commuter or a racer, something tells us this kid will grow up to be an inspiring bicyclist. Know a cyclist who deserves some special recognition? Nominate them for cyclist of the month! Send your ideas to Anne-Marije Rook at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.
f a worker bee were a human bicyclist, its days would be spent bicycling 1,440 miles daily, carrying 72 pounds of nectar for half the distance while maintaining a speed of 60 mph. The fittest human being in the world couldn’t do that for even one hour, let alone for weeks on end. Out of respect for this incredible feat, Bob Redmond and his bicycle-centered Urban Bee Company delivers honey by bicycle – or “beecycle” as Bob calls it – a simple hybrid Bianchi with at least 5,000 miles on it. Arguably the nation’s first bicycle-centered honey producer, Bob started backyard beekeeping in 2009 as a hobby. Living in an apartment, Bob kept bees in a friend’s backyard, transporting the harvested honey by bicycle simply because he owned no other vehicle. When the interest in his honey and hives grew, Bob had to start transporting his bees and five or six tons worth of equipment by a borrowed truck or Zipcar rental, but he continued to deliver honey to retail shops and buyers by bike. “It started purely by accident,” said Bob. “Now, we deliver all our honey by bicycle to really drive home the message of sustainable transportation. The impacts of using fossil fuel as the basis for food production are extreme. We try to do as much as possible with human power.” Since Urban Bee Company was founded, it has grown to maintaining numerous hives on 16 carefully selected locations – including five community gardens. And with a goal to change the way people think about food, to create a local food system and to be a model for other producers, Urban Bee Co. offers educational programs and fosters collaborative partnerships. Bob and the Common Acre nonprofit even convinced the Port of Seattle to allow them to put hives on the Sea-Tac Airport property, turning some of the wasted flight path and into a nesting habitat for native pollinators. World-wide, whole colonies of bees are dying because of loss of habitat, the use of pesticides and disease. Seattle is no exception. Project Flight path will turn 50
acres into a native bee habitat to raise local, disease-resistant and pesticide-free bees to be distributed to local beekeepers while educating surrounding communities at the same time. “Bees are the ultimate example of sustainable food transportation,” said Bob. “I like the juxtaposition of the airport – this fuel-based human transportation – versus the bees, model operators of sustainable transportation.” Sixteen hives have already been installed on the property with many more to come. “If we inspire and educate people about pollinators and the need for locally-grown food, that will help the local food system grow. If we rehabilitate land right here in the city, that will reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and support our local economies,” Bob explained, adding that this project will serve as a model for many projects to come. As part of Project Flight Path, the airport will open a bee-themed art and education exhibit in early 2014 to illustrate this connection between food and transportation. “The conclusion I have reached after years of beekeeping is that the future of beekeeping is in native bees and trying to create habitats for native bees,” said Bob. “I encourage people to look at the big picture and support pollinators of all kinds not just the honey bees. Of course, the honey bees made this business possible because I’ve been able to sell their honey.” Learn more and sign up for honey delivery by beecycle at www.urbanbee.com.
Bikenomics is a feature series to spotlight the greater Seattle area’s growing bike businesses. Know a business that should be featured? Send me an email at amrook@cascadebicycleclub.org.
www.cascade.org