alleycat acres, an urban farming collective

A few months back, I got a question from a fellow by the name of Sean about where I source my stickers and patches. He told me he was starting up an urban farming collective in the Seattle area. What’s more, he said they were going to be bike powered! Being the highly trained investigative journalist that I am, I set up a puff-piece interview propagandizing exactly how awesome I think this Sean guy and his cronies are. So without any further ado, here’s the story of Alleycat Acres!

Kit: So tell me about Alleycat Acres. What’s it all about?
Sean Conroe:We’re an upcoming urban farming collective here in Seattle. Right now, we have 10 amazing alleycats involved in our group, Sustainable Seattle as our fiscal sponsor, and an ever so gracious homeowner who is letting us farm his roughly 1/5 acre of land here in the city.

Our plan is simple: dig, plant, eat, repeat. And we aim to do that by creating a network of gardens within certain neighborhoods on vacant spaces. The food we grow will eventually create a bike delivered, sliding scale CSA model for those in the areas we farm. We’re focusing on areas that can be considered food insecure — where access to fresh, healthy nibbles is limited and/or unaffordable to those who need it the most. We aim to really redefine what eating local means — why shouldn’t we be growing food in the city?

KK: You mention on your site that city laws in Seattle make things somewhat challenging for urban agriculturalists. Can you tell me how?
SC: That’s about to change. Really rapidly. For us, there’s legalities surrounding land use and zoning permits as far as selling food. For time being, according to these laws, we can’t sell the way we want to sell what we grow; we can donate it. So, we’re planning on donating to neighborhood food banks in the area, and have also toyed with creating unique drop zones where people may have an easier time getting to so they can have some of our fresh goodies.

But considering that Seattle just announced that 2010 is the Year of Urban Agriculture, the outlook is promising that we’ll be able to create what we set out to do, and many other projects and programs can be launched that couldn’t have been before.

The challenge now is to mobilize all of us who are involved in urban agriculture so the city can really find out what types of urban ag activies are and have been already occuring throughout town.

KK: So this all sounds pretty great, but I do feel obligated to ask this question on behalf of Zero Per Gallon’s founder, Jonny: Do you plan on using goats at any point in your urban gardening strategy?
SC: Thanks to the Goat Justice League, it is legal to own goats in the City of Seattle. We also have multiple rent-a-goat programs out here where you can hire goats to clear space. No lie!

And we’ve thought about it. Really really really thought about how rad it’d be to actually have a goat on a future site.

More realistically, though,  if we get land in the future that needs clearing, perhaps we’ll hire some of these “party time” goats to get the job done while we kick back and throw down a cold one and munch on some carrots.

KK: Uh… I think we’d better avoid that line of conversation, but you do like bikes, too, right? I noticed that they seem to be a pretty integral part of your plan. Can you tell me how you plan on using them, and how they’ll make things easier and better?
SC: We’re aiming to craft nifty bike carts to attach to some of our two wheelers to deliver the treats we grow in the gardens. Bikes make for a more efficient approach to providing “farm fresh” food all around. And I don’t know if you know, but many a fruit and veggy secretly love going for rides on bikes, where they can enjoy the fresh air and the sun, akin to reasons why we love bikes.

We’re trying to minimize our impact over the long term. A bike is the hands down, easiest, wisest and most efficient choice for us to use as a mode of transportation. Plus, not being cooped up as a rat in a 7,000 lb metal cage allows us to interact more with people we pass on the streets. So tack on building community building as another reason why we believe in pedal powered produce.

KK: So are you all like, gnarly, bad-ass bike messengers?
SC: Nope. We’re just plain bad-ass.

You know, this question made me think of a speech that Mikael Colville-Andersen from Copenhagenize.com gave not that long ago about what a “cyclist” is in Denmark was — he defined it as being a person who rides a bicycle, which means that if grandma rides a bike, she’s a cyclist…whereas here, we have this cultural belief that cyclists are rebels, mischief makers. We don’t consider grandma a cyclist even if she rides a bike…

But for us, we’re a group of students, computer programmers, business owners, scientists, landscape architects, gardeners, bakers… I’m sure theres more labels you could slap on us. In fact, you I don’t think you could throw together a more diverse group individuals and have them get along as well as we do. All of us, however, have a huge passion for food and believe that everyone, regardless of economic status, should have access to it — and I bet that’s why we all work so well together. The tie that binds, if you will.

KK: Describe your favorite bike for me, as you would describe a lover.
SC: sleek, simple..and built to last. what more do you need?

KK: That reminds me, my brother-in-law is single and living in Seattle. Do you suppose you could help me hook him up with someone up there?
SC: Does he like boys? Girls? Bikes? Goats? I’m sure I can hook him up with someone. If I can’t come through, there’s always OKCupid, which, according to this guy I can hear at the coffee shop, is apparently the rage jam packed with hotties..

alleycat acre's plan for their beacon hill farm.

KK: That’s nice of you. I’ll pass those sage words from a loudmouthed Seattle coffeeshop patron along. How about any advice for people thinking about starting their own urban or community garden?
SC: Just dig it. No, really. Just get out there and do, errr..dig  it. You’d be surprised at how supportive people are and how many people will want to help you. And chances are there are many groups doing what you want to do, but you just don’t know about them.

And there’s lots of money out there for these types of projects. Don’t be afraid to ask for it.

KK: Can we really make a difference?
SC: Isn’t that how change has historically happened — because we made it? It’s the only way it ever happens. From the bottom up. You gotta start somewhere, and we’re starting by getting our hands and feet dirty.

Back in October, when I placed placed the last order, Jeff, owner of the loin, shot some footage of the shirts rolling off the assembly line and posted it up to his blog. It’s pretty rad to see the shirts coming to life.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Now that you know where ZPG shirts come from, maybe you should go pick yours up *hint*hint*. I’m now accepting orders on M-XL 53 Miles Per Burrito shirts. They should ship by mid-week. The blue and gray non-goofed $0.00 9/10ths will be up by the weekend.

When I was an angsty teenager and I was freaking out about my whole life collapsing because some girl broke my heart or I thought I might fail a math test, I always just reminded myself, “It’s alright. If your life goes to hell in a handbasket, you can just pack your stuff up and go live in some shack in the woods.” Seriously. I was that kid, and there are pictures to prove it. No, I am not publishing them on the blog.

I don’t think I had any grasp of what living in a shack in the woods would actually constitute, and the fact that there were no Taco Bells in a 80 mile radius probably would have meant my chances for survival were virtually nil, but I still had in me the idea that a retreat from from stress was a retreat from suburban life, with all its impersonal commercialism and the weight of the vast machine on your shoulders threatening to crush you.

I say all this to explain how I’m really the same person, only better, because of the bicycle. My fallback plan now involves putting all my gear and a good book or two in some panniers and just taking off. Because of this I have a real affinity for the people who are out there actually doing just that. For me, they’re living the dream. Sure, I’ve done some tours, and I hope to do the Trans-America at some point in my life. But there are a some out there with even bigger goals, and they’re attaining them.

We Keep Going sport a few nice ZPG patches on their journey southward.

Last week I sent out a pack of stickers and patches to some folks from Alaska who’ve dubbed themselves Que Hubo. They’re starting their trip in just a week by boarding a ferry that will take them to Washington State where they’ll begin their journey to Colombia.

Another group I’m quite fond of is We Keep Going, two guys who rode as part of the sponsored 42 Below “We Like Bike” tour and then decided they didn’t want to stop. I found them when their photos popped up on the Zero Per Gallon Flickr Group–they’ve been rocking ZPG all the way, and we didn’t pay them a cent. They’re sharing the message because they realize they own the brand as much as I do, as much as we all do. I checked with them on their progress and to get permission to use the photo, and it turns out they’re stopped for a bit in Mexico–helping teach English to the kids and thinking about setting up a Hostel with a friend. Sweet.

Yet another of those I’m following closely is Family On Bikes, a family of four who were living the “American Dream,” until they decided they had their own dreams. They packed up what belongings they needed, and began the journey with their two boys pedaling alongside, heading to South America, where they are now.

There are thousands of others across the continent riding their bikes somewhere, or nowhere in particular. This freedom, more than anything, is what I think this company stands for, and it believes in. Whether you’re riding in the Tour de France or pedaling a few miles to work, that grin on your face, even if it’s tucked away behind a grimace, is the same one that keeps our touring friends moving their legs in circles to a cadence all their own.

Many of us have engorged ourselves on the trimmings of the season and the year is finally at an end. 2009 kind of stuck it to a lot of people, many close to me, so I can’t say I’m sad to see it go. 2010 marks a new beginning for a lot of things, including Zero Per Gallon. Jonny will be sailing off into the sunset, beginning his mission to eradicate Sea Goats from the Pacific. Meanwhile back on land, I will be moving forward with Zero Per Gallon’s mission to continue to encourage people to get on the bike, and to feel even better about getting on the bike than they already do. Which is a pretty darn tall order.

The holidays consumed a lot of my time with a trip back east. I’ve fallen behind on my inventory of 53 Miles Per Burrito shirts, but by early to mid January we should have the Large and Extra Large shirts back in stock. Also in 2010, you should expect to see some new products popping up on the site. In the hopper as well are some limited edition collabo’s t-shirts that you stylish folk may be excited about. I’m also working an angle on another collaboration that may result in a new jewelry line.

I’m also planning on hitting the ground running on my search for some worthy bicycle shops across the nation to begin carrying our product. The response to the 53 Miles Per Burrito shirt really is phenomenal, and I know anecdotally that as soon as the shops start carrying our shirts, they start flying off the shelves. If you know of a shop that you think is right for ZPG, let me know.

I’ve got a lot of high hopes for 2010, and I hope you do too. The cycling community is unlike anything I’ve ever known. Its appeal spans from neon-lycra wearers to hipsters, from dot com geniuses to fanatically conservative Texas Republicans. We’re all just linked together around the chainrings of this thing called a bicycle, and yet most of the time, that is enough. You folks are the reason this little business works, and so you’re who it works for. So raise a glass to yourselves–you’ve earned it.

May your 2010 reveal new routes that take your breath away (literally or metaphorically, your choice), may you put more miles on your pair of wheels than ever have before, and may you have warm tailwinds in all your pursuits. Happy New Year.

While ZPG did not have a booth, we were heartily represented by the fine folks at Mission Bicycle Company, who actually ordered up a fresh batch of our I [crash] SF and 53 Miles Per Burrito t-shirts in gray just for the event (word had it the 53 Miles Per Burrito shirts were their top seller at the show… hey shop owner I’m looking at you, baby… call me…). But the ZPG love didn’t end there.

Courtesy of Adrienne of ChangeYourLifeRideABike

While browsing over the styles to be represented that evening in the Momentum Magazine Bike Expo Fashion show, I stumbled upon model #4, wearing a  “…53 Miles Per Burrito T-shirt.” Could it be? Had my moment in the sun arrived? Was I going to Bryant Park to have my look judged by Heidi Klum and Michael Kors?

I waited, with baited breath, as the fashion show neared. Would I be called on to sew the model into my improperly fit t-shirt? Would Tim Gunn tell me the look was “costumey?” Would the Derailleurs quit playing games with my heart?

Courtesy of Cyclelicious

Finally, the moment had arrived. A bearded young model proudly entered the stage. The MC began to announce the look… but wait! She’d announced it incorrectly! She was not crediting my design, but someone elses! My model stood, unsure, and gazed at the room full of stylistically questionable individuals before him. The moment was long and agonizing, but at last the Roller Derby MC found the correct design, and the audience heaved a collective sigh of relief.

Did I win ten thousand dollars and a fashion spread in Elle magazine? No. But I walked away with the pride earned from showing at the Cow Palace. Bryant Park? Please, those designers have got nothing on B Spoke Tailor.

Radical image courtesy of TheBoldItalic.com

Jonny was far too humble to post this himself, so he emailed me and had me post about it. Our very own Mr. Waldman is a legitmately trained journalist, though his battle against goats has left him out on a limb because of the goat lobby’s power among the major print shops in the nation. However, he’s got a suitably bike-related story up on San Francisco’s own independent web publication,  The Bold Italic.

The story covers streetwise Jonny’s stakeout of a bike thieving hot spot, and the noir-i-ness is palpable. So go. Palp it.

Folding bike optional.

Jonny and I have long been fans of the like-minded folks over at the Tour d’Afrique, so we were pretty darn excited when we found out they were fans of ours, as well.

Turns out this very blog has been on their radar, and they wanted to know how much it would cost to tell people about their trips on our little blog. We’d never taken advertising before, but considering how complimentary we found these free-spirited individuals (and by that I mean the “Don’t mind me, I’ll just saw off these frost-bitten toes and we’ll get back on the road” free spirited, not the 1960s hippie kind), we thought “what the heck.”

Despite the rather Africa-centric sounding name, Tour d’Afrique does a lot more than just trapse around one continent. No, the continent of Africa just wasn’t enough for them. They’ve got routes all over the friggin’ planet, from Africa and South America to the one they’re currently taking sign-ups for: the Silk Route through the Middle East and Asia.

This monster 10500K (6525 mile) journey follows the open-toed sandals of the great conquerors of the past, including Alexander the Great, Ghengis Khan, and, I believe, Jason (of the Argonauts), who was pretty much just there for the skeleton chicks. But instead of doing it on foot, which would definitely take a bit longer than four months, the hard men and women at the Tour d’Afrique have planned for the brave souls signing up to do it in a mere 92 cycling days.

In all seriousness, this thing will test your mettle and your metal, expand your mind, introduce you to new friends from across the globe, and give you something to brag about to your grandkids.

While it’s damn hard to find a good taqueria in Turkmenistan, they take care of the meals and I’m guessing their chef has done the math on how many miles one can travel per Bilishi.

Head on over and check this trip out out. 2010 might just be the year you ride the trip of your dreams.

Be one of the first 10 tee orders, get a free patch.

Welp, the new tee’s are in, and there are some really good deals to be had. First of all, to celebrate our ridding of Zazzle, the first ten people to pick up a 53 Miles Per Burrito shirt will get a free ZPG patch included. They’re freakin awesome, and you’d normally have to drop five bucks on one any other time. Right now, throw down $19 bucks and get both.

Secondly, we goofed our print graphic on the $0.00 9/10ths shirts, meaning the Zero Per Gallon shirts have a little printing mistake. We don’t feel right selling them to you for full price, so we’re selling them for 10 bucks. We’re hardly making anything on it, so take us up on the offer before these are gone.

All the tees are printed on nice, cozy, tight-knit American Apparel t-shirts. ZPGs are in slate gray, 53 mpbs are in black.

Hey there Portland! We know you guys have some pretty gnarly streetcar tracks, too. And considering the massive amount of rainfall you guys get, those slippery buggers sound like a nightmare, not to mention the crocodiles waiting on the roadside for hapless cyclists.  So when Powell’s Books asked us why we didn’t just print up a batch of I [crash] PDX stickers, we figured, hey, the locals must be onto something.

Pick some up in our store (or at Powell’s), but remember, this guy is a stunt icon–don’t try this out there on the road. Keep the rubber side down, and for god sakes, put on a parka or something. It’s wet out there.

Good people. Fall has come to North America. Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, the fog is celebrating its temporary victory over the pesky sun by wrapping hapless cyclists in a cloak of invisibility, vis-a-vis Harry Potter. Elsewhere, snow is falling.

All over the country (okay, if you’re in Hawaii you probably couldn’t give a hoot, since tsunami season weighs bit more heavily on the mind), fall means a lot of cyclists are taking the sissy’s way out and getting ready to pack up and go home. To settle back into the daily comfort of the climate controlled technological womb of the petroleum-powered automobile.

I’m not here to point fingers, but no matter how well you outsprint my asthmatic lungs and pitifully inadequate fast-twitch muscles during warm summer days, I won’t consider you hard until you’ve got some fenders on your ride and a breathable technical fabric (or wool, if you’re one of those earthy Rivendell folks) out of summer storage and on your person. Because guess who’s going to be sneering at you on a cold and rainy day when I see your Volvo rolling down the road, an empty bike rack on the roof the only indication that you are one of us.

Yes, I’m calling you out, sir or madam. This is your year. This is the year you’re going to ride through the winter. Because after the pain, the frozen hands, the snow blindness, the occasional case of hypothermia and the lost appendages, comes the fierce pride and holy and unadulterated righteousness.

Oh yes, you proud few. You’re riding this one through. And we’re riding with you.