Alex Kim (2013, Environmental Studies) designed the first Veggie Bike. The goal of the Veggie Bike is to have a sustainable, enjoyable, and practical way of transporting vegetables for the IWU Peace Garden.
Alex Kim ’13 built this cart that can be attached to a bike to haul fresh produce to those who need it most!
The IWU Peace Garden is organic and only uses human power to support the garden. Volunteers use a push mower and produce is taken to the Normal Trailside Market (http://www.normal.org/index.aspx?nid=569) using the Veggie Bike. He used leftover materials and borrowed specialized tools to design it and stored it in his own living room during construction! The Veggie Bike hooks up to any bike so that any volunteer can use it. It is incredibly lightweight and helps the garden to live out its mission.
Here is what Alex said about the project: “Finding the right tools and professionals to get brazing done was difficult for me, but with the help of ARC administration and people of the biking communities, a solution was found. Simply asking for help can get one far. The scavenging of old, unwanted parts like wheels, axels, and the hitch with the importance of recycling and reusing in mind took some time, but by politely asking for help from people, simply asking questions of who might be able to help, the parts showed up sooner than expected. From this experience, it might be safe to say that things work when you incessantly try and make them happen. The keyword might be incessant. My ability to be persistent was likely the best tool in building the Veggie Bike. Of course, I was kind and respectful in working with people to build the trailer. The most fun came out of working with other people together to make a project happen, because sharing the experience makes it more special.”