Meet Jeremy Smith. He's a cyclist, a community builder, a German-cookie aficionado, and the winner of the 2009 Focus Roots Fellowship. To be fair, Jeremy didn't win the fellowship per se; he earned it through his incredible dedication to both the bicycle and his community. Along with co-founder John Williams and a crew of volunteers, Jeremy is building a community bicycle cooperative in Spearfish, South Dakota.

[Image: Jeremy Smith (beard on left) and John Williams ride their tall bikes with a banner to spread the word about the new bike co-op]

Jeremy was born in Montana but grew up in Spearfish. A number of years ago, Jeremy randomly met a bicycle-based traveling circus and spent the next year touring China and Hong Kong on his bike while honing his unicycle, tight rope, juggling and stilt-walking skills. [Note to self: I want to run away with that circus, too. That journey sounds nothing short of AWESOME.] From there, Jeremy's interest in bikes has continued to grow.

As a new Focus Roots Fellow in the struggle to find climate solutions, Jeremy recently rode on a week-long bike trip that started in New York City and ended in Washington, D.C. The Brita Climate Ride brought together 170 cyclists from all over the country to ride bikes, learn about climate issues, and push for constructive political change.

Here's what Jeremy had to say:

First off, congrats. This is a really cool project. How did you come up with the idea for a bike co-op?

For the last 3 or 4 years I've been getting more interested in bicycles, especially garbaged and salvaged bicycles. I enjoy taking parts that no one else wants and putting them together again. Spearfish is a community that could benefit from more bicycle commuters and a stronger bike culture. Plus, I have a desire to see more old bicycles put to new use.

[Right: Some of the many tools available for the community at the Spearfish Bike Coop.]

Big cities like Portland, Oregon and San Francisco tend to receive most of the attention for their bike lanes, alternative transportation resources, and community bike projects. Do you think that a smaller town like Spearfish is ready to embrace biking as a viable form of transportation?

One of the issues we're facing is the small nature of the community. We don't have the town size we need to make bicycles a main focus. In time, we'll see a lot more people on bikes, using trailers, and traveling around town without cars. I think the community is ready. It's a small university community with wide streets and some bike paths. We'd like the community to view the bicycle as a utilitarian tool for picking up groceries, taking kids to school, and other common tasks. [Spearfish is] ready for it, and many small towns across the US face a similar need.

You just went on a major bike trip from New York City to Washington, D.C. with a large group of climate-minded folks. What was that like?

[Below: Jeremy and Erin Coffey (another Focus Roots Fellow) on the Climate Ride]

This was my first big bike ride with a group of people that strongly identify as cyclists. I never trained as a bike racer and I don't own any spandex, so it was really neat to hear others' perspectives and talk about how we can make cycling more inclusive. I learned about different ways to reach a larger cycling community. The speakers were fantastic. [The trip] exceeded all of my expectations. Being from the west, I always thought the east coast was filled with continuous traffic, but I was pleasantly surprised to see open roads and green spaces.

[Side-note: Jeremy also told me that he saw a cool shop on the trip that sold only Springerles. Just what is this so-called "Springerle"? I asked. (Is it a type of dog? a twisted coil of wire under pressure? A knock-off dramatic daytime talk show?). Jeremy informed me that it is a funny German cookie pressed into hand-carved wooden blocks, and often anise-flavored. Of course I had to Google it. The self-proclaimed "Springerle Baker" says that the first designs for Springerle molds were created in the 16th century. The early molds usually depicted riders and their horses. However, I think someone should carve a Springerle cookie mold in honor of the Climate Ride that depicts riders and their bicycles. I don't think it's too far of a stretch. Image from Wikimedia Commons.]

Have you worked on any bikes that you're particularly proud of?

[Above: John and Jeremy touring together in Colorado. Nice handlebars, Jeremy :) Those are pretty slick.]

I really like building mutant bicycles—choppers, tall bikes, funny bikes...the works. I've got a couple of tall bikes that I like, especially a half-tall bike that's pink with a chopper fork in front, with a 26 inch wheel in the front and a 16 inch wheel in the back. We have one swing bike that has a second pivot halfway between the handlebars and the seat. Pretty much all of our mutant bikes are fun; we like to re-appropriate bikes and completely redesign them for a different purpose. Re-creating bikes from parts that nobody else wants helps to remove garbage from landfills while teaching useful skills, like how to fix brakes.

How can others help this project?

Anyone can help to keep the shop clean or fix bikes. We're also trying to work with local business owners to promote bikes and provide incentives for community members to ride. We'd also really like to work more closely with city planners and make the area more bike friendly. We're looking to design some t-shirts and bike art for the community, and transform scraps into functional bike sculptures. With extra funding, we could potentially expand our solar and renewable energy set up for the shop.

[Above: The main shop space. I expect that this space will soon be completely filled with bikes and people.]

Thanks, Jeremy! Also, thanks to everyone else involved in the formation of this community space. Your work will be truly appreciated by many.

Jeremy and John hosted the grand opening to the Spearfish Bike Co-op last Saturday, October 10th. The event included a celebration of about 30 community members, plus a bike co-op showing of the Triplets de Belleville to set the stage for a growing bicycle community in Spearfish.

Did any of you get a chance to read the cover story of Sunday's New York Times? It's horrifying, detailing the illness and paralysis of Stephanie Smith after she contracted E. coli after eating a tainted burger.

It was an unsympathetic indictment of the industrial meat processing and distribution system in the U.S., and I wholeheartedly agree that they deserve a good thrashing.

These industrial meatpackers are in the game for profit, and they routinely resist changes to the system that would make our meat safer, and the FDA routinely doesn't penalize them for it. The world is not all about money. Human life should be worth something to these folks.

With all of the things that industrialization has made possible in our modern world, I believe that food safety is one of its worst casualties. Yes, we are able to feed more people, but at what price?

While I don't agree with my fellow blogger squabattack that vegetarianism is the way to go, I do think that our consumption of meat can be reduced, and that the meat we do eat can be more carefully selected. There is a new and admirable movement to buy meat from local butchers who emphasize quality over cost. The little bit extra you are going to pay for this type of meat is going to be worth it, in terms of quality, safety, and taste. I think we are all willing to pay a bit more for safe quality meat.

Research your local scene for this type of meat. Do you have a farmer's market that sells locally butchered meat? What about a local food cooperative, where you can pay a flat rate and pick up a bounty of fresh, seasonal produce and meat every week? These are two huge ways to contribute to the restructuring of how we eat food.

How do you make a difference? I welcome suggestions in the comments section below.