Clara's Minneapolis / St. Paul Blog

An small poll of my fellow Twin Cities drivers indicates that a lot of motorists don't know what those little white lights mounted on traffic signals are. The most common thought is that they are something to do with catching people who drive through a red light.

They are actually part of a system, called OptiCom, which changes the signal priorities for emergency vehicles. Fire trucks and other emergency vehicles carry a transmitter that notifies the traffic signals of their approach, and the signals change to give the emergency vehicle the right of way. The white lights come on or flash to warn drivers that the signals are about to change, and that they may need to move out of the way.

A white light means that the emergency vehicle is on the same road as you. A flashing light means that the emergency vehicle is on the road crossing yours. The signal will soon change to give the emergency vehicle the right of way. If you will be in the way of the emergency vehicle, pull safely to the side of the road, without blocking the intersection, and let the emergency vehicle pass.

Here's a more detailed explanation of how the system works, and examples of what to do if you see a white light, ora flashing white light.

US Internet turned on Wi-Fi for another part of Minneapolis last month. According to USI, Minneapolis' Wi-Fi network is the fastest metropolitan wireless network in the country, faster than 3G, faster than DSL, and the largest in the world, covering 57 square miles.

Some people using the service are wondering where they got their data from. Customers living near lakes and in high-rise buildings complain that their reception is poor. Those who are receiving service are only getting around half of the advertised 1 Mbps speed. Trees can impede the signals, and as leaves grow back it will only get worse. Users with mobile devices, such as the iPod touch, are also having problems.

A large part of the city still doesn't have access to Wi-Fi. The Wi-Fi transmitters must be mounted on lightpoles or similar structures, and in Calhoun-Isles and areas around the University it's been hard to get permission from various organizations (Parks and Rec, Xcel Energy, and private property owners) to have enough poles to provide service.

USI Wireless say they are confident that they'll find enough poles and the whole of the city will be able to receive Wi-Fi.

Issues aside, I admire the city of Minneapolis for taking the initiative in building the network, and giving customers another option to connect to the internet.

Now, I live in St. Paul. Are we going to get Wi-Fi?

Moms are some of the most green people I know. Here's a few ideas of how to treat Mom the environmentally-friendly way.

• Sponsor her a solar panel at Izzy's Ice Cream. Izzy's is the first ice cream factory in the USA to run on solar power, with the help of their customers. One panel can be sponsored for $100. Mom will get her name on the wall at Izzy's Ice Cream Cafe in St. Paul, and $25 of Izzy's ice cream.
• Put together an eco-friendly home spa package. Twin Cities Green sells natural, non-animal-tested beauty products, soy candles, and the softest organic cotton towels you ever felt.
• Jewelry is a classic mother's day gift. You won't find pearls or diamonds at Re Gifts, but you can find earrings and necklaces made from recycled materials like sea glass and vintage typewriter keys.
• Brunch at the Birchwood Cafe Birchwood doesn't compromise taste in their delicious menu of organic, natural, locally produced food. The Birchwood Cafe's Mother's Day brunch will be served until 3pm on Sunday.

Need more inspiration? Here's a guide to Mother's Day events in Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond.

• Mother's Day Events in the Twin Cities
• Mother's Day Gift Guide - Brunch, Flowers, Cards and Gifts

_{Twin Cities Green. Photo © Clara James}

The delight of not having to wear 47 layers is indescribable. The joy of sunshine after this long, long winter makes us appreciate how fun it is to get dressed in a dress.

The Twin Cities are known for their unique style, a blend of practical, vintage, designer, modern and DIY fashion. What sounds like a fashion disaster is actually turns out really quite fabulous. An afternoon walk around Uptown Minneapolis or the Walker Art Center will give you fashion inspiration enough for a whole season. A lot of stylish folks base their look around a single vintage piece - perhaps a print dress, an retro t-shirt, or some killer heels - and mix with modern clothes for a look that's all our own.

Part of the reason that the the Twin Cities love vintage clothing is that we are so eco-friendly. Giving a second life to old clothes saves them from the landfill, and saves the resources needed to make the new garment. It's the antithesis of disposable fashion. Vintage clothes were made to last and look good for many seasons when they are looked after. And vintage fashion is timeless so no worrying about whether it is last season. It's already way out of date, so throw it on, and head out!

Vintage divas should make tracks to the annual Spring Shindig, held by the St. Paul Retro Loop. Retro clothes, furniture, jewelry, art, LPs, plus vintage-style refreshments to celebrate spring. May 3 and 4, at the stores of the St. Paul Retro Loop.

Then, on the evening of May 15, the Minnesota Historical Society hosts RetroRama, a celebration of all things 1950s. There will be a fashion show, vintage fashions on sale, cocktails, music and Brad Zellar, the man behind the 1950s photo exhibition "Suburban World: The Norling Photos" currently running will be signing the accompanying book.

• Vintage Clothing Stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul
• St. Paul Retro Loop Spring Shindig
• Minnesota Historical Society's RetroRama Party

Did you make any green resolutions on Earth Day? Good for you! If you pledged to use public transit more, but haven't quite got around to riding the bus or the train yet, here's a little reminder.

Metro Transit has been criticized for not running enough routes within the Twin Cities, compared to other large metropolitan areas. There are vast areas of the suburbs lacking in bus services, and many places in Minneapolis and St. Paul with a long walk to the nearest bus line. Several services only operate once or twice an hour.

But where the buses and trains do run, they run on time, they are usually clean, good value, and fast compared to services in other US cities that I've lived in.

Metro Transit operates hybrid buses on several lines in Minneapolis, and plans to have 170 hybrid buses in service by 2012. The hybrids are easy to spot: they are painted green. Metro Transit clearly takes "going green" literally.

Even though I have a car, If I'm going to downtown Minneapolis or St. Paul, I ride the bus or the train. No parking hassles, most bus lines connect to either or both downtowns, and the fare is less than the price of the gas I'd use.

I admit that even though I'm a fan of Metro Transit, I still drive my car an awful lot. But every little counts, and if everyone in the Twin Cities replaced just one five-mile car journey by public transit a month, we'd save 180 million pounds of CO₂ emissions from cars every year.

Ready to take the plunge into public transit? Below are beginner's guides to the bus and the train. And here's a good date to start: Metro Transit is offering free bus and train rides to the May 3 and 4 Living Green Expo at the State Fairgrounds.

• Riding the Bus in the Twin Cities
• Riding the Hiawatha Light Rail Line Trains

The Twin Cities rank ninth on the Forbes.com annual survey of 49 major American cities. We have the lowest ozone level on the survey, boosting us up the list despite average ratings for waste removal spending (no kidding) and water quality (water quality?) That's more disturbing, especially considering we have so much of it in our lakes and rivers.

The Forbes water cleanliness rankings were based on local reports of EPA violations. Violations include incidences of bacteria, chlorine and chlorine by-products, chemicals and metals in the drinking water.

Minneapolis and St. Paul have comparable water quality, unsurprising since much of it comes from similar sources. St. Paul has more lead in the city water, and Minneapolis has more chlorine by-products.

So our air is great - for a big city - but should we be worried about our water? Both Minneapolis and St. Paul's city water is within the EPA standards, comfortably so for most measures. The city of Minneapolis is clearly pleased with it's water quality. This year the city has a $200,000 budget for promoting city water over bottled water. But while there's certainly room for improvement in water quality, couldn't that money be better spent elsewhere?

On Sunday May 3, the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center will be releasing rescued, rehabilitated birds at Bloomington's Highland Lake Park Reserve. The Raptor Center, part of the University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine, is a pioneer of raptor medicine and conservation. The center treats hundreds of birds every year, including hawks, falcons, owls and eagles.

This is the Raptor Center's annual spring release, and it's a once-a-year opportunity to see these amazing birds being returned to the wild. If you have an interest in photographing birds of prey, this is an unmissable event. There will be music, children's activites, food and educational displays for all the family.

Saturday May 3
11 a.m.-2 p.m. Birds will be released at 1 p.m.
Hyland Lake Park Reserve
Bloomington, Minnesota

The Raptor Center

_{Photo © Clara James}

Mother's Day is Sunday May 11.

This year, Mother's Day is also the 150th anniversary of Minnesota's statehood, and several historic sites are putting on events to celebrate both. Sibley House, Fort Snelling, and the Gibbs Museum of Pioneer and Dakotah Life are all holding special events for Minnesota's Moms.

It's also a day to run (or walk, or wheel, or toddle...) for a great cause. The Annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is on Mother's Day at the Mall of America, with several races for all ages and abilities. Race, pledge, or cheer on the participants and support an important cause.

And there's music, river cruises, train rides and more on offer in and around the Twin Cities. Here's a guide to Mother's Day events in Minneapolis, St. Paul and beyond.

• Mother's Day Events in the Twin Cities
• Mother's Day Gift Guide - Brunch, Flowers, Cards and Gifts

_{Photo © Clara James}