TR ANSPORTING YOU FROM POINT A TO WHERE YOU WANT TO BE FALL 2008

REBUILDING
TRUST
The 35W bridge
has been rebuilt,
but some drivers
are taking it slow

NORTH
AMERICAN
CRUDE
Flint Hills Resources
has cleaned up
its reputation in
Minnesota, but is
there more to refine?

TAKE A RIDE

4
Scenic drives
around the Cities
by season

PLUS Fashion forward looks for every mode of transportation

 AVENUE
MAGAZINE
Fall 2008

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Jessie Houlihan

MANAGING EDITORS
Ashley Kirscht
Andrea Wagenknecht

ART DIRECTORS
Karina Holtz
Denise Rath

SENIOR EDITORS
Hilary Dickinson
Mandee Hayes
Megan Kadrmas
Katie Christian
Kelsey Fjestad
A LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
Amidst the busyness of our lives it’s easy to forget about the transportation choices we make.
We settle into a routine of driving, biking, walking or busing ourselves from home to school
ASSOCIATE EDITORS or work and back again. The process becomes mundane until something catches our atten-
Justine Gilbertson tion, like the I-35W bridge collapsing into the Mississippi River. Suddenly, the impact of
Megan Exl our decisions becomes stunningly important. Avenue magazine seeks to inform our readers
Brynn Baker
Katelyn Latawiec
about all aspects of their commuting and travel options and we encourage you to be an active
Jennifer Brook part of the ever-growing culture of movement.
On August 1, 2007, the I-35 W bridge fell. As the world turned their eyes to our city, we
STAFF WRITERS struggled to understand the safety of our infrastructure. For many of us who weren’t victims
Colin Barnes-Driscoll of the collapse, continuing to use and trust bridges was less of an issue. Unfortunately, for
Stephanie Bennett those who were on the bridge that infamous day, regaining confidence in their daily com-
mute has been a major obstacle. Avenue associate editor Justine Gilbertson interviewed some
ASSISTANT of the I-35 W collapse victims for her article “Rebuilding Trust” on page 24.
ART DIRECTORS Seventy percent of the gas used in the Twin Cities region is supplied by crude oil refiner-
Joan Seah ies in the suburbs. The biggest refinery is owned by Flint Hills Resources, which has had a
Leah Theorin dirty environmental history in the state and country. In the past several years they’ve cleaned
up their reputation, but is there more that should be done? Avenue staff writer Stephanie
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Bennett dug up some interesting facts on Flint Hills Resources in her article “North Ameri-
Srijon Chowdhury
can Crude” on page 10.

WEBMASTER
Andrew Zoellner
WEB EDITORS
Kelly Stolpa
Lauren Olson
WEB WRITERS
Sarah Arendt
Candice Dehnbostel
THANK YOU
Avenue would like the thank
the University of Minnesota’s
School of Journalism and Mass
Communication, Elizabeth Larsen,
Jeanne Schact, Scott Dierks,
Wally Swanson and Al Tims. This
publication is made possible by the
generosity of the Milton L. Kaplan
Memorial Fund.
COVER: DENISE RATH, PHOTO; THIS PAGE: JESSIE HOULIHAN, SUBMIT TED PHOTO
While transportation is often about getting somewhere efficiently and conveniently,
travel is often about the pleasure of the journey. Avenue associate editor Brynn Baker re-
searched the best scenic drives in the Twin Cities metro area for her article on page 6. Be
sure to read about the seasonal routes she planned and follow her instructions for enjoying
the area’s nature and rich local culture.
With fuel costs seesawing as a result of the economic crisis and the constraints of global
climate change, transportation policy needs our urgent attention. Solutions must be found that
create equity among train, public transit and airplane users, pedestrians, car commuters, and
bicyclists with an emphasis on local resources and sustainability. Obviously the complexity
of the system requires a multi-pronged solution. Avenue magazine strives to provide relevant
information so that our readers can better understand the diversity in options.
Despite our political affiliation or opinions, we all need to get places. You may not be in-
terested in every one of our articles or agree with some of the content, but I hope in reading
our publication you learn a little about your fellow commuter and the past, present, and future
of transportation.
Sincerely,
Jessie Houlihan
Editor-In-Chief
 36

TABLE OF 24

CONTENTS
POLITICS
2 On the Move: Transportation News
3 Road rules
What you didn’t learn in driver’s ed.

4 Driving while distracted

Texting behind the wheel spells disaster.

2
TRAVEL
5 Trail time 38

Got an hour, a day, or a weekend to spare? Spend it

winding through the best of Minnesota’s bike paths.

5 Flying cheap
6 Scenic drives by season

ENVIRONMENT
8 Car sharing gains speed
9 Baby, you can drive my car
Test-driving the new breed of hybrid and electric vehicles.

32
FEATURES
10 North American crude
Flint Hills Resources has cleaned up its reputation
in Minnesota, but is there more to refine?
CULTURE
16 Pedaling prosperity 32 From the catwalk to the crosswalk
Fashion to fit your every move.
Despite the weather, Twin Cities bikers take
to the streets in record numbers. 36 Traveling tunes
20 Wheeling and dealing 37 Bus etiquette
Making the most of our commutes.
38 Party bus
24 Rebuilding trust Leave your keys at home and take
The 35W bridge has been rebuilt, but some our public transportation pub crawl.
drivers are taking it slow.

30 Voluntourism
Why people are traveling for a cause. HEALTH
40 Driving Miss Crazy
How rush hour became stress hour.

40 Healthy motion
Transporting you to an active and safe commute.

41 Fast but healthy food

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 1

NAVIGATE : POLITICS
On the Move: Transportation News
Bikers get financial boost
Bike commuters are often dubbed “green,” but
they may soon have some of it in their wallets.
Among the 400-plus pages of the Emergency
Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, com-
monly known as the federal bailout plan, lies
a boost for bikers. Companies can give up to
twenty dollars a month to its pedal-powered
employees to fund biking expenses, reported
the Boston Herald. This should be beneficial
for the Twin Cities as Minneapolis boasts the
nation’s second largest bike commuter popu-
lation. The bill also includes credits for em-
ployees who use other alternative fuel sources,
including biodiesel, renewable diesel, and
plug-in electric vehicles.
Federal funding
increases rail travel
As more passengers opt for train travel in
2
the face of rising gas prices, the nation’s train
systems are getting some much-needed fi-
nancial assistance thanks to recently passed
legislation. The bill will devote money to rail
safety, the Federal Railroad Administration,
and increased passenger rail service, includ-
ing Amtrak, America’s largest passenger rail
system. The company will receive $13 billion
over the next five years.
Seoul cracks
down on motorbikes
With motorcycle sales on the rise, Twin
Cities’ police may want to take a page from
South Korea’s law enforcement. The Seoul
Metropolitan Government is cracking down
on motor bikers who opt to use sidewalks
and bus lanes, the Korea Times reports,
because they pose a danger to pedestrians.
Government officials, as well as members of
THIS PAGE: SRIJON CHOWDHURY, PHOTO; OPPOSITE PAGE: COLIN CORRADO, ILLUSTRATIONS
the police force, will now be able to impose
fines on law-breaking riders, including those
who park illegally.
Hydrogen research
center open in Wales
Hydrogen is number one on the periodic ta-
ble, and a new center in Wales aims to give
it the same prominence as an energy source.
The Baglan Energy Park is home to both
academic and industry research conducted by
scientists interested in testing the potential
of renewable hydrogen as a fuel source. The
Welsh Assembly Government provided fund-
ing for the center, which is part of the Uni-
versity of Glamorgan. Some scientists believe
hydrogen is a cleaner alternative to traditional
fuel sources, meaning innovations there may
affect future fossil fuel consumption here at
home. –KATIE CHRISTIAN
 NAVIGATE : POLITICS

Road Rules
WHAT YOU DIDN’T LEARN IN DRIVER’S ED
Next time you’re driving and notice someone talking on a cell phone while swerving through traffic at eighty miles per hour, keep this in mind:
there are certainly more atrocious acts people could commit. Many are even punishable under law in different states across the country, says
Kathe Nielsen, the director of content for the Unofficial Guide to the Department of Motor Vehicles website. Here are a few of our favorites:

Cars are not for strippers

In Sag Harbor, New York taking your clothes off in a
car is illegal. So either keep your clothes on, or make
sure you have good tint on your windows.

Contain the loud noise

to your stereo speakers
In Derby, Kansas the simple act of screeching your
tires is a misdemeanor and could land you thirty days
in jail. If you must make extremely annoying noises
while in the town, find a good chalkboard to sink your
fingernails into.

Keep your vegetables

under control
A Chico, California law makes it illegal to plant a garden
in the middle of the road. If you want to plant your
rutabagas in Chico, please choose soil, not highway.

Keep your doors shut

In Oregon you can be ticketed for leaving your car door
open too long, so don’t try to use your car doors as wings.
Besides looking like an idiot for trying to fly your car, the
cops can fine you, too.

Giving new meaning to

falling asleep on the road
In Eureka, California it is illegal to use the road as a
bed. For those of you who still find it necessary to
grind gravel into your skin while snoring, keep it in the
driveway.

No piñata while driving

Alabama law makes it illegal to drive a car while
blindfolded. Don’t play pin the tail on the donkey while
at the wheel, especially in Alabama.
– COLIN BARNES-DRISCOLL

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 3

NAVIGATE : POLITICS

Driving While Distracted
TEXTING WHILE DRIVING SPELLS DISASTER
As punching keys with your thumbs becomes face jail time for texting while driving and
a more popular way to communicate, the there are good reasons for those new laws.
dangers of texting and driving are becoming In a 2008 study by the U.K.’s Transport Re-
clearer. As of January 2009, six states will have search Laboratory, researchers found that tex-
enacted or passed laws making it illegal to text ting while driving was more dangerous than
while driving. Washington, Alaska, Louisiana, drinking and driving within the legal limit.
Minnesota, New Jersey, and, most recently, In the study, seventeen male and female
California, have adopted laws that make it a participants were tested for reaction times,
crime punishable by a fine if you are caught the ability to follow a car, lane control, and
texting while driving. speed all while sending and receiving text
In the United Kingdom, you might even messages. The study found that reaction time
THIS PAGE: KARINA HOLTZ, LLUSTRATION; OPPOSITE PAGE: KARINA HOLTZ, ILLUSTRATION; DENISE RATH, PHOTOGRAPH
decreased by thirty-five percent while texting
compared to twelve percent while drinking
and driving.
In a study conducted in 2007 by the psy-
chology department at Clemson University in
South Carolina, participants texted or used
MP3 players while driving. The results showed
that when text messaging, drivers crossed
the centerline or left their lane roughly ten
percent more often than when not texting.
–JENNIFER BROOK

4

WHEN PIGGYBANKS FLY
Helpful tips on finding
cheap airfare
Lately it seems impossible to fly anywhere
without breaking the bank. While the rocketing
cost of fuel is often considered the main culprit
for the jumps in fares, it isn’t the only problem.
A reduction in airline capacity over the last year
has also caused an increase. The competition to
sell the cheapest ticket also means airlines aren’t
making enough money to cover their expenses
so they have started charging fees for things
that they haven’t in the past, like a passenger’s
first piece of baggage on a domestic flight. Still,
with a little effort, it’s possible to find a good
deal that won’t have you selling your livelihood
to pay for the trip.
AGGREGATOR WEBSITES
Some of the most valuable assets to an air
traveler are aggregator websites, like those
of Kayak and FareCompare.com. They search
airlines, travel agencies, and third-party booking
agents like Travelocity to find the top deals
and display them on a single page, saving you
precious time.
CHECK AIRLINE WEBSITES
Many airlines guarantee that if there’s a cheaper
ticket than what they offer, they will refund
the difference and give a voucher worth up to
$100. Some have newsletters that give special
discounts and offers to subscribers.
BUY ONE TICKET AT A TIME
IF NOT TRAVELING IN A GROUP
Some sites won’t show the cheapest ticket if
there is only one ticket available and the search
was for several.
BE FLEXIBLE
When traveling for spring break, don’t go Friday
after class, go Saturday or Sunday. Traveling
when others aren’t and checking several airports
near the intended destination are other ways to
save money. Many websites—like Kayak and
Northwest Airlines—have calendars with the
ticket prices available for each date to help you
find the cheapest day to travel.
PLAN IN ADVANCE
Tickets are generally less expensive when
bought at least two weeks prior to traveling.
Avoiding last minute trips also allows more time
to watch airfare prices.
USEFUL WEBSITES
For help in the quest for a good deal, check Kayak.
com, Airfarewatchdog.com, FareCompare.com,
Compete4YourSeat.com and Farecast.com.
–SRIJON CHOWDHURY
EXPLORE : TR AVEL
Trail Time
GOT AN HOUR, A DAY, OR A WEEKEND TO
SPARE? SPEND IT WINDING THROUGH THE
BEST OF MINNESOTA’S BIKE PATHS
If you have an afternoon off, try the Grand Rounds Bike Trail.
In the heart of Minneapolis, the Grand Rounds Trail takes you by the Downtown
riverfront, the Chain of Lakes, and Victory Memorial Drive—an area that honors the
Hennepin County servicemen of World War I. The path totals fifty miles and is easily
shortened if you don’t want to commit to the full ride. The paved and easy route has
a few hills and is lined with parks, beaches, and restaurants along the way. The route
also takes you through Minnehaha Falls Park. While you’re there, be sure to stop at
the Sea Salt Eatery for fresh oysters or fish tacos. Prices range from $2 to $60 a plate
and there’s great outdoor seating. Call ahead though—they’re only open seasonally. If
you bike through the park during the summer, you can usually catch live concerts in
Minnehaha Park. For more information go to minneapolisparks.org/grandrounds.
SEA SALT EATERY, 4825 MINNEHAHA AVE., MINNEAPOLIS, 612.721.8990.
If you’re looking for a whole day to get away, try the
Cannon Valley Trail.
The Cannon Valley Trail begins less than an hour drive from Minneapolis and
features a twenty-mile one-way route that starts in Cannon Falls, Minnesota, pass-
es through Welch, and ends in the quaint and historic Red Wing. The trail is quiet
and secluded, with thick curtains of trees. Go during the fall to enjoy the vivid reds,
yellows, and oranges or catch a glimpse of local wildlife. After the ride, stop in Red
Wing at Staghead Restaurant for phenomenal—but inexpensive—burgers and
a broad beer and wine list. For more information go to cannonvalleytrail.com. STAG-
HEAD RESTAURANT, 219 BUSH ST., RED WING, 651.388.6581.
For a whole weekend away, try the Luce Line Trail.
Beginning in Plymouth, a suburb of the Twin Cities, the Luce Line Trail stretches
sixty-three miles to the town of Cosmos in west-central Minnesota. The trail runs
along an historic railroad line, starting as a limestone path and changing to natural
surfacing about halfway through the trek. The trail is tucked neatly into the coun-
tryside, highlighting Minnesota’s natural splendor, running alongside lakes and
weaving across forests and prairies. The trail has three rest stops before reaching
Watertown. Pack a picnic so you can stop for lunch at the fishing dock just south
of Crow River. If brown bagging it isn’t your style, grab a bite to eat at Bavar-
ian Haus Restaurant, where they serve up traditional German fare at reasonable
prices. Camping is popular among weekend revelers, and there are plenty of camp-
grounds along the trail to choose from. Since you’ll be far from city lights, cozy up
at night and check out the stars so rarely seen in the metro. The Luce Line Trail is
open to bikers, hikers, horseback riders, snowmobilers (in mapped out areas along
the trail), and cross-country skiers. BAVARIAN HAUS RESTAURANT, 36 MAIN STREET N.,
HUTCHINSON, 320.587.4560. –LEAH THEORIN
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 5
 EXPLORE: TR AVEL

Scenic Drives by Season

BY BRYNN BAKER

W hen the sultry days of summer have arrived, gather your

friends, hop in the car, and hit the open road for a cruise
around Lake Minnetonka. As the largest lake in the Twin
Cities, Lake Minnetonka is a summer hot spot located only twenty min-
utes west of Minneapolis. The drive includes historic towns, mansions,
elaborate shopping centers, and perhaps surprisingly, beautiful views of
wetlands, woods, and private bays. Stop in the northwestern corner of
Spring Lake Bay and pick up a famous shake from the Minnetonka
Drive-In, which is only open seasonally. Then take to the water for the
afternoon. Go swimming or, if you’re really lucky, head out for a day on
the boat. After a long day in the sun, unwind at Bayside Grille on the
south end of Excelsior Bay. Sit back with a cold beer or fruity margarita
and enjoy the casual atmosphere and waterfront dining on the docks.

THIS PAGE: JESSIE HOULIHAN, AUTUMN PHOTO; DENISE RATH, WINTER, SUMMER PHOTO; SRIJON CHOWDHURY, SPRING PHOTO
È Minnetonka Drive-In, 4658 Shoreline Dr.
Spring Park, MN 55384. 952.471.9383
È Bayside Grille, 687 Excelsior Blvd.

Summer Excelsior, MN 55331. 952.474.1113

A fter a harsh Minnesota winter, spring is the perfect time to im-

merse yourself in the outdoors. Spend a day exploring St. Paul’s
Como Park neighborhood. Start the day with brunch while relax-
ing in the sun’s warmth on the patio of Muffuletta in the Park on Como
Avenue. The internationally influenced bistro constructs its menu around
what is in season at local farmers markets and the historic library across
the street is a charming morning view. After noshing on some delectable
fare, take a scenic drive around Como Lake to admire the budding trees
and gorgeous greenery finally overtaking winter’s barren landscape. Walk
around the lake or rent a paddleboat from the Como Lakeside Pavilion to
fully appreciate the warm spring day. Down the road at the Como Park
Zoo, animals are released back outside and the baby animals are debuted
during this time of year. On your way out, wander through the Marjorie
McNeeley Conservatory, housing breathtaking landscapes and hundreds
of exotic plants that will leave you feeling like summer is already here.

È Muffuletta in the Park, 2260 Como Ave.

St. Paul, MN 55108. 651.644.9116

Spring È Como Park Zoo and Conservatory, 1225 Estabrook Dr.

St. Paul, MN 55103. 651.487.8201

6
 EXPLORE: TR AVEL

S pend an evening this winter starting a memorable holiday tradi-

tion with your family—a tour of holiday lights and decorations
is a creative way to spend time with your loved ones and cel-
ebrate the joy of the holiday season. After dinner, take a drive around
Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis, taking in the hundreds of beautifully
lit trees that light the lake’s shoreline, and then drive north into the
Kenwood neighborhood to ice-skate amongst elegant mansions. When
your fingertips and toes start to tingle, hop in the car to warm up and
drive seven miles north on Penn Avenue to the annual Holiday on 44th
festival. Enjoy the Christmas carolers, craft fair, ice sculptures, and of
course, a sleigh ride with Santa. Be sure to stop at Steamworks Coffee
& Tea Co. for a steamy mug of hot chocolate. Then drive two blocks
north and venture down Victory Memorial Drive. It is one of the most
elaborately lit boulevards in Minneapolis, so crank up the holiday tunes
and enjoy the spectacle.

È Steamworks Coffee & Tea Co., 2201 44th Ave. N.

Minneapolis, MN 55412. 612.287.8399
Winter

E njoy a romantic afternoon driving past thick groves of trees and

picturesque small-town streets that line the St. Croix River bluffs
in Stillwater. To get there, take Highway 36 twenty minutes east
of St. Paul into Stillwater’s historic downtown area. As you cruise into
town, the chill of the crisp autumn air will entice you to stop at the Daily
Grind, Stillwater’s oldest coffee shop. Grab a pumpkin spice latte and
stroll down Main Street holding your date’s arm in one hand and your
drink in the other, browsing the bounty of odds and ends at locally owned
antique shops and bookstores. Be sure to sit at the Lowell Park riverfront
and watch the historic drawbridge rise against a backdrop of brilliant
fall colors. When you return to your car, turn the heat up and enjoy the
breathtaking colors of the Minnesota fall out the window as you return
west on Highway 36. Turn north on Manning Avenue and cruise the
country road until you reach Aamodt’s Apple Farm. Stroll through the
orchard picking fresh produce and relax on a hayride. Treat yourself to
hot apple cider and a piece of Aamodt’s famous apple pie. After dessert,
walk next door to Saint Croix Vineyards and pick up a bottle of locally
produced wine. Then snuggle into a heavy quilted blanket and watch the
sunset on the pond. If you’re lucky, you can catch some live music from
local artists while you enjoy the scenery.

È Daily Grind, 317 South Main St. Stillwater, MN 55082. 651.430.3207

È Aamodt’s Apple Farm, 6428 Manning Ave. Stillwater, MN 55082.
Autumn
651.439.3127
È Saint Croix Vineyards, 6428 Manning Ave. Stillwater, MN 55082.
651.430.3310

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 7

NAME : DEPARTMENT
IMPACT : ENVIRONMENT
Car Sharing Gains Speed
A CONCEPT THAT STARTED IN EUROPE IS CATCHING ON IN THE U.S.
There’s a new trend sweeping the nation, and
its mission is to save the environment and save
you money. Its name? Car sharing. Instead of
stressing about the financial responsibilities
and upkeep that comes along with owning a
vehicle, car sharing programs allow members
to use cars by the hour or the day, with pick-
up and drop-off occurring at designated hubs
around the city. With gas, insurance, mainte-
nance, and occasionally parking included in
the fees, it can be a money-saving alternative
to owning or leasing a car, proving that shar-
ing isn’t just for the preschool set anymore.
Two companies aim to bring the trend
to Twin Cities' streets: HOURCAR, which
boasts a fleet of fifteen hybrid vehicles and
has more than 650 members, and Zipcar, a
nationwide car sharing program that currently
serves more than 225,000 members.
8
These programs help ease traffic conges-
tion and reduce emissions while relieving
owners of the burdens of vehicle maintenance,
according to Zipcar. They also estimate that
each of the organization’s vehicles take at least
fifteen private cars off the road.
If you don’t hop in a car every day, car shar-
ing can be a viable alternative to owning your
own vehicle. HOURCAR, formed in 2005,
offers flat rate and pay-as-you-go plans begin-
ning at five dollars per month with additional
hourly and mileage rates. They also offer dis-
counts for off peak hours.
The Zipcar program has a base rate of nine
dollars and fifty cents per hour, with an an-
nual fee of fifty dollars in addition to mile-
age costs. As a perk, University of Minnesota
students and staff get discounted rates. Zipcar
estimates that members save as much as $435
THIS PAGE: SRIJON CHOWDHURY AND DENISE RATH, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION; OPPOSITE PAGE: TOYOTA INC., SUBMIT TED PHOTO
a month by using their car sharing services.
Whether pocketbooks, environmental con-
cerns or convenience motivate their members,
car sharing programs are growing in popular-
ity. The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-
based private organization that invests in lo-
cal communities with environmental issues,
recently gave HOURCAR a grant to assist
in expanding their fleet over the next couple
of years, says Christopher Bineham, the com-
pany’s member services and marketing coor-
dinator. Companies that want to help expand
HOURCAR can purchase a hub for half the
regular cost and the grant will match the
amount the company invests.
The success and continued growth of car
sharing programs in the Twin Cities proves
residents are more than happy to share.
–KELSEY FJESTAD

UNDER THE HOOD
How hybrid and
electric cars work
Our society has experienced accelerated
technological growth in recent decades: cell
phones are almost permanently attached
to our palms; laptops can slide into manila
envelopes. As we make progress in this high-
tech age, it’s no surprise that automotive
companies are using advanced technology
to make their vehicles more fuel efficient and
environmentally friendly.
Hybrid cars are one part electric and
one part conventional car, according to Jon
Ziegler, a sales consultant at Cushman Motor
Company in Minneapolis. Powered by an
electric motor and a gasoline-fueled internal
combustion engine, they’re much quieter than
conventional cars during start up because
only the electric motor is being utilized. Hybrid
cars will run solely on electricity up to about
40 mph—if the driver doesn’t turn on the air
conditioning or heater immediately and eases
the car forward, says Larry Sievers, a sales and
leasing consultant from Tousley Ford in White
Bear Lake. During full or heavy acceleration,
the roles are reversed: the gas engine is the
main source of energy while the electric motor
provides assistance where needed.
Contrary to popular belief, many hybrid
cars don’t need to be plugged in. Instead,
the vehicle’s nickel metal hydride batteries
are recharged when the driver steps on the
brakes—a process called regenerative braking.
The gas engine shuts down as a car decelerates,
and the electric motor captures and stores
moving energy in the battery for future use.
In a conventional car, this energy would be
wasted during normal braking because there’s
nowhere for the energy to go.
Most hybrids—like Toyota’s popular
Prius—are series parallel hybrids. Depending
on driving conditions, they can be powered
solely by the electric motor or by both the
electric motor and internal combustion engines.
The majority of Honda’s fuel-efficient models,
on the other hand, are mild hybrids and require
the use of the gasoline engine at all times,
with the electric motor serving only as a form
of support.
Technology continues to march on, though,
and these hybrids may have to soon move
aside for the introduction of plug-in hybrids.
Like the up-and-coming Chevrolet Volt, these
hybrids run mainly on electricity and give
drivers the option of charging their cars before
hitting the road. – JOAN SEAH
IMPACT : ENVIRONMENT
Baby You
Can Drive My Car
TEST DRIVING THE NEW BREED OF HYBRID
AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES
Until last October, the only kind of car I’d ever driven ran on good, old-fashioned
gasoline, and that was the way I liked it. Frankly, the thought of getting behind the
wheel of Toyota’s Prius and Camry and ZENN’s electric car made me nervous. But
with the environmental and financial cost of gasoline, vehicles like these are becom-
ing more and more common. While Toyota’s hybrids are powered by an electric mo-
tor and a gasoline-fueled engine, the ZENN is fueled solely by an electric motor.
Even though I’d done my homework by reading all the Prius and Camry litera-
ture, I had a bad case of the pre-test drive jitters when I walked into the Maplewood
Toyota dealership last October as images of hybrids short-circuiting and breaking
down floated through my mind.
It turned out I had nothing to worry about: the Prius and Camry are simply
ordinary cars with extraordinary fuel efficiencies and environmentally friendly ca-
pabilities.
While driving them was intuitive, the bonus features took a little getting used
to. Both models operated with the Smart Key system, which allow the car to start
as long as the key is close to or inside the car—good for anyone tired of rummaging
for their keys. The dashboard included meters not found on a conventional car: one
measured how efficient the driver is at conserving fuel, while another indicated the
energy flow from the batteries to the wheels and vice versa. I managed to understand
the display’s icon for regenerative braking—the recharging of batteries via braking—
but only because of the research I had done beforehand.
Both the Prius and Camry were so quiet during start up that the dashboard lights
were my only clue the cars were on. Despite the Camry’s silence, it zooms from zero
to sixty in a mere nine seconds—that’s according to Toyota sales consultant Larry
Bain (I wasn’t willing to test this claim, lest I crashed the car).
Compared to the Prius, the luxurious Camry was definitely more intimidating—
it’s bigger, smoother on the road, and a lot quieter.
The Prius, though smaller, boasts a similarly impressive zero-to-sixty time of eleven
seconds. And let’s not forget about the Prius’ large trunk, either: even on a road trip
with friends, bulging bags in tow, the car would have no shortage of leg room.
While my experiences driving the Toyota hybrids may have been near ordinary,
driving the ZENN electric car was anything but.
Short for Zero Emission, No Noise, the car—manufactured by the ZENN Mo-
tor Company—is free from the burden of fluctuating gas prices. Having never even
heard of electric cars, walking into the ZENN dealership was like wandering around
blindfolded. I knew instantly that navigating the ZENN would be a far cry from
driving a normal car: while the dashboard was similar to a conventional car, every-
thing else was different. I was hesitant about stepping on the accelerator because the
car never seemed to come to a complete stop during braking, and the steering wheel
was not as easy to maneuver as a normal car’s.
Running solely on electricity, the ZENN is suitable for those who commute in
areas with low speed limits. It can only be driven in areas with a speed limit of thirty-
five miles per hour or less, so don’t think of taking it on a road trip.
If given the chance, the Prius would be first choice. I felt at ease with its handling
and maneuverable size. Even with my inexperience, test-driving the electric and hybrid
cars left me itching to get one for myself—if only I could afford it. –JOAN SEAH
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 9
 FLINT HILLS
RESOURCES
HAS CLEANED
UP ITS
REPUTATION IN
MINNESOTA,
BUT IS THERE
MORE TO
REFINE?
WRITTEN BY
STEPHANIE
BENNETT.
PHOTOGRAPHS
BY SRIJON
CHOWDHURY.

NORTH AMERICAN

10
CRUDE
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 11
 F or most Americans, a trip to the gas station of-
ten signals the beginning of a journey. Whether
it’s a morning fill-up before your daily com-
mute or the fuel for a much-needed vacation,
the time a person spends in front of the pump
is most likely filled with thoughts of where they
are going, not where their gas is coming from.
In reality, the gas station is more like the last stop of a long journey,
the end result of a complex process that impacts everything from poli-
tics to the food sold at the local grocery store.
According to the Energy Information Administration, Americans
consume more than 20 million barrels of oil every day. The current
political climate bombards Americans with warnings of hostile Middle
Eastern nations, soaring and then plummeting gas prices, and an all
but unanswered call to develop renewable energy.
The Pine Bend Refinery in Rosemount is the largest refinery in Min-
nesota and is owned by Wichita, Kansas-based Flint Hills Resources,
which is a subsidiary of Koch Industries, one of the most infamous big
12
oil conglomerates in the nation. Used to create everything from asphalt
to jet fuel, the oil pumped through Pine Bend does not come from the
United States but instead originates in the oil sands of Alberta, Canada.
While Pine Bend has made recent strides toward making their operation
more sustainable, it’s a politically charged and environmentally question-
able business that takes place literally in Minnesotans’ backyards.
The towering metal spires of the Pine Bend Refinery can be seen
in the distance from Highway 55. Lit up like a giant city, at night this
fortress of energy creation seems like a spectacle out of a sci-fi movie,
not a mass producer of some of the most coveted and controversial
material on the planet.
The Pine Bend facility and the Marathon Refinery in St. Paul Park
together produce seventy percent of the oil used in Minnesota. Pine
Bend’s current production is approximately 320,000 barrels of crude
oil per day, making it one of the largest refineries in the United States
without an in-state oil well. So, where does this massive amount of
bubbling crude come from and how does it end up in a tranquil mid-
western suburb like Rosemount? The answer is a matter of plumbing.
THE REFINERY AND THE FARM
ine Bend gets unrefined crude oil via a series of pipelines that
P run from oil reserves in Alberta, Canada to several refiner-
ies in the Midwest. Pine Bend owner Flint Hills Resources
was formerly known as Koch Petroleum Group, also based
in Wichita, until the name was changed in 2002. Koch cur-
rently operates the Minnesota Pipe Line, which carries oil from a facility
in Clearbrook directly to the Pine Bend and Marathon refineries. In
2006, the Minnesota Pipe Line Company (MPL) applied for a permit to
expand their pipeline, an endeavor called the MinnCan Project.
The additional pipeline will be co-owned by the MPL, based in
Clearbrook. According to Patty Dunn, media contact for the MPL, ac-
quiring a permit from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission was
a tedious process. A series of public hearings were held in all thirteen
counties the pipeline would cross.
The MinnCan Project will create an additional 295-mile pipeline,
two feet in diameter and aptly called the MinnCan pipeline. When
finished, the pipeline will be routed to circumvent the Twin Cities,
delivering more oil from Clearbrook to Rosemount. According to the
initial routing plan, the pipeline was supposed to cut across miles of
Minnesota farm land, including a direct path through Gardens of Ea-
gan, an organic farm.
Atina Diffley, Gardens of Eagen co-founder, did not passively accept
that crude oil would be flowing alongside her organic sweet corn crop.
“The first thing Atina did was call lawyers who listed themselves
as doing energy work,” says Paula Maccabee, Diffley’s attorney from
Just Change Consulting, a Minnesota public interest advocacy firm. To
Diffley’s dismay, all the attorneys she found with energy qualifications
had represented energy corporations, not the communities they were
disrupting. Through a contact in the Sierra Club, an environmental
organization based in San Francisco, Diffley got in touch with Mac-
cabee, who previously worked with the Sierra Club on air pollution
reduction initiatives.
“We did not have enough resources to challenge MPL alone, and Atina
wanted to make sure other organic farms were protected as well,”says Mac-
cabee. Diffley and Maccabee devised a plan that would add extra provisions
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 13
 for organic farming to an already existing agricultural mitigation process.
When a company applies for a permit, it must present an agricul-
tural impact mitigation plan to the Minnesota Public Utilities Com-
mission. The mitigation plan explains how the company will minimize
impact on local agriculture, although the outcome usually favors the
interests of the corporation, says Maccabee. While Maccabee and Dif-
fley strategized, MPL was diligently seeking permit approval.
Maccabee planned to attach an appendix to the mitigation plan that
set certain standards pertaining specifically to organic farms. They en-
listed the help of two experts on organic farming and National Organic
Certification standards to give testimony on their behalf, says Maccabee.
The testimony set a strong case for Diffley, but community reaction was
also a factor.
“It’s partially who cares about this issue,” Maccabee says. “The input
of the citizens matter.” More than 3,000 public comments were filed
in support of Diffley, Maccabee says, with strong support from the
Wedge Co-Op of Minneapolis and other local organic grocers.
A hearing began on September 5, 2007 to evaluate Diffley’s case.
Less than a week later, MPL settled.
“Cases are made on evidence and we had strong evidence,” Mac-
cabee says.
The pipeline was re-routed around Gardens of Eagan, but more im-
portantly, a precedent was set. Although gas and oil pipeline construc-
tion projects still have the ability to disrupt organic farmland, a new set
of standards specifically designed for organic farms is now part of the
process. Permit standards for construction projects that cross organic
farms will now be examined under stricter scrutiny than non-organic
farms by the PUC before a permit is granted.
Recently, a gas and oil pipeline case in Wisconsin adopted similar
standards, using Diffley’s case as a precedent, says Maccabee.
Currently, three organic farms are affected by the pipeline, which
began construction in August 2007. The MinnCan pipeline is expected
to be operational this year but, for now, it is still in the testing phase,
and a 24 hour monitoring system is in place to ensure the pipeline is
safe and running smoothly, said Dunn.
14
Though Diffley and Maccabee’s victory is a new stride in protecting
agriculture from industry, the controversy over oil pipelines does not end
there. The most provocative aspect of this issue begins at its source.
CANADA’S DESTRUCTIVE GOLD MINE
undreds of miles northwest of Rosemount are the oil sands
H of Alberta, Canada, home to the earth’s second largest
known oil reserve.
“People talk about Alberta like it’s another Saudi Ara-
bia,” says Chuck Laszewski, communications director for
the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy. The MCEA has
worked closely with Pine Bend for the last ten years, helping to moni-
tor air emissions. The vast oil deposits the sands of northern Alberta
feed the pipelines that run to Pine Bend.
The immense ecological ramifications of the oil sands industry have
become the center of environmental concerns in Canada, says Terra
Simieritsch, policy analyst for the Pembina Institute, an environmental
advocacy organization in Calgary, Alberta.
The way oil is extracted from the sands is different from a tradi-
tional rotary well, says Simieritsch. The sands contain deposits of bitu-
men, a viscous form of crude oil. For deposits close to the surface, less
than 100 meters underground, the sand is dug like an open pit mine.
For deeper deposits, oil industries pump steam or other diluents into
the ground making the bitumen fluid enough to extract through pipes,
says Simieritsch.
“There is an irony here,” says Kevin Reuther, legal director for the
MCEA. “Oil companies use natural gas to fuel the extraction from the
oil sands at an astounding rate. They are using one of the cleanest fuel
energies to produce the dirtiest.”
Both processes use three times more energy than traditional wells
and vast amounts of water, most of which comes from Lake Athabasca,
which sits adjacent to the oil sands in Alberta.
According to Simieritsch, sixty-five percent of the water used for
oil extraction is withdrawn from the Athabasca. After the water is
used in the mining process, it’s too toxic to return to the river, so it sits
in uninhabitable, poisonous pools known as tailing ponds.
“Oil extraction has a huge effect on the landscape,” says Simieritsch.
“Emissions travel though the soil and water supply.” Down stream from
the oil sands lives a community of Chipewyan American Indians.
“Not only has their traditional lifestyle been affected by the min-
ing, but they have been reporting an increased rate of rare cancers,”
says Simieritsch.
The environmental impacts of the oil sands have not gone unno-
ticed by the Canadian public. Efforts to clean up the oil sands have
become a focal point of Canadian politics.
“All federal nominees had to have a plan pertaining to the oil sands,”
says Simieritsch. In October 2008, Canada re-elected Stephen Harper
as their prime minister, a conservative opposed to immediate restric-
tions of oil production.
“The current administration has a very hands-off approach,” ex-
plains Simieritsch. “They leave it up to the provinces.”
There are federal regulations in place that could trigger consequenc-
es for hazardous environmental practices in Alberta, but according to
Simieritsch, it’s a matter of enforcement.
“We don’t want to change regulation; we want to see federal regula-
OIL COMPANIES USE NATURAL GAS, ONE OF THE CLEANEST FUEL
ENERGIES, TO FUEL THE EXTRACTION OF THE DIRTIEST.
tion enacted in a stronger way,” says Simieritsch.
The environmental turmoil in Alberta seems like a far cry from the
glittering exterior of Pine Bend. But only a decade ago, Koch Industries
was going head to head with the Environmental Protection Agency,
and Pine Bend had its own petroleum-based demons to expel.
KICKING BAD HABITS
n 2000, after nearly a decade of unchecked production and ac-
I quisition, Koch Industries was indicted by a federal grand jury on
ninety-seven counts of environmental regulation violations. The
company was responsible for more than 300 oil spills across five
states and for releasing ninety-one metric tons of benzene, a known
carcinogen, from its Corpus Christi facility. In 1998, the Minnesota Pol-
lution Control Agency fined Pine Bend $6.9 million dollars for air and
water quality violations. During that time, the Minnesota communities
of Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Inver Grove Heights saw the rate of
asthma and child respiratory illness hit double the national average.
A REFORMED VILLAIN
A
fter Pine Bend’s initial run-in with the MPCA, the facility
decided to clean up its act, but wouldn’t be doing it alone.
The MCEA stepped in to monitor Pine Bend’s air emis-
sions and the Community Advisory Council (CAC) was
formed to foster communication between the company
and the community.
“When the council first started the community was up in arms,”
says Jackie Smith, administrator for the CAC. Smith says that an out-
side consultant, Mariann Johnson, was hired to evaluate the formation
of the council.
“I was hired by a steering committee to help form the advisory
council,” says Johnson. “We needed oversight and evaluation indepen-
dent from the local government and Koch Industries.” Johnson still
serves as the facilitator to the CAC, a twenty-person council that holds
monthly meetings.
“The council has provided a credible arena for the community to
have impact and be heard,” Johnson says.
According to the MPCA, Pine Bend reduced its emissions by fifty
percent from 1998 to 2004. Today, emissions have been reduced by sev-
enty-one percent, says Jake Reint, media spokesman for Pine Bend.
“The CAC was an essential part of Flint Hills’ transformation ten
years ago, but we still work with them on a regular basis,” Reint says.
The CAC keeps Pine Bend’s environmental and safety policies in tune
with the community and, in turn, helps Pine Bend alert the community
of upcoming projects.
“We recently went through a major equipment update in which
we needed to haul two 140-square foot pieces of equipment into the
plant and had no idea of the best way to go about it,” Reint says.
Through cooperation with the CAC, Pine Bend was able to shut
down part of Highway 55 and move the equipment through safely,
Reint says.
An open dialogue is not the end of Pine Bend’s involvement with
the community. The facility has been sponsoring local events for years
and is investing money into clean energy projects like Project Green
Fleet, a statewide initiative that retrofits school buses with pollution
control technology that allows them to burn fuel cleaner and more
efficiently.
“Flint Hills was a founding member of Project Green Fleet. We’ve
helped convert 1,400 buses statewide so far,” Reint says.
In addition, Flint Hills is the title sponsor of the International
Children’s Festival at the Ordway Center, an event that draws around
40,000 people annually, and sponsors school field trips to the Science
Museum of Minnesota.
“Our employees bring science to everyday life,” Reint says. “We
want the next generation to have an active interest in science as well.”
All this good-will coupled with the drastic decrease in emissions
garnered Pine Bend an Environmental Excellence Award in June
2008, awarded by the EPA.
THE NEXT STEP?
espite the refinery’s efforts, oil sand production is still
D growing unchecked. The amount of oil coming out of Pine
Bend will increase by 50,000 barrels when the MinnCan
pipeline is complete.
“This type of oil production just feeds our bad habits,”
Laszewski says. “The amount of money and energy put into these proj-
ects could be well spent on developing cleaner fuels.”
The person at the gas pump now becomes the next step in the long
journey oil makes from a remote spot deep within the earth to your car.
Taking responsibility for our energy consumption is essential to kick-
ing our dependence on crude oil.
“We are all in this together,” says Reuther, “We need to move on to
the next generation of fuels.” „
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 15
16
 PEDALING
PROSPERITY
Despite the weather, Twin Cities bikers take to the streets
in record numbers. Written by Colin Barnes-Driscoll.
Photographs by Srijon Chowdhury.

J ay Walljasper, a local writer who has been active in the Twin Cities’ cycling
community for more than thirty years, remembers a time when biking in
the area was a daily adventure, with peril waiting around every corner.
“Drivers used to try to scare the daylights out of you,” he says. “I was ut-
terly staggered by the arrogance some of them had.”
An enormous jump in the number of bikers around the Twin Cities has Walljas-
per seeing things quite differently today. “The local biking community is dramati-
cally different than when I moved here,” he says. “The attitude towards biking has
really changed in the last few years.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Minneapolis now has the second largest
percentage of people who bike to work on a regular basis. This means 7,200 people
in Minneapolis alone are exerting force upon their pedals, zooming towards their
destinations at breakneck speed while burning calories along the way. When you
include suburbanites, St. Paul residents, and college students, the number of bikers
making their way to their destinations without a motor exceeds 10,000.
This is double the number of Twin Cities’ bikers two years ago, and Minneapolis
now has the fastest-growing biking community in the United States. With more
than 160 miles of bike paths slated to wind through the city by 2010, the local cy-
cling community has plenty of room to roam, and makes good use of it.
The state of Minnesota has made biking accessibility a priority, including a
statute that says that Minnesota intends to expand biking for environmental and
healthful purposes.
Don Pflaum, the bicycle coordinator for the city of Minneapolis, feels part of the
growth in biking can be attributed to the city’s efforts. “The city has added many
miles of bike lanes in the last few years, and that has been very helpful in the jump,”
he says. He also attributes the rise to city-hosted events such as Bike to Work Day
and The Bicycle Film Festival. “It’s amazing the diverse crowds the events get,” says
Pflaum. “You are always seeing new faces.”

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 17

 Grant Thompson, a local cyclist who often
bikes from his hometown of Stillwater, Min-
nesota to Minneapolis, sees the biking culture
of the area as another major reason for the
growing cycling population. “There is a really
good biking community here, especially with
all of the biking groups and shops the city has
to offer,” he says.
Groups like Critical Mass, the Twin Cities
Bicycling Club, and Minneapolis Bike Love
help create an identity for the bikers of the
area, where they can meet like-minded people
who also find biking an enjoyable hobby.
While many of these groups have dif-
ferent ideas on what the ideal biker may be,
they all share the common goal of bringing
people into the area’s thriving bike culture.
Dan Robinson, the vice president of the
Hiawatha Bicycle Club, says that it is the
lure of other bikers that makes these clubs
so appealing.
“It becomes a social activity, just people
getting together to have a good time,” says
Robinson. “But they want to get exercise
while doing it.” He thinks the nation’s recent
fitness revolution has been another aid to the
biking community, as people are beginning
18
to see biking as a good way of getting the “People have to understand their bike laws
exercise they need. and respect them,” he says. “You see tons of
Although more bikers on the road is cer- people riding on sidewalks, going the wrong
tainly a plus for the metro area, there are way on one ways.”
two sides to every coin. “There are more Following the law is one of the best ways
bikers, and there will be more accidents,” to ensure your safety while riding, but equip-
says Jameson McGuine, an employee at ment is essential as well. “Be visible, use lights
Varsity Bike and Transit in Minneapolis. and full body reflective gear,” says McGuine.
Safety Tips
Consider yourself a driver Minnesota law states that every person operating a
bicycle is responsible to follow the same rules as those operating a motor vehicle,
including stopping at stoplights and stop signs, signaling for turns through arm
gestures, and riding in designated lanes.
Move with traffic Unlike pedestrians, cyclists should travel with the flow of traffic.
Respect pedestrians and be vocal Cyclists must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
and should announce their presence before passing them on sidewalks.
Keep your hands free Under Minnesota law, cyclists can’t carry anything that
prevents them from keeping at least one hand on the handlebars.
Wear a helmet Biking without a helmet can be tragic: around two-thirds of bike
deaths are related to traumatic brain injury.
Know where you’re going Always plan your route before going into uncharted
waters to make sure you don’t get confused in the midst of busy traffic.
 “You see people riding around in all black, choice, a helmet is the safest way to ride. This is partly due to better understanding
just begging to get hit,” Thompson says. “Not While statewide statistics may show a from drivers. As more bikers share the road
enough bikers treat themselves as vehicles.” rise in the number of bike-related accidents, with cars, drivers have become increasingly
Equally important is the need for a hel- Pflaum says that the increase has not affect- aware of them.
met. The Insurance Institute for Highway ed the metro area as severely as other parts For many, choosing to ride their bike
Safety reports that ninety-two percent of cy- of the state. Minneapolis is estimated to simply comes down to a financial decision.
clists killed in 2007 weren’t wearing helmets. have about 250 bike-related accidents, simi- When gas prices went through the roof in
Although it may not be viewed as the stylish lar to what the city has seen in recent years. the summer of 2008, many people started
biking to save money.
“People are jumping on their bikes trying
MINNESOTA’S DEEP FREEZE CAN to save money however they can, especially as
SPELL DISASTER FOR CYCLISTS TRAVELING the economy goes downhill,” says Thompson.
No matter what has caused the sharp rise
ON STRETCHES OF WET AND ICY ROADS in biking around the Twin Cities, it is doubt-
Here’s how you can make your ride safe and ful this community is going anywhere any
comfortable during less-than-desirable weather time soon. What may be most amazing is that
Clothing It’s important to realize that wind will be a factor. Brace yourself by the icebox of the United States can sustain a
including headbands, hats, face masks, and even neck protection in your winter strong cycling community.
biking wardrobe.
“I’ve noticed a lot more people biking in
Bikes Studded tires provide better traction and easier steering and braking for winter the winter,” Pflaum says. “It shows how dedi-
biking conditions. Check to make sure your bike has sufficient reflectors and lights to cated to biking people around here are.” With
ensure added safety for those darker ride. the number of cyclists going up by almost fifty
percent from 2006 to 2007, the Twin Cities’
Riding The fear of ice can be conquered if navigated correctly. If your bike begins
to spin, making small changes can get you back on track without swerving out of dynamic bike scene is only getting stronger.
control. If you find yourself on the most slippery of ice, try not to brake. If absolutely “There is something about biking that’s just
necessary, use only your back brake. fun,” says Walljasper. “It really is an enriching
experience.” „

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 19

20
WHEELING AND DEALING
MAKING THE MOST OF OUR COMMUTES. WRITTEN BY KATELYN LATAWIEC.

E very day, Donna Forsman leaves her home in Annandale,

Minnesota, to drive thirty-five miles to her job at an out-
let mall in Albertville, Minnesota. Her route is filled with
winding back roads, farmers’ fields, rolling hills, and beau-
tiful lakes. While making the half hour trip, she usually listens to the
radio and reflects on her day. “When you’re leaving work you kind of
just unwind,” she says of her commute.

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 21

 Each day, Americans spend
an average of twenty-five minutes
getting to work, according to the
U.S. Census Bureau. While some
of these commuters take the bus,
walk, or bike, a large number of
Americans don’t have those options
as more than seventy-six percent
commute via car. In the Twin Cit-
ies area, nearly 2.25 million people
are driving to work solo.
Almost no other daily experi-
ence in America is as dreaded as
driving to and from work. Not
only does commuting eat up pre-
cious minutes—even hours—of
the day, but it’s expensive.
But scratch beneath the sur-
face and what you find is a nation
that has accepted commuting as a
part of their lives and in turn has
developed an appreciation for the
22
benefits of this daily ritual.
Despite heightened environ-
mental concerns and unstable gas
prices, commuting solo is more
common now than it was thirty
years ago, while carpooling has
been declining since the 1960’s.
NEARLY 2.25 MILLION PEOPLE
ARE DRIVING TO WORK SOLO
IN THE TWIN CITIES.
David Levinson, an associate
professor of civil engineering at
the University of Minnesota, says
people have more money to use
toward driving costs. “Carpool-
ing is a hassle,” Levinson says.
He also credits the decline in ride
sharing with a shift in priorities:
people value their time more and
don’t want to commute on other
people’s schedules.
Another reason for the de-
crease in carpooling is that more
people live in suburban regions
where housing is more spread
out, making it harder to establish
an efficient transit system. “Tran-
sit works best when populations
are dense,” Levinson says.
Downtown Minneapolis and
St. Paul aren’t the popular work
destinations they used to be,
meaning that people are not all
PREVIOUS PAGE: STOCK.XCHNG, PHOTO; DENISE RATH, PHOTO
traveling in the same direction
anymore, according to Levinson.
With more jobs moving to the
suburbs, a transit system wouldn’t
be able to accommodate everyone
and wouldn’t be economical.
So, who are these solo com-
muters, and what motivates them
to brave rush hours, slow moving
traffic, and long periods behind
the wheel, all without the relief
of a carpool lane? For Wiscon-
sin resident Tom McNurlin, the
ninety minutes he spends com-
muting to and from Roseville
each day are worth it to be able
to live and raise his children in
the country. He considers his
morning drive to be relaxing, and
spends it listening to gospel mu-
sic or talk radio.
Stresses of commuting set
aside, the driver’s seat also pro-
vides some commuters a place
to prepare for and recover from
the day. Mary Stransky, who for
the past fourteen years has driven
twenty-five minutes to her hu-
man resources job in Spring Lake
Park, says she likes her commute
because it gives her time to think
and plan her day. And Maria
Crownhart, who lives in Wiscon-
sin and works in Minnesota, says
her twenty-five mile ride home
gives her a chance to wind down
after a long day. She also likes to
occupy her commute time with
satellite radio and audio record-
ings of books.
Though gas has become a real
concern for a lot of commuters,
it isn’t a concern for Crownhart.
Her job provides her with a
company-owned vehicle and gas,
leaving minimal stress for car fuel,
maintenance, and insurance. “If I
was driving an hour and fifteen
minutes every day with my own
vehicle and my own gas, I would
probably reconsider my living op-
tions,” she says.
While commuting alone can
be enjoyable, adding children to
the mix definitely shakes things up
a bit. Susan Trombley, of Mounds
View, is a mother of three who
adds her son’s daycare drop off
to her morning commute. After
several years of this daily routine,
Trombley found that taking city
streets has less stop-and-go traf-
fic than the freeway, which eases
her ride. To keep herself busy,
she utilizes the time to prac-
tice her Catholic faith through
prayer and meditation.
While commuters have found
plenty of ways to pass time dur-
ing their commute, it should never
threaten their safety. Traffic ac-
cidents are the leading cause of
death worldwide, says Minnesota
State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson,
and distractions play a signifi-
cant part in many accidents. Even
though there are many things
commuters can do to utilize their
TIPS AND TRICKS
Keeping busy in the car
Commuting doesn’t have to be boring—there are things you can do that are not only
enjoyable, but could also make you a better driver.
In a British study published in the “Psychology of Music” journal, researchers
found that playing dance music was associated with more accidents for drivers ages
eighteen to twenty-nine than was other genres. Researchers also found that at the
time of an accident, most people were not listening to their usual choice of music.
These researchers also cited a study that suggested that music increases positive
mood, which may increase considerate driving. Picking a genre you enjoy may help
tone down the road rage.
È If you’ve always wanted to read Shakespeare or Hemingway but never had
the time, audio recordings of books might be for you. Many websites, such as
theaudiobookstore.com or simplyaudiobooks.com, offer a wide selection of books
through rental programs, CDs, and downloads for digital audio players. If you’re paying
less attention to other drivers and road conditions, it’s time to turn down the volume.
Safety
According to Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mark Peterson, there are four major factors
involved in traffic crashes: illegal or unsafe speed, failure to wear a seatbelt,
impairment due to drugs or alcohol, and inattentiveness. Peterson says that two cars
running into each other can be prevented, making them crashes instead of accidents.
Here are some things you can do to be a safer driver:
Don’t multi-task. Save the eating, shaving, and makeup application for home.
Always wear your seatbelt. More than half of those killed in traffic crashes in
Minnesota this year were not wearing seatbelts, according to Peterson.
If you are injured in a crash, you should stay where you are and call for emergency
assistance. If there is only property damage, stay in your vehicle and move it to a
safe place when possible. Exchange driver’s license, insurance, and license plate
information with people involved in the crash. Contact local law enforcement.
Gas saving tips
Here are some things that you can do to cut down on the amount of gas you use,
according to Fuel Economy, a government website.
Avoiding quick acceleration or sudden braking can lower gas mileage by thirty-
three percent on the highway and five percent in the city.
Drive slower. Typically, once you start driving more than sixty mph, your gas
mileage greatly decreases and you could spend an additional twenty-four cents per
gallon of gas for every five miles per hour you drive over sixty.
Use cruise control. It helps avoid the need of repeated acceleration on the highway.
See if your employer will allow you to alter your work schedule so that you can
avoid sitting in rush hour wasting gas.
È In addition to the Fuel Economy tips, you can also check AAA’s Fuel Daily Gauge Report
at fuelgaugereport.com to see how your local gas station compares to the city average.
Carpooling
Carpooling is another way to save gas and reduce the amount of wear on your car.
You could cut costs in half by riding with other commuters.
Try checking your workplace to see if others live in your area. If not, Metro Transit
has a Rideshare program that can match you with other commuters living in your area.
Another organization, 494 Commuter Services, operates along the Interstate 494
corridor and offers free resources to commuters on carpooling, in addition to other
services. Potential carpoolers indicate their preference for driving or riding when they
sign up on the organization’s website and obtain a list of other commuters in their
area they can contact.
È Carpoolers decide who drives and how costs are determined. Check out
494corridor.org for more information.
time spent in the car, it’s impor- are happening all the time.” holds, driving to work doesn’t have
tant to plan ahead and not depend With an ever-changing popu- to be a drag—there are things you
on the drive to attend to things. lation, economy, and environment, can do to not only cut costs and
“People don’t take driving serious- the future of commuting is uncer- reduce harm to the environment,
ly, Peterson says. “Traffic deaths tain. No matter what the future but to enjoy the ride as well. „
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 23
24
REBUILDING TRUST
THE 35W BRIDGE HAS BEEN
REBUILT, BUT SOME DRIVERS
ARE TAKING IT SLOW. WRITTEN
BY JUSTINE GILBERTSON.

M ixed emotions accompanied the opening of the

new Interstate 35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge on
September 18. While some Minnesotans itched in
anticipation to cross the newly rebuilt bridge, oth-
ers were more hesitant in driving across the 501-foot-long main span
over the Mississippi River.
Bridge collapse survivors aren’t the only ones struggling to make
amends with the haunting memories of the tragedy. The completion
of the new bridge doesn’t entirely alleviate feelings of sorrow and
worry shared by a portion of uneasy residents throughout the state.
In fact, some people are skeptical about the bridge’s safety and the
short amount of time it took to reopen. Yet for the first time in
almost fourteen months, bridge collapse survivors faced the reality
that the Minnesota community is inevitably starting to move on
from the catastrophic event.

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 25

 “For us [the new bridge opening] is almost like pouring salt into
our wound, because everything is still so close to the surface,” 25-year-
old survivor Lindsay Petterson, of St. Louis Park, says. “It feels like, if
we can’t move on from it, why should anyone else?”
A fractured vertebra in her lower back was the only major physical
injury Petterson suffered, but she continues to battle the repercussions
of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as depression, fear, anx-
iety, and nightmares. She also lost her job at a group home, where she
worked with adolescents who have emotional behavioral issues.
“My emotions were way too off-kilter,” she says. “I couldn’t deal
with my emotions and the youth I worked with.”
Over the past year, Petterson has tried to take a proactive ap-
proach to her healing process. She has found solace in a soul painting
class, Reiki healing touch therapy, a group support session for bridge
collapse survivors, and spending time with close family and friends.
Petterson is also going to start working with an exposure therapist to
overcome her fear of water and drowning.
“I have an intense fear of water now, so the therapist will help me
experience different levels of water again. We will start at Underwater
Adventures so I can just stand near the glass, and eventually I will move
up to having my head underwater,” Petterson says. “I haven’t done that
in over a year. It’s the next big hurdle in my recovery.”
People who suffer from PTSD relive the traumatic experience re-
currently through nightmares and flashbacks, says Dr. Abigail Gewirtz,
clinical psychologist and assistant professor in the University of Minne-
sota’s Department of Family Social Science. It’s normal to avoid things
that serve as reminders of the trauma because it’s the simple, every-day
occurrences that can trigger flashbacks, she says.
Although Petterson has been able to evade close contact with water,
city living has made it difficult to avoid crossing bridges. In fact, on Sat-
urday, October 4, Lindsay went over the new bridge for the first time.
“My boyfriend drove and I held on tight,” she says. “It’s going to take
100, 200, 300 trips over it before I start to trust again, even though it
took just that one day to take it all away.”
Garrett Ebling, a survivor from Plymouth, says he hasn’t crossed
the new bridge yet and doesn’t know when it will happen.
“I have no desire to cross it. When I’m over near that part of town,
I can envision the whole collapse scene,” he says. “It was a tough thing.
I am not making a point to cross it or hang out in that part of town. It
isn’t fear or anger, it’s just not high on my priority list.”
Unlike Petterson, Ebling, 33, doesn’t have fear and anxiety related
to bridges or other man-made structures, which he attributes to an in-
ability to remember the events that immediately followed the collapse.
He says that he made the naïve assumption that his physical recovery
would be quick, which has made adjusting to a “normal” lifestyle again
the most difficult struggle.
As Ebling gradually recovered from each of his injuries—a col-
lapsed lung, severed colon, ruptured diaphragm, shattered arm, broken
jaw, facial fractures, and broken feet—he found himself feeling irritable,
frustrated, and angry toward his family and then fiancée (now wife),
Sonja. The emotional effects Ebling experienced jeopardized his rela-
tionship with Sonja, so he started seeing a mental health counselor.
“I felt this disconnect with the world, with my family and my fian-
cée,” Ebling says. “The world was able to pick up and move on, and I
wasn’t able to.”
Both Ebling and Petterson are making the most of their circum-
stances and are on the road to emotional recovery. The two survivors
have endured much hardship over the past fourteen months, and the
reopening of the I-35W bridge has, in a sense, put pressure on them to
suddenly heal and get on with life.
26
Since the I-35W bridge collapse,
there have been nearly half a dozen
notable collapses worldwide
The Tuo River bridge in Fenghuang, China collapsed on
August 13, 2007 as construction workers removed scaffolding
from it. Reported death rates range between twenty-eight
and thirty-six, and more than twenty were injured.
A section of the Can-Tho bridge in Vietnam collapsed
on September 26, 2007. Reported death rates range from
thirty-six to sixty and the number of injuries ranges from
eighty-two to 180.
A suspension bridge near Kathmandu, Nepal collapsed
on December 25, 2007. Between 400 and 700 people
were supposedly standing on it when it fell. More than
thirty were reported injured, and an estimated 100 or more
people are missing.
A motorway bridge collapsed near Prague on August 8,
2008 and derailed an international express train with 400
passengers. Seven people were killed and at least sxity-three
were injured.
Kathleen O’Donovan, an education specialist at the University of
Minnesota, says the new bridge construction could be a metaphor for
how our culture deals with significant loss.
“There is a tendency to fill the void and move on,” she says.
O’Donovan, who has only been on the new bridge three times since
it opened, was in her office located at East River Road when the bridge
collapsed. She tries to avoid the bridge by taking Hwy. 280 and side
roads from her home in Roseville because she says it brings home the
fragility of life and the vulnerability of infrastructure.
“I wasn’t enticed by going over the new bridge because, to me, it
will always be a place of reflection,” O’Donovan says. “It’s interesting it
was replaced so quickly, yet so many lives and memories remain. What
occurred there has left an indelible imprint.”
PREVIOUS PAGE: MARK WILSON, GET T Y IMAGES; OPPOSITE PAGE: STOCK.XCHNG, PHOTO
Flatiron and Manson construction workers and local engineers
constructed the new bridge, which was designed by Tallahassee-based
Figg Engineering Group, Inc., more than three months earlier than its
December 24 deadline. The fact that a monetary bonus was at stake
may, however, cause concerns about the bridge’s safety to arise.
Sarah Mondshane, a University of Minnesota anthropology stu-
dent, says the new I-35W bridge makes her uneasy not only because
of the collapse but because it was rebuilt so quickly.
“It’s unnerving that the workers received a bonus for finishing the
bridge early,” Mondshane says. “I haven’t gone over it yet, but I already
have my route planned out. Even if I needed to take it I probably still
wouldn’t go over it.”
It’s normal and healthy to be afraid of driving over bridges im-
mediately following a tragic event, says psychotherapist Jerilyn Ross,
who is the president and CEO of the Anxiety Disorders Association
of America (ADAA).
“The closer people are physically to a tragic event involving a
bridge,” Ross says, “the more personal experience they’ve had with it
and the more chances are of them dealing with anxiety and fear about
bridge safety.”
The new I-35W bridge, which has a 100-year life span, contains
over 300 sensors that help determine whether the bridge is behaving
the way it is expected to. The data collected from the sensors not only
verifies the effectiveness of the design methods used but also helps
engineers design bridges that are more financially practical.
BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 27

 THE NEW BRIDGE

28
 I-35W Bridge Victim Compensation Fund
In October 2007, Representative Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden
Valley, drafted a bill to create a compensation fund for bridge
collapse survivors. The bill was signed into law on May 8, 2008.
Had the new law not been mandated, the state of Minnesota
would have been responsible for offering a total of $1 million,
or $8,000 each, to survivors. That is the best case scenario,
however, because they most likely would have received nothing.
“The survivors have been overwhelmingly positive and
grateful,” Winkler says. “The existing law would have frozen
them out so even though [the new law] is not perfect, it’s
better than what they would have seen otherwise,” he says.
The compensation funds total $36.64 million. Each
survivor will receive a maximum amount of $400,000 out
of a $24 million primary fund for injuries, medical bills, lost
income, pain, suffering, disability, and emotional distress.
A $12.64 million supplemental fund is available for the most
severely injured victims in compensation for exceptional medical
expenses, long-term health costs, and lost wages.
The deadline for survivors to submit a claim for
compensation was October 15. Settlement offers will be
issued no later than February 28, 2009, and survivors have
forty-five days after receiving the settlement offer to accept.
“One thing that is good about the fund is that it’s a way for
Minnesota to make a permanent statement to these people
that their personal pain is not something they are forgetting
about,” Winkler says.

“You can never say with 100 percent certainty that a structure will
never have a problem or reach its limit state,” Catherine French, Uni-
versity of Minnesota civil engineering professor, says. “A bridge cannot
carry an infinite load, it’s just not economical to build.”
French added, however, that all possible variables (weather, site
constraints, rights of way, and time schedule) were accounted for and
that the bridge is designed to carry a load that it most likely would
never have to endure.
Ben Jilk, a civil engineering graduate student working with French
and other professors in the department, assisted in the installation of
the sensors and has been conducting research since the construction of
the new bridge.
He explains that there were several “truck orientations” tested be-
fore the bridge reopened in order to better understand its behavior when
experiencing two types of loads, static (stationary trucks) and dynamic
(trucks moving across the bridge). Now that the new I-35W bridge is
complete, Jilk collects data and will assist in the creation of a computer-
generated model of the bridge that will be compared to the data re-
trieved by the bridge sensors.
“The new bridge is very safe,” Jilk says. “It is a completely different
kind of bridge than the one that it is replacing. There are many safety
factors put into the bridge design, and there were many skilled people
involved in designing and constructing it.”
Despite how safe the I-35W St. Anthony Falls Bridge may be, it
will rekindle a myriad of bittersweet emotions and memories of lost
loved ones. While its reopening on September 18 has been advanta-
geous for many practical reasons, the bridge is also emblematic of a
community bound together in solidarity and, especially, the survivors’
STOCKXPERT, PHOTO

shared kinship of suffering, healing, and renewal.

“When you almost die, you realize how precarious life is. It’s a good
thing, because you don’t take things as seriously,” Petterson says. “You
realize that your place in life doesn’t depend on what house you have,
what money you have, what things you have; what really matters is how
you helped people and how good you were to people.” „

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 29

ABOVE: Tanya Schmitt displays the craft
she made with Ruby Scott, a resident at
Princeton Healthcare Center in Princeton,
West Virginia during the Pay It Forward
Tour in March 2008. RIGHT: Annie Fischer
and other volunteers hike up Mount
Pureora where the team removed
invasive pine trees in order to preserve a
New Zealand rainforest. FAR RIGHT: Matt
Perpich clears tree limbs while restoring
prairie land in Chicago during the 2008
Pay It Forward tour.
VOLUNTOURISM
Why people are traveling for a cause. Written by Megan Exl.
A s a teenager, Abby Kordosky discovered she had a passion
for Australia. She immersed herself in television pro-
grams, magazines, and brochures—anything she could
get her hands on that brought her closer to experiencing
her dream country. Finally, Kordosky landed upon an answer to her
infatuation: volunteer travel.
A couple of Kordosky’s friends had volunteered abroad and raved
about their experiences. One said she discovered an undeniable
inner strength; another gained an innate urge to travel. They all shared
stories about bettering themselves, but Kordosky ached to make her own
memories. In the summer of 2008, the 21-year-old found herself on a
plane to Portland, Australia to plant trees, install protective fencing to
shield plants from animals, and do other conservation work.
“I’m still high off the experience,” Kordosky says. “I have to go back
there at least once before the end of my life.”
Inspirational excursions like those taken by Kordosky and her
friends may be contributing to the recent rise of volunteer traveling.
The Travel Industry Association of America noted an eleven percent
increase in volunteer travel from 2001 to 2006.
A concept that combines traveling and volunteering, voluntourism
can cost more than a spring break in Mexico, but giving back makes it
all worthwhile. Contributing to humanity also helps to increase social
awareness and involvement, qualities that don’t have a price tag.
“A lot of people are looking for an opportunity to integrate into
local culture that you can’t get from just traveling,” says Emelee
Volden, associate program director for the Learning Abroad Center
at the University of Minnesota. Meeting people from the community
and working to benefit them is a unique experience that cannot be
matched, Volden says. Voluntourism provides a view of the country
that a tourist wouldn’t see.
30
“We were removing rat traps. We had to climb on unknown, un-
marked trails, over fallen trees and rivers and all of the Department of
Conservation [guides] can just hop from place to place,” says Annie
Fischer, a University of Minnesota student who volunteered in New
OPPOSITE PAGE: ABBY KORDOSKY, KELLY STOLPA AND BECCA PICHA, SUBMIT TED PHOTOS
Zealand. “Meanwhile we’re struggling to get up cliffs…it was pretty
intense. One time we had to walk over this tree that was over a fifteen
THIS PAGE: TANYA SCHMITT, KELLY STOLPA AND KARI FOLEY, SUBMIT TED PHOTOS;
foot drop to water. You just had to figure out how to do it on your own
and trust that you’d be okay.”
Fischer used a month-long journey around New Zealand to learn
about the culture, environment, and herself. The eight-hour days of vol-
unteer work ranged from strenuous to mild and involved anything from
removing invasive species of trees using only handsaws to hauling rail-
road stakes out of caves that were four-hundred meters below ground.
During what Fischer called her “easiest and most boring day,” vol-
unteers fished through unwanted museum materials while longing to
hit the dirt trails of the wild bush.
“We were covered in mud almost every day. There was a time when
I stepped wrong on a tree log and just fell—really fast—and my leg was
stuck in this hole of mud,” Fischer says. “It’s not glamorous but that
was all part of the experience, too. It was a good dirty feeling.”
Volunteers received minimal instruction from their guides, who
trusted them to figure things out, says Fischer. The unexpected assur-
ance helped Fisher accomplish things she never thought possible and
contributed to the inner growth she experienced on the trip.
“Traveling changes you as a person no matter what you do, but when
you do something for another country or a different type of people you’re
also helping and benefiting yourself. I grew more from that month than
I would say I’ve grown in two years at the university,” Fischer says. “It
pushed me to be a more assertive person and more self-controlled, but in
a good way. I grew into a more self-assured self-confident person.”
BELOW: Abby Kordosky weeds
out invasive species in Portland,
Austrailia. RIGHT: Nadine Abou-
Karam paints the new city
hall building in Blue Mounds,
Wisconsin during the Students
Today Leaders Forever PIF Tour.
FAR RIGHT: Annie Fischer stands
next to the sign she put up in New
Zealand's Pureora Forest Park.
Finding yourself and helping others doesn’t require thousands of
dollars and an airplane ticket, though. Students Today Leaders Forever
(STLF) gives volunteer groups—from middle school to college—the op-
portunity to plan and participate in a domestic version of voluntourism.
Formed in 2003 by four students at the University of Minnesota,
STLF serves communities across the United States and helps inspire
future leaders through community service and also extra responsibil-
ities—each tour is planned entirely by the students participating in
the program. Turning vision into action, they created Pay It Forward
(PIF), a bus tour that travels from the hometown of the participating
school to designated “celebration city,” stopping at cities along the way
for different volunteer activities.
STLF embarked on its inaugural tour in March of 2004 with forty-
Making the most of your volunteer vacation
Ask questions What is included in the overall fee? Airfare?
Food? Housing? Transportation? Guided tours?
Ask more questions What do you want to get out of this
vacation? Family bonding? An adventure?
Prioritize Some groups base vacations on destination
while others focus on activities. At Cross-Cultural Solutions,
participants complete a survey before traveling to ensure
involvement in an activity of personal interest.
Find the right fit Voluntourism groups can be for-profit or
not-for-profit and may have religious or political associations.
Make sure their choices align with your environmental and
ethical concerns before taking a trip.
Talk to someone—or lots of people When deciding who
to tour with, Abby Kordosky called two potential matches and
spoke with representatives. “One was trying to sell it to me,”
she explains. “The other one was concerned with whether I was
going to get what I wanted out of it.” Some organizations also
allow you to talk with people who have completed a program.
Be flexible These vacations are beneficial in the big picture
sense, so if everything doesn’t go exactly as planned, think of
it as an opportunity to make a larger impact.
È For more suggestions, visit the International Volunteer
Program Association at volunteerinternational.org.
three students on a single bus that lasted one week. Just four years later,
interest has increased enough to expand the tour season to an entire
year with thirty-six tours. The 2008-2009 season corresponds with the
academic school year and already has sixty-five scheduled tours.
“Voluntourism is still in its infancy, but it is catching on quick,” says
Nick Lindberg, co-founder of STLF and PIF tour alumnus. “People
enjoy helping others out. It makes them feel good knowing they are
making a difference in someone else’s life. So when travel and volun-
teering are matched together you are getting the best of both worlds.”
With a price tag of only about fifty dollars per day that includes the
bus ride, food, lodging, and a hotel room at the final stop, this tour al-
lows even people with the tightest budgets to ride. It may not be a trip
to Mexico, but $425 gets you a nine-day spring break with memories
and friends that last a lifetime.
“When our bus got to D.C., our final destination, I saw all the other
[volunteers] wearing the same t-shirt and we were all ready to jump in
a dirty river and start pulling garbage out,” says Megan O’Laughlin,
another PIF tour alumna. “To know that for a week all of these people
were doing the same thing that I was doing—sleeping on floors, [stay-
ing] up all night getting to know each other, getting up really early to
move boxes for churches or paint walls for a battered women’s shelter.
I loved being a part of something bigger than me.”
Student groups aren’t the only ones jumping on the hypothetical
voluntourism wagon, though. Organizations like STA Travel, which
added volunteer vacations in 2005, are capitalizing on this rising trend.
For each year the company has offered volunteer packages, interest has
increased, says Patrick Evans, marketing communications coordinator
for STA Travel. This general curiosity has inspired the company to add
the option of a “hybrid spring break” trip in the Dominican Republic
to their 2009 package options, Evans says.
As sightseers around the country relinquish their cherished vaca-
tion days to give a little back, a phrase uttered by generations of parents
deterring conformity comes to mind: If everyone else jumped off a
bridge, would you jump too? Well, if good old mom and dad knew this
trend has the potential to benefit humanity as a whole, they might just
supply the bungee. „
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 31
PATHWAYS : CULTURE

From the Catwalk

to the Crosswalk
FASHION TO FIT YOUR EVERY MOVE.
PHOTOGRAPHS BY SRIJON CHOWDHURY.
It’s always a challenge to find the perfect outfit for work and play,
and it can be especially difficult if you plan to go somewhere. With
transportation in mind, we found some fun, stylish, and comfortable
outfits that fit the lifestyle of those who walk, bike, commute, and
fly. Avenue’s fashionable outfits are sure to set you up for the work-
week and a weekend of fun. –LEAH THEORIN

32
 The Walker
ON HER: blouse, blazer,
satchel, Club Monaco;
vest, Ella Moss;
skirt, Lauren Conrad,
shopcovered.com ON
HIM: vest, shirt, belt,
blazer; Club Monaco;
jeans, William Rast,
shopcovered.com

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 33

 The commuter
ON HER: jacket, Club Monaco;
top; Bobi; skirt, Lauren
Conrad; shoes, Lovely People,
shopcovered.com
ON HIM: shirt, pants,
blazer, belt; Club Monaco,
clubmonaco.com

34
The flyer
Scarf, cardigan,
pants, sweater,
belt; Club Monaco,
clubmonaco.com

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 35

PATHWAYS : CULTURE
Traveling Tunes
FOR LOCAL SINGER-SONGWRITER JEREMY MESSERSMITH,
THE TUNES AND THE TRAVEL ARE ONE AND THE SAME
Commuting around Minneapolis may seem like a mundane part of our
daily lives, but local singer-songwriter Jeremy Messersmith found a
reason to sing about it. On his second CD, The Silver City, released
earlier this month, he sings about Minneapolis transportation in songs
like “Light Rail,” “The Commuter,” and “Franklin Avenue.” Before set-
ting out on his tour of the West Coast this fall, Messersmith, 29, chat-
ted with Avenue about his songs, the metaphor of transportation, and
why he loves the light rail.
Q With songs like “Light Rail” and “The Commuter” would you say
the overarching theme of The Silver City is transportation?
A Yeah, I would say that. I’ve been thinking a lot about the city as a living
organism and really transportation is the circulatory system of the city.
Q What to you is so inspiring about transportation?
A The thought that when you’re traveling that you’re going somewhere,
you’re doing something, accomplishing something with your life is the
feeling I get. It symbolizes freedom.
Q Do you write your music while commuting yourself ?
A Yeah, I do. I have written stuff while I’m riding on the light rail or
driving. Or I’m a big walker when I’m looking for a song idea. Your
body is engaged in something so it frees up your mind to think.
Q How do you get around the city?
A By every means possible. I drove the car to work today, but I biked all
over Uptown earlier. I use everything. I am a big fan of the light rail. I
just wish it went more places instead of just downtown and to the mall.
Q Why did you want to create a song about the light rail?
A I just decided there needed to be more songs about mass transit. I’d
be really happy if it made its way out into the world and was the best
song written about mass transit. I’m not going to write the best song
36
about war or love, so if I’m nichey enough maybe I have a shot. But it
would be great if it unconsciously influenced people positively towards
the idea to build more light rails in the city.
Q What do you like about the light rail?
A I’m a supporter of mass transit, but the problem with it is it’s only
THIS PAGE: SRIJON CHOWDHURY, PHOTO; OPPOSITE PAGE: COLIN CORRADO, ILLUSTRATION
effective if you have a lot of it like in New York or Chicago. If everyone
takes a train, it’s the easiest way to get around.
Q It is very “meta” to think that people could be listening to “Light
Rail” while riding the light rail. What do you think of that?
A It’s funny. I’ve had friends call me and I have to ask, “Are you listening
to my song or riding on the light rail right now?” It’s kind of goofy.
Q How did you get the realistic light rail sounds for the song?
A I took a mini-disc recorder and rode the light rail and got a bunch
of sounds and edited it together. The song begins with me getting the
ticket and ends when the trip’s over.
Q The Silver City is named after Minneapolis’ skyline and Franklin
Avenue is a local street. What are you trying to say about the city?
A I don’t know if there’s one thing I’m trying to say about Minneapo-
lis. I’m trying to set a stage for the characters in the song and maybe
someone’s genuine experience living here.
Q If people aren’t from Minneapolis or don’t even know what a light
rail is, what do you hope listeners will take away from these songs?
A I hope listeners take away from the songs not just the transportation
theme, but emotionally connect to the songs and the characters in them.
A lot of the transportation themes and the city background is just a really
nice setting—like it’s a movie or TV show or something.
È For more information, see jeremymessersmith.com. You can buy his
albums at his website, iTunes, or eMusic. –HILARY DICKINSON
 PATHWAYS : CULTURE

BUS ETIQUETTE
Survival tips for the occasional to daily bus rider
You know the type: The guy who ignores the ten open seats to still snuggle up right next to you. The woman
who ignores your ear buds to try to start a conversation. Or the teenager who sings out loud while those
around her are trying hard to read. Try as you might to ignore them, these annoying bus riders can ruin your
ride. But sometimes you don’t even notice you’re the one irritating others. Here are four simple suggestions
to improve our collective bus etiquette.

Give up your seat for the poor old lady desperately clinging to the pole for balance. You’ll feel better
because you did a good deed, and she’ll maybe start to think the youth of America aren't as terrible as the
six o’clock news says.
Wait for the last person to get off the bus before getting on. Plowing like a bowling ball over that person
taking their sweet time will actually make you look like the bigger jerk.
Don’t laugh at the person who just wiped out exiting the bus. Yes, it is hilarious, but chances are, that will
be you someday, and you don’t want a bunch of strangers laughing at your mishap, do you?
Have your money or bus pass ready when you get on. Other riders will not be pleased if they have to wait
for you to dig through every pocket you have. - KELSEY FJESTAD

avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 37

PATHWAYS : CULTURE

Party Bus
LEAVE YOUR KEYS AT HOME AND TAKE OUR
PUBLIC TRANSPORATION PUB CRAWL
1
Ready to paint the town red but don’t have a designated driver or the cash for a cab? Stop worrying.
Avenue has crafted a full night out that allows the whole entourage to imbibe safely. The solution:
hop onto the city bus. Besides being safer for you and your friends, the bus provides a great way to
take in all a city has to offer without burning through your wallet.
Although this pub crawl meanders through Minneapolis, it’s easy to plan a bus-propelled
adventure anywhere using the trip planning feature found on most major cities’ transportation
websites. –MEGAN KADRMAS

7:00 PM - START:
DINKYTOWN S.E
.
n Kitty Cat Klub, 315 14th
e.
Av

Avenue SE, Minneapolis

.
th

S.E
14

612.331.9800 Av
e. Un
i ve
th

The party starts a little earlier in this college rsi

15

enclave than in most parts of the city, so it’s ty

Av
an ideal location to get a head start on the e .S
Fo .E.
evening. The Kitty Cat Klub provides a ur
th
comfortable and upscale place to sit back and St
.S
sip a glass of wine from their refined list amid .E.
lush foliage and chic vintage furnishings. 1

8:00 PM
Walk to the bus stop on the University’s East
Bank campus at Eddy Hall and catch a 3. Get
off on the University’s West Bank campus at
Willey Hall. From here, walk south on Cedar
Avenue.

8:15 PM -
NEXT STOP: WEST BANK
o The Nomad World Pub, 501 on A
ve . S
.E.
Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis ngt
W ashi

KARINA HOLTZ, ILLUSTRATIONS; DENISE RATH, PHOTOS

612.338.6424
If it’s nice outside, make sure to sit on the
19th Ave. S.

Nomad ’s patio or play one of their free lawn

Cedar Ave. S.

games. As the name suggests, the Nomad 2

offers an invigorating mixture of cultures,
reflected in its culinary offerings and beer
menu. The eclectic nature of this charming 4th St. S.
pub is also reflected in its music selections, Ri
ve
20th Ave. S.

which range from hip hop and reggae to jazz rsi

de
and acoustic guitar. While you’re there, try a Av
e .
beer from their extensive list.
5th St. S.

9:30 PM
Return to the Willey Hall bus stop. Get on the
115 limited stop toward Uptown. Get off at
Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue.

38 2
 PATHWAYS : CULTURE

9:55 PM -
Lagoon Ave.
NEXT STOP: UPTOWN
p The Independent, 3001
Hennepin Avenue S, Minneapolis
Lake St. W. 612.378.1905
The area of Uptown centered around Hennepin

Holmes Ave.

Girard Ave. S.
Avenue and Lake Street offers a wide selection
3 of bars within walking distance. From the

Hennepin Ave.
trendy but spendy Chino Latino to the always-
packed Stella’s Fish Café, this locale has it
all. The Independent, tucked away above
Figlio’s, is a sexy retro-themed lounge with
a lofty urban patio overlooking the Hennepin
and Lake intersection. They serve amazing
appetizers—try the bruschetta—and if you’re
31st St. W.
still thirsty, the Independent has a long list of
specialty cocktails with spunky names that
are sure to please everyone in your group.

11:45 PM
At the northeast corner of Hennepin Avenue
and Lake Street, catch the 6U bus toward
Downtown Minneapolis. Get off at Hennepin
4t
h

Avenue and South Fourth Street.

St
.N
.

.
.N
ve

4
tA
5t

1s
h
St

12:15 AM - NEXT STOP:

.N
.

e .
Av

DOWNTOWN
n
pi

q The Imperial Room, 417

ne
en

1st Avenue N, Minneapolis

H

612.376.7676
The Imperial Room’s lounge offers the
right combination of plush leather couches,
6t

dark wood accents, mood lighting, and

h
St

thumping beats to amp the suave factor on

.N
.

the night. Sip one of their classic martinis or

get down to hip-hop served up by one of the
Twin Cities’ best DJs.

1:20 AM
Return to Hennepin Avenue and South Fourth
Street and get back on the 6U. Get off at the
corner of 13th and University Avenues.

Fo
4 ur
th
St
.S
1:33 AM - LAST STOP:
.E. DINKYTOWN
r The Library Bar, 1301 4th
Street SE, Minneapolis
612.604.1900
.
S.E

Although this is a college bar, it’s the perfect

place to end the evening even if you’re long past
e.
Av

that phase of your life. The other bar-hopping

th

Un patrons will unintentionally entertain you and if

13

i ve
rsi you’re itching for one more drink, the Library
.
S.E

ty offers one dollar rail drinks. Another option:

Av
e.

e .S Mesa Pizza on Fourth Street is open until after

Av

.E.
th

bar time during the weekends. Stop in, their

14

original combinations are sure to satisfy.

5 avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 39

FRESH AIR : HEALTH

HEALTHY MOTION
Transporting you to an active
and safe commute

DRIVING
Pros : Driving a car protects you from
extreme temperatures during the winter
and summer.
Cons: You aren’t getting exercise sitting
in your car and traffic congestion can be
stressful.
Tips: Park at the far end of the parking lot
or a block away from your destination. If
you’re stressed, listen to music. Calming,
relaxing, familiar music consists of a
structure and form that mimics a resting,

Driving Miss Crazy slow heart rate, says Dr. Linda Chlan,
a music therapy researcher from the
University of Minnesota.
HOW RUSH HOUR BECAME STRESS HOUR
TAKING THE BUS
Pros: Riding the bus can reduce stress by
When Rita Skamser lost her job earlier this year, she returned to work at her parents’ taking away the strains of driving, sitting
restaurant in Forest Lake, a distant suburb of the Twin Cities. Although she is grateful in traffic, and the hassle of parking.
for the family business to fall back on, she says the forty minute drive from St. Paul is Cons: If you don’t like sharing your ride
more stressful than she anticipated. with several dozen other people, a crowded
bus can be daunting.
“Waiting tables is a stressful job,” she says. “But it’s harder to keep a good outlook on Tips: Listen to your iPod or bring a book.
the day when I’m showing up to work stressed out.”
Skamser, 22, is not the only one feeling haggard by her drive time. According to re- WALKING
cent studies, those rush-hour commutes raise blood pressure and release stress hormones. Pros: According to the Mayo Clinic, walking
The distance of your drive, as well as gender, affects your stress level. For instance, women is not only good for your cardiovascular
feel that commuter stress carries over into other parts of their day more than men. Over system, but your memory as well. It also

THIS PAGE: KARINA HOLTZ, ILLUSTRATION; OPPOSITE PAGE: STOCK.XCHNG, PHOTO ILLUSTRATION
helps prevent Type 2 diabetes by keeping
time, this stress may cause increased frequency of illness and work absence, as well as a
blood sugar within normal range.
decline in job stability and overall life satisfaction. Cons: Walking at the wrong pace or with
Stress reduces a driver’s ability to multitask, says Michael Manser, director of the Hu- the wrong posture can cause injury.
manFIRST Program at the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies. Tips: If you’re breathing too hard to
The HumanFIRST Program uses psychology and human factors to improve scientific speak, you’re probably walking too fast.
Your stomach should be tight and your
understanding of driver performance and cognitive functions. shoulders should move freely. Wear
“In high stress situations, attention narrows and you focus on fewer of the elements supportive shoes and avoid high heels.
involved in driving,” he says. This may cause drivers to make more errors, like not check-
ing their blind spots before switching lanes or not signaling a turn. BIKING
Stress has other effects on the body, Manser says, such as quickening the heart rate, Pros: According to the New York Bicycling
tensing muscles, and producing sweat. Coalition, biking is good aerobic exercise
and can help improve sleeping habits by
Over time, these effects take their toll. Studies show stress can raise blood pressure,
reducing stress hormones.
induce chronic headaches and muscle tension, and even cause heart attacks and strokes. Cons: Bikers face dangers of falling or
Although you may not be able to completely cut out driving or the stresses associated getting hit by a car. In 2006, 44,000 cyclists
with it, here are some tips to help you have a more relaxed commute: were injured in traffic crashes, according
to the National Center for Statistics and
Cocoon your car: Analysis.
Play calming music like Minnesota Public Radio’s classical music station, (99.5 in the Tips: Make sure you’re wearing your
Twin Cities). helmet level on your head rather than tilted
forward or backward and that the inside
Be nice: pads are “comfortably snug all the way
Instead of challenging aggressive drivers, make the drive safer by letting them have their around,” says Randy Swart, director of the
Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute in Arlington,
way. Doing nice things releases stress-fighting endorphins. Virginia. Always wear fluorescent or bright
Avoid it all together: clothing and use reflectors and lights at
night. –KATELYN LATAWIEC
Studies have shown that full-time ride sharers or public transportation users are sig-
nificantly more satisfied with their commutes than solo drivers. Also, try adjusting your
workday to avoid the 9-to-5 crowd. If you can’t, join a gym near work to avoid the eve-
ning rush hour and work off some of the day’s tension. –MEGAN KADRMAS

40

Fast But Healthy Food
Are you on the go all day driving from one place to the next while your
stomach is growling as loud as your engine? Don’t starve yourself—snack.
Christine Twait, a nutritionist at the University of Minnesota
Boynton Health Service gave Avenue some ideas for healthy, delicious
snacks you can eat in your car.
Fruits and Veggies
It turns out that Mom had a point when she forced you to eat broccoli
at dinner. Nothing is a better snack than some sliced and diced fresh
fruits and vegetables. Not only are they easy to bag up, they also reduce
your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Fruit Smoothies
Besides being convenient for the car, smoothies made with yogurt and
whole fruit provide a good source of calcium, fiber, and protein. Whip
one up at home or stop at a juice bar.
Low-Fat Ice Cream and Frozen Yogurt
If you want ice cream, you can still have it. Reduced or low-fat ice cream
can even help you meet your calcium requirements. Even better, frozen
yogurt has fewer calories than ice cream and is just as delicious.
Dark Chocolate
For those who love chocolate, you don’t have to give it up. Just switch
to dark. Dark chocolate has less fat than milk chocolate and a heavier
FRESH AIR : HEALTH
cocoa content, which means more antioxidants that may help reduce
inflammation.
Dried Fruit
The real deal is always better, but dried fruits are a healthy alternative
to candy and potato chips. They contain antioxidants and are also high
in fiber, potassium, and iron and are easy to store.
Granola Bars
One hundred percent whole grain granola bars are just as portable and
low in cholesterol. If you’re concerned with calories, make sure that
they aren’t embellished with candy and coated in chocolate.
Popcorn
Believe it or not, plain popcorn is a healthy snack because it’s a whole
grain and has lots of fiber. It’s also low in calories and sodium.
Skim/Soy Latte
Skim and soy lattes contain caffeine for a metabolism and energy boost
and are generally lower in calories than drinks made with whole milk.
A twelve-ounce latte has the calcium of a glass of milk.
String Cheese
It might be difficult to pick off tiny strings while driving but feel free
to take a bite. Reduced-fat string cheese is a good source for calcium
and protein. –MANDEE HAYES
avenue-mag.umn.edu | fall 2008 41
 BACKSEAT
Whether you are waiting at an airport or riding on a city bus, Avenue’s
Backseat is the perfect companion for your journey.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Refer to the page numbers listed after the question to help find
the answer, and then fill in the boxes with the answer.

1 2

3 4

7 8

10

11 12

13

14

15

ACROSS 1. Jeremy Messersmith is a big fan of this type of transportation and even wrote a song about it
(page 36) 3. America’s largest passenger rail system (page 2) 5. Scientists are testing this element to be used
as a fuel source (page 2) 7. Have your money or this form of payment ready when you board a bus (page 37)
12. It’s illegal to have one of these in the middle of the road in Chico, California (page 4) 13. Doing nice things to
other drivers releases these (page 40) 14. A system that allows the car to start when the key is just close to the
car (page 9) 15. Walking helps your memory and can prevent a type of this disease (page 40)

DOWN 2. The Nomad World Pub offers this as free, outdoor entertainment (page 38) 4. The ultimate college
bar in Dinkytown (page 38) 6. Stillwater’s oldest coffee shop (page 6) 8. A great snack while driving that also
works as an activity (page 41) 9. Hybrid cars can run solely on electricity up to about miles per hour
(page 9) 10. Studies show this factor affects your stress level with commuting (page 40) 11. An electric car
that can be driven only thirty-five miles per hour or less (page 9)

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