Monthly Archives: February 2009

Green Notes Week of February 22, 2009

Green Notes

MEMORIAL FOR PEOPLE WHO DIED HOMELESS . . . A memorial to remember and celebrate the lives of 40 people who died homeless in 2008 will be held Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 9:00am, at Holy Family Church, 1715 Izard StREET, in Omaha. These Omaha residents were neighbors, family, and community members. The remembrance was organized by Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless.  For more information, phone Erin Porterfield, 402.561.7597.

GREEN RECOVERY CONFERENCE CALL . . . Van Jones, Founder of Green For All, and Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO of PolicyLink, will join a National “Bringing Home the Green Recovery” Conference Call, Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 2:00pm CST. Learn about key green initiatives in the Recovery Package, how they will be implemented locally, and how to advocate for community. To participate, rsvp here , and call-in information will be e-mailed to you.

SPRING 2009 WATER SEMINAR SERIES . . . Reed Maxwell, Colorado School of Mines, will present “Interdependence of Groundwater Dynamics and Land-Energy Feedbacks Under Climate Change,” on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 3:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L east campus Hardin Hall first floor auditorium, on the northeast corner of 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here, or phone 402.472.3305.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS VIGIL . . . The regular monthly CNPW Vigil for Peace is Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 5:00PM, at State Street and Webb Road in Grand Island. Join Greens and Peace Workers for a few minutes, or for the hour from 5:00 to 6:00pm.

LINCOLN GREEN DRINKS . . . Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 5:30pm to close, Lincoln Green Drinks will meet at Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill,  210 North 7th Street in the upstairs boardroom. Everyone interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks now meet in 437 cities worldwide. For questions or further information, contact Jean Waters at 402.554.6259 or email jwaters [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha.  This week’s film is Soldiers of Conscience.  The event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival: Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

“MY LIFE AS A WARDEN, AND WHY I BECAME AN ABOLITIONIST” . . . Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 8:00pm, former Florida State Prison Warden Ron McAndrew will speak about his journey from executioner to abolitionist at First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street in Omaha. Learn about the trauma experienced by those who are asked to carry out the death penalty from McAndrew, a murder victim family member, in Lincoln on Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7:00pm at Saint Teresa’s Parish Kaczmarek Hall, 735 South 36th Street. Supporters of abolition vigil every Monday from noon to 1:00pm, inside the State Capitol Building by the information desk on ground floor. For more information, contact Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty,  402.477.7787.

2009 NEBRASKA SUMMIT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP . . . There is no registration fee for the 2009 Summit on Entrepreneurship, Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:30am to 3:00pm at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. Registration deadline is Monday, February 23, 2009.  Pre-registration is required, because seating is limited. For more information, and to register online click here.

RESTORE OMAHA CONFERENCE . . . Restore Omaha, a conference to promote historic restoration and provide education to Omaha professionals and the public will begin Friday, February 27, 2009, 7:00 to 10:00pm, at Prouty Place Dos, 4825 South 25th Street. Saturday, February 28, 8:00am to 4:00pm, Conference Workshop Sessions are at the Metropolitan Community College South Omaha Campus, 27th & Q Streets. There is a fee. Register and pay online here.

ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE . . . Learn how to cut energy costs at an Energy Independence Workshop, Saturday, February 28th, 2009, 9:00 to 11:00am, at the American Red Cross, 520 West 48th Street, Kearney, Nebraska. Presentations will include tips on efficient heating/cooling, lighting, energy saving devices, wind & solar energy, among others. Free Admission. To register by phone, call Tom Knoblock at 308.367.4542, or click here to register online.

EMPTY BOWLS EVENT . . . Saturday, February 28, 2009, 12:20 to 2:30pm, there will be an Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the Lincoln Food Bank’s Backpack Program at Roy G. Story Student Center Dining Hall, Nebraska Wesleyan University. Click here for a map. Tickets for the lunch, including a variety of soups, bread and a drink, plus a handmade bowl, may be purchased by calling 402.465.2387. Tickets can also be purchased at Heartland Pantry, 48th Street and Leighton Avenue in Lincoln.  For more information, click here or e-mail dfw [at] nebrwesleyan [dot] edu.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series will focus on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond,” 7:00 to 9:00pm each Sunday through March 8, 2009. Sunday, March 1, Ricardo Zuniga, deputy director of the Cuban Affairs Office at the US State Department, will discuss US-Cuban relations in past and present administrations. The church is located at 6300 A Street. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, phone Dick or Karen Dienstbier, 402.489.7545 or e-mail rdien [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Green Notes Week of February 15, 2009

Green Notes

EARTH DAY IN LINCOLN . . . 2009 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Coalition for the Environment and Earth Day (CEED) will host “A Time for Action,” Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration, on Sunday, April 19, 2009.  The next planning meeting is Tuesday, February 17, 5:30pm, at the Community Foundation Building, South 15 & N Streets, 5th floor conference room.  Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here, and get involved.  For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.438.9341.

LEARN ABOUT WILDERNESS PARK TRAILS . . . Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 7:00 to 9:00pm, Friends of Wilderness Park will present a discussion of the complex system of hiker, biker and horse trails throughout the park’s 1,475 acres. The panel will include Jim Craig and Beth Thacker, members of The Great Plains Trails Network, and Rosina Paolini, the Mayor’s Environmental Task Force for Transportation member. The free, public discussion will be at the Lefler Middle School library, 1100 South 48th Street, Lincoln.

SPRING 2009 WATER SEMINAR SERIES . . . Michael Hochella, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, will present “Environmental Nanogeoscience” at the Kremer Memorial Lecture, Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 3:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L east campus Hardin Hall first floor auditorium, on the northeast corner of 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here, or phone 402.472.3305.

CELEBRATING DARWIN’S LEGACY . . . George F. Engelmann, professor of geography and geology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, will present “The Fossil Record and the Fact of Evolution,” at the Paul A. Olson Seminar in Great Plains Studies, Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 3:30pm at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place, Lincoln. Sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies, the lecture is free and open to the public.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. This week’s film is The Battle for Whiteclay.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

“BIRTHING A NEW POLITICS” . . . The next Lincoln Bioneers Community  meeting is Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00 to 8:30pm at the Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street. There will be a free showing of a 30-minute Van Jones dvd, “Toward a Green Growth Alliance: Birthing a New Politics,” followed by a community conversation.

Hitchcock Nature Center Day Hike . . . Saturday, Feburary 21, 2009, 9:00am to 11:00am, hike a 1,003 acre preserve located in the heart of Loess Hills. Stay for an optional extra hike and lunch. The Hitchcock Nature Center, acquired by Pottawattamie County in 1991, harbors some of the largest remaining prairie remnants in Iowa and provides refuge for plants and animals found nowhere else in the state. For details, directions, what to bring, and to rsvp, contact Ronda Nelson, pinoakrd [at] msn [dot] com. Day phone: 402-829-1545. Home phone: 712-566-2919. Include your first and last name, phone number, and email so you can be notified in case of cancellation.

LINCOLN ELECTRIC SYSTEM SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAM . . . LES customers may offset the cost of making homes and businesses more energy efficient by applying for incentive payments to replace existing heating and cooling systems with more efficient pumps. Under the program, insulation, caulking materials, and pre-season cooling maintenance also may be subsidized. Click here for details of the program, application forms, terms and conditions.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS MONTHLY MEETING . . . This month’s regular CNPW meeting is Sunday, February 22, 2009, 3:00pm, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 511 North Elm Street, Grand Island, Nebraska. Greens and all peace workers welcome. For more information, contact Mena Sprague, mine71 [at] hughes [dot] net.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series will focus on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond,” 7:00 to 9:00pm each Sunday through March 8, 2009. Sunday, February 22, a Canadian State Department representative will contrast Canada’s normal relationships with Cuban and US policies. The church is located at 6300 A Street. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, phone Dick or Karen Dienstbier, 402.489.7545 or e-mail rdien [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

2009 NEBRASKA SUMMIT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP . . . There is no registration fee for the 2009 Summit on Entrepreneurship, Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:30am to 3:00pm at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. Pre-registration is required, and seating is limited. For more information, and to register online, click here.  The registration deadline is Monday, February 23, 2009.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente

Green Notes Week of February 8, 2009

Green Notes

The legislature’s Natural Resources Committee Hearing on Net Metering will be Wednesday, February 11, 2009, 1:30pm, in Room 1525, at the State Capitol Building, Lincoln. view LB 436 in pdf here.

EARTH DAY 2009 . . . Coalition for the Environment and Earth Day (CEED) will host “A Time for Action,” Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration, on Sunday, April 19, 2009. The next planning meeting is Tuesday, February 10, 5:30pm, at the Community Foundation Building, South 15 & N Streets, in the 5th floor conference room. Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here. Get involved. For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.438.9341.

F.W. DE KLERK AT THE LIED . . . Nobel Peace Prize winner F.W. De Klerk, former president of South Africa, will give the EN Thompson Forum Lecture on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Lied Center on UN-L campus, 301 North 12th Street. De Klerk released Nelson Mandela from prison and presided over the dismantling of apartheid. His speech will focus on “Bridging the Gap: Globalization Without Isolation.” Free tickets are available at The Lied box office.

RAIN GARDEN WORKSHOP . . . A half-day technical training session on rain garden design will address rain garden basics from 8:30am to 12:30pm, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at the Lancaster County Extention Office, 444 Cherry Creek Road, in Lincoln. Information will be presented on how to design, install, and plant residential rain gardens. Organized by the City of Lincoln Watershed Management and UN-L Cooperative Extention, there is a registration fee. For more information, phone Steven Rodie, 402-554-3752. For website information and a registration form in pdf, click here.  Registration closes on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe,  38th and Harney in Omaha.  The event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. This week’s film is Born Rich.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

WACHISKA AUDUBON MONTHLY MEETING . . . Gordon Warrick, Habitat Program Manager at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center , will present “New Mexico’s Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge” on Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Wachiska Audubon  general meeting. Click here for program details, and directions to the Union College Dick Administration Building, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. The meeting is in the lower level Room 03.

NEBRASKA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SOCIETY (NSAS) CONFERENCE . . . Learn about sustainable agriculture from the fields to your fork at The Rural Advantage/Healthy Farms Conference, Midtown Holiday Inn, 2503 South Locust, in Grand Island. Keynote speaker Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D. Nutrition and Health Communication Consultant, will present “Feast or Famine: A Fork in the Road and the Crucial Farmer-Consumer Connection.” Sessions include workshops on beekeeping, organics, and food entrepreneurship. Click here  for Conference Brochure, including registration fees, in pdf. The Conference begins Friday, February 13, 2009, with 8:00am registration. An “All Nebraska Dinner” is at 6:30pm. Continuing Saturday, February 14, there is 8:00am registration with workshops until 4:00pm. Phone Gary Lesoing, 402-274-4755, for more information.

LINCOLN ELECTRIC SYSTEM SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAM . . . LES customers may offset the cost of making homes and businesses more energy efficient by applying for incentive payments to replace existing heating and cooling systems with more efficient pumps. Under the program, insulation, caulking materials, and pre-season cooling maintenance also may be subsidized. Click here for details of the program, application forms, terms and conditions.

LANCASTER COUNTY TOWN HALL MEETING . . . Friday, February 13, 2009, from noon to 1:00pm, join Mayor Chris Beutler and Senators Bill Avery, Kathy Campbell, Colby Coash, Tony Fulton, Ken Haar, Amanda McGill, Danielle Nantkes, and Norm Wallman for a Town Hall Meeting in room 1023 at the state capitol building. For more information, phone 402.471.2633, or e-mail nkanne [at] leg [dot] ne [dot] gov.

WEBCAST: SMALL TURBINES 101 . . . For an overview of small wind turbines, “Basics of Farm/Residential Small Wind Turbines” will air Friday, February 13, 2009, 11:30am to 12:30pm, at connect/extension.iastate/edu/nebraska. When logging on the webscast, click “click to enter,” under “Enter as Guest.” Enter your name to gain access to the meeting space. Further instructions will be on screen when you join the meeting. Topics will include applications, estimating wind turbine production, policies and economics, installation, components and technology. For more information contact John Hay, jhay2 [at] unl [dot] edu or phone 402.472.0408.

DARWIN RECOGNIZED . . . The scientific methods developed by Charles Darwin will be examined as part of UN-L activities marking his 200th birthday. On Friday, February 13, 2009, 7:30pm, George Levine, professor emeritus of English at Rutgers University, will lecture on “Darwin’s Prophetic Apprenticeship” in the Nebraska Union Auditorium, 1400 R Street, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information on events recognizing Darwin’s birth, click here to visit the Center for Great Plains Studies website.

GREAT PLAINS TRAILS NETWORK ANNUAL MEETING . . . The GPTN is a nonprofit group that advocates and supports trails networks in Lancaster County and Nebraska. The public is invited to their 2009 annual meeting on Sunday, February 15, 2009, 1:00pm, at the BryanLGH College of Health Sciences, Room 204, 5035 Everett Street, Lincoln.  Featured speakers Lynn Johnson, director of Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Susan Larson Rodenburg, former GPTN board member, and Terry Genrich, natural resources & greenways manager for Parks and Recreation, will provide details about Antelope Valley Trails, Union Plaza, the proposed Active Living Center, and the existing Lincoln trails system. Refreshments will follow presentations, awards and elections.

WINTER BIRDING FIELD TRIP . . . On Sunday, February 15, 2009, John Carlini and Shari Schwartz will lead a birding trip to Oak Lake, Branched Oak Lake, and Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area beginning at 3:30pm. To carpool, meet in the east parking lot of Oak Lake located at Sun Valley Blvd. and Charleston Street. Although much of the trip will be done by car, wear warm clothing. For more information phone 402.475.7275.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series will focus on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond,” 7:00 to 9:00pm each Sunday through March 8, 2009. Sunday, February 15, Bryon Barksdale, a North Platte physician who leads the Cuba AIDS Project, will discuss Cuban health care, medical training and AIDS policies. The church is located at 6300 A Street. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, phone Dick or Karen Dienstbier, 402.489.7545 or e-mail rdien [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative.

Green Notes Week of February 1, 2009

Green Notes

THE BATTLE FOR WHITECLAY . . . “An inside look at an important contemporary conflict pitting American Indian rights against state and local governments in the United States,” The Battle for Whiteclay will show at The Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, North 13th Street, Lincoln, through February 5, 2009. “See this film. And if you can’t see it in Lincoln, or somewhere near you, buy it.” –Ed Howard, Nebraska StatePaper News.

SOLDIERS OF CONSCIENCE . . . The documentary “Soldiers of Conscience” will be shown by UN-O Nebraskans for Peace, The People’s Film Festival, the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance, and the UN-O Student Government Association at UN-O Milo Bail Student Center in the Fireside Lounge on Monday February 2, Tuesday, February 3, and Wednesday, February 4, 2009, 10:00am to 2:30pm. “To kill or NOT to kill?” Click here to see the trailer.

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . During winter months, every Monday from noon to 1:00pm, supporters of abolition in Nebraska vigil inside the State Capitol Building by the information desk on the ground floor, Lincoln. Join them for a few minutes, or the hour. For more information, contact Fran Kaye, fkaye1949 [at] yahoo [dot] com, or Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty,  402.477.7787.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: ON RACIAL JUSTICE . . . The NAACP Lincoln Branch, Nebraska Appleseed, African American Studies UNL, and Lincoln Public Schools will host a free Community Conversation Monday, February 2, 2009, 7:00pm at the Malone Center, 2032 U Street, Lincoln.  The topic will be “The Obama Presidency: Is it the end of Black History Month?” For further information contact Rebecca Gonzales, rgonzales [at] neappleseed [dot] org.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

OMAHA PEOPLE’S FILM FESTIVAL . . . There is a People’s Film Festival every Wednesday evening, 7:00pm, at McFoster’s Natural Kind Cafe, 38th and Harney in Omaha. This event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink are available. A lively discussion follows each showing.  This week the film is “The Time is Now.”  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

KZUM BOOK AND RECORD SALE . . . Nebraska’s only independent community radio station, KZUM, 89.3fm, will hold a book and record sale on Friday, February 6, 2009, 9:00am to 5:00pm, in the lobby of the Terminal Building, 10th & O Streets in downtown Lincoln.  Paperbacks are priced at fifty cents each.  Hardbound books are one dollar; VHS tapes are fifty cents; vinyl albums are one dollar and up.

SUSTAINABILITY CONFERENCE IN LINCOLN . . . Friday, February 6, 2009, 1:00 TO 6:00pm, there will be a “Building Sustainable Partnerships Workshop” at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Hardin Hall, 33rd & Holdrege Streets. The gathering is to foster awareness and networking among those interested in sustainability issues. Speakers include representatives from UN-L and the community. For free registration, click here. For more information, phone organizer Donna Woudenberg at 402.472.8287.

HELP PLAN A POWERFUL EVENT FOR LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Chapter of Nebraskans for Peace will hold a first planning meeting for an event around the ominous 6th anniversary of the start of occupation in Iraq.  The meeting will be Saturday, February 7, 2009, 3:00pm, at the Anti-Oppression Art Gallery, 1416 O Street, above Duffy’s.  For further information, e-mail Jill Francke, jill [dot] francke [at] gmail [dot] com.

WACHISKAFEST . . .  Wachiska Audubon Society will hold the 5th annual Wachiskafest on Sunday, February 8. 2009, 3:00 to 5:00pm at Prairie Building Auditorium in Pioneers Park Nature Center. This year’s event features photographer and writer Michael Forsberg, poet Roy Scheele, and author John Price. For more information e-mail wachiskaoffice [at] cornhusker [dot] net, or phone 402.486-4846.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series will focus on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond,” 7:00 to 9:00pm each Sunday beginning February 8 through March 8, 2009. Sunday, February 8, Joe Starita, journalism professor at UN-L, will discuss Cuban culture based on a project that led to the book “Cuba: An Elusive Truth,” and the movie “Cuba: Illogical Temple.” The church is located at 6300 A Street. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, phone Dick or Karen Dienstbier, 402.489.7545 or e-mail rdien [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente