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