TRANSCANADA KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . On Wednesday, July 21, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, the National Wildlife Federation, Nebraska Wildlife Federation, Nebraska Sierra Club, Nebraska Farmers Union, Nebraska Audubon Society and Bold Nebraska will sponsor an educational summit on the Keystone XL pipeline threatening Our groundwater-rich Sand Hills, including the Ogallala Aquifer. The free event, open to the public, will be held at NET Studios, 1800 North 33rd Street, Lincoln. A discussion with speakers including Paul Blackburn, Plains Justice; Marty Cobenais, Indigenous Environmental Network; Duane Hovorka, Nebraska Wildlife Federation; Ernie Fellows, Nebraska Landowners for Fairness; and Jane Kleeb, Bold Nebraska, will be followed by questions and answers. Questions submitted to actions@boldnebraska.org will be answered live at the event. Space is limited. Please send rsvp to actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org. A live webcast will be online at www.boldnebraska.org. twitter: @boldnebraska www.facebook.com/boldnebraska
In Omaha, weekly meetings of an as-yet-unnamed citizens group dedicated to STOPPING the Keystone XL Pipeline are on the back patio of Caffeine Dreams Coffee Shop, 4524 Farnam Street, one block west of Saddle Creek, 6:30pm on Fridays. EveryOne is welcome to get involved in this campaign.
Click here for background from our Green Notes index. Schroll down for updates published before the State Department comment period ended July 2, 2010.
Green Notes will continue to update this issue as new information becomes available. Reminder: Every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. Read “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil” here.
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1
WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN: SAVE LINCOLN’S FORESTRY DEPARTMENT . . . The mayor’s proposed budget for 2010-2011 cuts the Community Forestry Program would eliminating the positions of City Forester and two certified arborists. Lincoln is the home of the National Arbor Day Foundation. It is the only city in the U.S. that concurrently holds all five Tree City USA designations. In the next one to three years, 108,000 ash trees will face an infestation by the Emerald Ash Borer, likely resulting in severe damage or total loss of these trees. Now the mayor wants volunteers to replace professionals in caring for all of Our 1.5 million trees. E-mail to all City Council people asking that they restore these positions to the Community Forestry Program in the 2010-2011 City Budget may be sent to council@lincoln.ne.gov. Find Individual Councilmember’s direct e-ddresses here. The Council office phone number is 441-7515. Contact Mayor Chris Beutler’s office here, or phone 441-7511. Send a letter to the editor of Lincoln Journal-Star at oped@journalstar.com. A July 15 letter, “Keep forestry work,”is here, a July 17 letter, “Not OK substitute,” is here,
and a July 18 letter, “Don’t cut positions” is here. The Sunday July 18 LJS editorial opinion “Our trees need expert hands” is here. For more information, click here, www.SaveLincolnsTrees.com or go to www.facebook.com keyword: Save Lincoln’s Trees. If you value Our trees, parks and trails, please take action by asking City leaders NOT to eliminate the City Forester and Arborist positions.
VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . Every Monday, from noon to 1:00pm, Nebraskans for abolition of the death penalty meet in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. The lunch-hour presence reminds the governor of a constituency that does not want state killings. Weekly vigils have taken place year-round since July, 1991. All abolitionists are welcome to participate for a few minutes, or the hour. For information about Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, click here.
HEALTHY SOILS . . . Learn about the role soil’s health and structure plays in the garden landscape with Horticulturist Twyla Hansen at a Community CROPS class on Tuesday, July 20, 2010, 6:30 to 7:30pm, at Antelope Church, 3645 Sumner, Lincoln. Register and Pre-pay online here.
LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Lincoln peace vigils continue at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets, 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.
NANO SCIENCE CAFE . . . The Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln will present a Nano Science Café at Red9 on Thursday, July 22, 2010, at 6:30pm. Professor Christian Binek, associate professor in physics and astronomy, and Steve Michalski, physics postdoctoral research associate, will talk about discoveries in the nanosciences, where material is manipulated at an atomic level.
NEBRASKA ENERGY FAIR IN LYONS . . . The Center for Rural Affairs and Nebraska Renewable Energy Systems will host an Energy Fair in Lyons, Nebraska, Friday and Saturday, July 23 and 24, 2010, featuring a renewable energy bus tour, demonstrations, breakout sessions, exhibit booths and more. The Energy bus tour, beginning 8:00am, July 23rd, at Nebraska Green Fuels, 300 Main Street, will visit five wind turbines, a solar installatio, a renewable energy farm, a commercial methane digester, and an on-farm alcohol plant. Check-in begins at 8:00am July 24th at the Lyons Auditorium, 335 Main Street, for the Energy Fair. Finish the evening at the Fallout Bar Street Dance, featuring the band Off the Grid. For more information, contact Stephanie at the Center for Rural Affairs, 402.358.3432 or StephanieF [at] cfra [dot] org.
GROW AND SHARE . . . Local gardeners can take excess fruits and vegetables to Campbell’s Nurseries, 2342 South 40th and 7000 South 56th Street, Lincoln, every Monday and Tuesday during summer. Food will be collected for the Food Bank of Lincoln, and distributed to 65 Southeast Nebraska agencies serving low-income people and families. Gardeners can also drop off produce at the Food Bank, 4840 Doris Bair Circle–about three blocks north of 48th and Superior, Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 4:30pm. Click here for tips on how to process produce for sharing. For more information, contact Cory Priefert at Campbell’s, 402.423.4556, ext. 233; or Cheri Lawrence at the Food Bank, 402.466.8170, ext. 106.
LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are available at Lincoln Farmers Markets
five of the seven week days. Saturdays through October 9th, the Haymarket Farmers Market is open from 8:00am to noon. The Old Cheney Road Garden Market at 55th Street and Old Cheney Road (behind the Lincoln Racquet Club) is open from 10:00am to 2:00pm every Sunday through November 7th. Other Lincoln Markets include
— Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, Wednesdays 3:00 to 6:30pm, May 5 to October 27th.
— Piedmont Farmers Market, 1265 South Cotner Blvd. Saturdays 8:00am to noon, May 15 to September 18. Vendor spots available. Call Randy Nelsen at 467-2777.
— Centennial Mall Garden Market, 14th and M streets, east side of the Nebraska State Office building. Wednesdays noon to 4:00pm, July 7 to August 25th.
— Community Crops Farmers Market, Pentzer Park, 27th and Potter (2 blocks north of 27th and Holdrege), Thursdays, 4:30-7:30pm, June 3 through September 30, 2010.
— Backyard Farmer’s Market and Exchange, Tuesdays, 4:30 to 7:30pm, in the St. Paul United Church of Christ parking lot at 1302 “F” Street, June 1st through September 28, 2010.
Omaha area: Congressional District 2
PASS THE POTATOES, PLEASE . . . Environment Omaha, a partnership of the City, the community, and Omaha by Design, is joining with Community ReDesigned to launch www.passthepotatoes.com, a virtual town hall event that invites anyone interested in Omaha to submit practical, creative and resourceful ideas for improving sustainability of the city. If you have an idea for a project, large or small, that could help make Omaha a greener community, submit it to www.passthepotatoes.com. A panel of local experts will review the top ideas for potential implementation. www.passthepotatoes.com is seeking project ideas in five areas: preserving and enhancing Omaha’s natural environment; improving how people move around Omaha and what shape its future growth should take; improving the way Omaha builds, renovates and maintains its buildings; conserving natural resources; and improving Omaha’s overall health. For more information about www.passthepotatoes.com, phone Omaha by Design at 402.554.4010, or Community ReDesigned at 402.553.5485.
OMAHA PEACE VIGILS . . . Omaha peacemakers vigil every Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, at StratCom/UN-O, 6801 Pine Street, east of the Scott Technology Center on the UN-O campus. Free parking is available at the NE Corner of 67th Street and Pine in a student lot. For more information, phone Jerry Ebner, 402.502.5887. Every Saturday, 1:00-2:00pm, there is an Anti-War and Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068.
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. This week’s film is “Strong Roots, Fragile Farms.” Watch the trailer, featuring Willie Nelson, here. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.
OMAHA FARMERS MARKETS . . .Global research confirms food choices contribute the highest percentage to our carbon footprint; even more than transportation. The advantages of shopping locally go far beyond environmental impact. Farmers markets are the best way to choose local. Click here for a list of Omaha area Farmers Markets including Benson, Bellevue, Papillion, Auburn, Beemer, Bennington, Falls City, Plattsmouth, and Wayne, Nebraska; Glenwood, Council Bluffs, and Griswold, Iowa.
Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3
BUY FRESH. BUY LOCAL . . . . Farmers, gardeners, and craftspeople meet through The Nebraska Food Cooperative, an on-line, year-round farmers’ market and local food distribution service offering the best in local freshness. For ordering and pickup schedules, refer to the calendar here. Click here for products and prices from North Star Neighbors, a Cooperative member that doesn’t therapeutically medicate or unduly confine animals. Click here for Tomato Tomäto, Omaha’s year-round indoor Farmer’s Market at 156th & West Center. Shop for fresh foods grown in or very near your own community at Open Harvest, Lincoln’s member-owned natural foods retail cooperative in expanded space at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.
HELP NEBRASKA GREENS WITH GOODSEARCH . . . Each time you search the Internet (or shop online at a participating store), a donation can be made to Nebraska Green Party at no cost to you! To help NGP in this way, enter Nebraska Green Party where it says WHO DO YOU GOODSEARCH FOR? here. Bookmark the GoodSearch Homepage, or make it your own Home Page. Enter the url you want in the GoodSearch search box. Each time you do, one penny will be donated to Nebraska Greens. THANK YOU for your support!
We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative. –Rosa Clemente