KEEP SPACE FOR PEACE WEEK . . . October 2 through October 9, 2010, is Keep Space for Peace Week: International Week of Protest to Stop the Militarization of Space. Learn about the Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space at the website here, blog here, or e-mail the organization at globalnet [at] mindspring [dot] com Stop the Drones. Convert the Military Industrial Complex. Bring War Money Home. To learn about Alternatives to The Military – Lincoln, visit the new page on this website here.
KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . This past week, the Keystone XL Pipeline became a political issue in the November governor’s race. “Dave Heineman, Mike Meister spar over Keystone XL pipeline,” was published in the Lincoln Journal Star, as was another letter to the editor, on September 30, 2010. “TransCanada, Keystone XL pipeline critics reach out to Nebraskans” covered a Wednesday news conference with Nebraska Sierra and Common Cause spokespeople opposing the project. TransCanada has send letters to landowners threatening condemnation proceedings if they don’t sign easements, before the route has even been federally approved. “Texas Pipeline Landowners Say ‘No Thanks’ to Canadian Pipeline,” was published by Plains Justice on September 29, 2010. A September 28th LJS editorial opinion called for TransCanada to Reroute Keystone XL pipeline around Sand Hills.”
Nebraska rancher Teri J. Taylor’s Local View, “With pipeline plan comes an end ot complacency,” was published September 22nd. Click here and scroll down the Green Notes Index to follow the TransCanada tar sands pipeline issue since May 30, 2010, if you are new to this website.
The Natural Resources Defense Council calls tar sands “the dirtiest, most destructive oil on the face of the Earth.” The Keystone XL pipeline would threaten Nebraska’s underground source of fresh water, the 175,000-square-mile High Plains Aquifer, that provides water to 1.9 million people and irrigation for thousands of square miles of farmland throughout eight states. Nebraska’s geologically unique Sand Hills, where many bird species rest during migration, would also be threatened. America’s First Oil Sands Project in Utah to Face Legal Challenges was published September 24th at SolveClimate.
A Proposed Dirty Oil Pipeline Would Put Americans at Risk for Cancer and Asthma–Why Are Senators Pushing For Its Hasty Approval? was published by AlterNet on September 23, 2010. ” …We know the Keystone XL pipeline would put American health at risk. In addition to threatening drinking water, processing tar sands oil releases pollutants directly linked to asthma, emphysema and birth defects. Refining tar sands crude from the pipeline would create far more air pollution in American communities that are already burdened with cancer and poor air quality as a result of the oil industry. We also know the pipeline would cross the most important source of agricultural water in the United States, the Ogallala aquifer. And we know pipeline disasters happen.” See CD 2 Green Notes below for the new week’s Omaha event demonstrating against the XL project.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL sand tars pipeline. Nebraska’s Congressional delegation and the governor need to receive letters, e-mails and phone calls from constituents demanding regulation on the existing pipeline, expressing concern about more TransCanada construction in our state. Contact information for Nebraska Congressional Representatives is as follows: Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, CD-1, 1517 Longworth House Office Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20515, 202.225.4806, 402.438.1598 (Lincoln); Rep. Lee Terry, CD-2, 1524 Longworth HOB, Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.4155, 402.397.9944 (Omaha); Rep. Adrian Smith, CD-3, 503 Cannon House Office Bldg., Washington, DC 20515, 202.225.6435, 888.ADRIAN7 (Toll Free); and Governor Dave Heineman, PO Box 94848, State Capitol Bldg., Lincoln, NE 68509, 402.471.2244. Senator Mike Johanns is at 202.224.4224, 402.476.1400 in Lincoln; and Senator Ben Nelson is at 202.224.6551, 402.441.4600 in Lincoln. Please tell them all that oil pipeline regulations need to be in place, not only to govern the existing pipeline, but also any future pipeline proposed by TransCanada or other environmental exploiters.
Click here to tell Secretary Clinton NOT to grant a permit to TransCanda, tell Gov. Heineman to put forth laws that protect our resources and economic activity and tell President Obama to live up to his promise of clean energy and energy independence. Click here http://www.boldnebraska.org/pipeline-background-resources for a Bold Nebraska XL Pipeline Action page with resources and background information. E-mail actions [at] boldnebraska [dot] org to get yard signs, bumper stickers and t-shirts, or stop by Bold Nebraska at 1141 H Street, 3rd Floor, Lincoln, 10:00am to 6:00pm, Monday through Friday.
Remember, every man-made by-product of the petroleum industry could be replaced by hemp. “Help Save the Earth, Time to Subsitute Hemp for Oil.”
Lincoln area: Congressional District 1
EARLY VOTING IN LINCOLN . . . Early voting for the November 2, 2010 election is now available to any registered voter. Walk in to vote at the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s office, 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln. Click here [pdf] for a sample ballot.
LES OPEN HOUSE FOR COMMENTS . . . Lincoln Electric System customers will have one last chance to comment on the route for a proposed transmission line through some of the city’s core neighborhoods. The open house will be 11:00am to 1:00pm, and 4:30 to 7:00pm, Monday, October 4, 2010, at Auld Pavilion in Antelope Park near A Street and Capitol Parkway. The proposed routes can be viewed online by clicking on Central Lincoln Reliability Project here. For more information, phone 402.817.4040.
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.
NATURE EDUCATION WORKSHOP . . . Tuesday, October 5, 2010, 6:00 to 8:00pm, Pioneers Park Nature Center will host a workshop to teach educators and parents how to use Growing Up WILD, an early education program that builds on a child’s sense of wonder about nature and encourages exploration of wildlife and the world, providing 3 to 7 year olds opportunities to develop positive impressions about nature. Phone 402.441.7895 to make reservations.
LUNCH AT THE LIBRARY . . . Nebraska writer Lisa Knopp will open this year’s Nebraska Literary Heritage Association Lunch at the Library series on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, noon, at Bennett Martin Library, 14th & N Streets, Lincoln, in the fourth floor auditorium. Knopp is known for her creative nonfiction nature essays. She will be talking about her current writing project, Three Rivers: Journeys and Junctures. For more information, phone 402.441.8516.
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.
NADP ANNUAL DINNER . . . Friday, October 8, 2010, Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty will host the 2010 Annual Dinner, Silent Auction and Awards at Roy G Story Student Center, Nebraska Wesleyan University, 5000 Staint Paul Avenue, Lincoln. Social hour and Silent Auction will begin at 6:30, followed by Dinner and Program, featuring keynote address by Shari Silberstein from Equal Justice USA, at 7:30pm. Click here for more information.
2010 VEGFEST . . . VegFest in Havelock Park, Lincoln Saturday, October 9, 2010, 2:00 to 6:00pm. This is a family event celebrating community & veggies. Music, kids activities, crafts, market vendors, food & fun. Stop by & enjoy the afternoon!
WILDERNESS WALKABOUT . . . Friends of Wilderness Park are hosting weekly hikes through different parts of the Park, every Saturday at 3:00pm. The casual strolls will highlight the diversity of life in the Park. Meet at the Pioneers Blvd. Entrance on October 9, 2010. All ages are welcome.
10/10/10/ GLOBAL WORK PARTY . . . Details about Lincoln’s Global Work Party, Sunday, September 10, 2010, can be found here. Organized internationally by 350.org, a global movement to reduce carbon emissions by encouraging behavior change, “Bike Power for Commnity,” the Lincoln event, begins at 10:10am in Lincoln’s Peter Pan Park, 32nd and X Streets. The Bike Repair Party, organized by Lincoln Bioneers, will feature live music, and teach how to fix a bicycle. From 12:30 to 1:30pm there will be a Massive Bike Ride from Lincoln High School, 2229 J Street, ending at Union Plaza, 21st and O Streets. There will be a Prairie Grass Seeding at Union Plaza from 1:30 to 2:00pm.
Distribution of at least 350 compact fluorescent light bulbs, the “Lincoln Energy Challenge,” will be from 2:00 to 5:00pm, and a Global Work Party Celebration event at Antelope Park will be from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Register for any of the events, or learn more and contact organizers, by clicking on the respective links.
WACHISKA WETLANDS TOUR . . . Sunday, October 10, 2010, Wachiska Audubon will host a tour of the Frank Shoemaker Marsh restoration project at 10:00am. The 160 acre marsh contains rare saline wetlands, woodland and grassland. Home to endangered wildlife, and more than 60 species of birds, the marsh is located 1.3 miles north of Arbor Road and 27th Street. For more informaiton, phone John Carlini at 402.475.7275.
BENEFIT FOR WILDERNESS PARK BRIDGE . . . Friends of Wilderness Park will host a benefit concert with The Blues Messengers to replace a collapsed pedestrian bridge at the Park on Sunday, October 10, 2010, 3:00 to 5:00pm, at the day camp area near First and Calvert Streets, Lincoln. Admission will be by donation to the Lincoln Parks Foundation, specifically earmarked for the collapsed bridge. The city estimates the cost to replace the bridge at about $350,000.
LINCOLN FARMERS MARKETS . . . Locally grown produce and baked goods are still available at Lincoln Farmers Markets. 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. The Havelock Farmers Market, behind the businesses at 62nd and 63rd Streets and Havelock Avenue, will run through Wednesday, October 27, 2010, 3:00 to 6:30pm.
Omaha area: Congressional District 2
OMAHA PUBLIC FORUMS . . . The Omaha Citizens Coalition will host three more public forums to provide dialog on the city budget, in response to an effort to recall the mayor. The forums will feature an open mike. Everyone is invited to share specific ideas on how to manage city finances. All comments will be forwarded to the city council and mayor. Forums start at 7:00, and adjourn before 8:30pm. The schedule is: Tuesday, October 5, 2010, at First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street; Wednesday, October 6, 2010, at the Steamfitters Hall, 13508 B Street; and Monday, October 11, 2010, at North High School, 36th and Ames, Omaha.
BLACK-WHITE DIALOGUES . . . The fall Black-White Dialogues public series, where people of the different races meet, watch and listen to a short presentation, and then discuss the topic and other concerns, building connections in order to address and eliminate racism, continues Tuesday, October 5, 2010, with Leo Louis II, Community Organizer and crew of “Grown in North Omaha” garden project speaking on “Understanding Gangs and Former Gang Members,” from 7:00 to 9:00pm at First Central Congregational Church, 421 South 36th Street, in Omaha. Gather at 6:45pm. To get involved, phone Elaine Wells, 573-1720, or click here for information and registration.
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 “Race: The Power of an Illusion – Episode 1.” The 58 minute film looks at several scientific discoveries that illustrate why humans cannot be subdivided into races and how there isn’t a single characteristic, trait, or even one gene, that can be used to distinguish all members of one race from all members of another. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.
PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will rally to protest the XL tar sands pipeline on Thursday, October 7, 2010, 5:00 to 7:00pm, at 72nd & Pacific, in Omaha. Walk, bike, or carpool to the rally if possible. Help educate and raise awareness of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline threat to the fragile ecosystem of the entire region. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net
SOLAR COLLECTOR LECTURE AND WORKSHOP . . . “How To Make Your Own Warm Air Solar Collector” – a lecture, workshop and installation, begins Friday, October 8, 2010 with a free public lecture by Michael Shonka, solar instructor at Metropolitan Community College, at the Pizza Shoppe, 6056 Maple Street, Omaha, from 5:30 to 7:30pm. Click here for details including cost, and a schedule of the Saturday and Sunday workshop events, concluding with installation on the roof at the Pizza Shoppe Sunday, 12:30pm. For more information, phone Brice Miller, 402.650.6782, or e-mail Wendy Townley, wtownley [at] unomaha [dot] edu
PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . All are welcome at the October Progressive Omaha meeting on Saturday, October 9, 2010, from 6:00 to 9:00pm, at 4924 Chicago in Dundee. R. Zack Burgin, Regional Organizer for Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, will speak from 7:00 to 8:00pm. Ways to counter the Nebraska legislature’s current laws, and new laws expected in the 2011 session, will be discussed. A potluck supper will be from 6:00 to 7:00pm, and social time will follow the speaker from 8:00 to 9:00pm. E-mail kabrams123 [at] cox [dot] net for more information.
10/10/10 GLOBAL WORK PARTY . . . Sunday, October 10, 2010, 3:00 to 3:50pm, Omaha will take part in the “most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history,” at Memorial Park, 58th & Dodge Street. Organized by 350.org, the international citizen’s movement working to rapidly transition from the use of dirty and limited fossil fuels to clean and abundant renewable energy, the event will form participants in the shape of a huge “350” to be photographed and included with 10/10/10 photos from around the world.
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