Monthly Archives: November 2010

Green Notes Week of November 28, 2010

November 28, 2010Green Notesgreenone

EARTH CIRCLE . . . On the first day of each month, people around the world stop for five minutes to visualize peace and focus on new levels of kindness, understanding, and compassion necessary for collectively facing the challenges of the 21st century. Join peacemakers everywhere at 4:00pm Greenwich Mean Time, 10:00am in Lincoln and Omaha, 9:00am Mountain Time, on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its beings. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

WORLD AIDS DAY . . . December 1st is World AIDS Day. Help Stop the Global Pediatric AIDS Epidemic.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials is below following Green Notes by Congressional District. Note the CD 1 hearing, and notice of Saturday’s rally in CD 2.

CLIMATE JUSTICE . . . Wednesday, December 1, 2010, is national call-in day for climate justice. The world’s poorest nations are on the front lines of catastrophic climate change. Floods in Pakistan and droughts in Africa are just the most recent examples of how poor nations are suffering because of indifference to the climate crisis. 1Sky, ActionAid, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace, Jubilee USA and other partners are calling for a national call-in day on Wednesday, December 1st, just as climate talks in Cancun get underway. Sign up to call the White House on Wednesday, and tell the President to keep his climate promises in Cancun. Or, phone the White House directly at 202.456.1414.

AGENCY SCIENTISTS OPPOSE GENETICALLY ENGINEERED SALMON . . . The following quotes are from Fish and Wildlife Service scientists themselves: “The environmental impact of escaped GE salmon is of great concern.” – Gregory Moyer, Regional Geneticist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; “…approval of the proposal is premature, given the unknowns and uncertainties regarding the possible ecological and environmental effects of these fish.” – Jeff Adams, Branch Chief, Fairbanks Fish and Wildlife Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; and “…I do think the chance of escapement is huge” – Deborah Burger, Manager, Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Ask the President to stop the GE salmon approval process.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

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.

HEARING ON PIPELINES AT CAPITOL . . . State Senator Annette Dubas will hold a hearing on the Legislature’s interim study of oil and gas pipelines at the Capitol, 1445 K Street, Lincoln, on Wednesday, December 1, 2010, at 9:00am. Ask for hearing room number at the information desk. Opponents need to insure that state senators know Nebraskans are watching, and we do not support this proposed pipeline. Citizens and landowners may testify, share ideas about how to best protect our land and water resources, or just be there in solidarity. If you plan to speak, and wish to coordinate testimony with others, contact Jane Kleeb, 402.705.3622, twitter: @janekleeb.

ONE BOOK ONE LINCOLN EVENT . . . The last in a series of One Book One Lincoln events will be Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 7:00pm, at the Gere Library, 2400 South 56th Street. The 2010 selection is “I Am a Man,” by Lincoln writer Joe Starita. UN-L professor emeritus at the College of Law, John Snowden, will discuss the history of Native American law, followed by a time for questions. For more information, contact Lincoln City Libraries at 402.441.8500.

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.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

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, Omaha. The event is always free and open to the public. This week’s film is “Race: The Power of an Illusion – Episode 3 – The House We Live In.” The PBS film uncovers how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

OMAHA’S TRANSPORTATION PLAN . . . The last of 6 public participation meetings seeking feedback on Omaha’s long-range transportation plan will be Thursday, December 2, 2010, 4:30 to 6:30pm, at the South Omaha Metro Community College Campus, South 27th & Q Streets, in the Library conference room. The plan is available here. A survey regarding the plan is available here. [pdf] E-mail comments to LRTP [at] mapacog [dot] org

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will rally to protest the XL tar sands pipeline on Saturday, December 4, 2010, noon to 1:30pm, or 2:00, depending on weather, at 72nd & Pacific, in Omaha. Walk, bike, or carpool to the rally if possible. Park in the southeast lot closest to the intersection, if driving. Dress warm. Help educate and raise awareness of the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline threat to the fragile ecosystem of the entire region. The rally will be canceled if there is precipitation and/or below freezing temperatures. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . A Tuesday, November 23, 2010 press conference at the capitol rotunda released a new 60-page report by Plains Justice, an energy and environmental law center in Billings, Montana, on the pending pipeline project. “The Northern Great Plains at Risk: Oil Spill Planning Deficiencies in Keystone Pipeline System,” raises serious response concerns. Lincoln Journal Star press conference coverage is here. Omaha World Herald coverage, “Pipeline spill response plans faulted,” was published November 24th.
November 19 through the 22nd, the first International Tar Sands Resistance Summit was held in Missoula, Montana, where activists from all over North America met to work on creative ways to maximize protest energy and opposition. Coverage, photos and video are here. To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy in Nebraska, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net.
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.
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.” Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
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 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.“

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 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

Green Notes Week of November 21, 2010

November 21, 2010Green Notesgreenone

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, new letters to Lincoln Journal Star, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are included, following Green Notes by Congressional District. Note the CD 1 Tuesday press conference, Tuesday meetings with TransCanada, and notice of weekly rally in Omaha below.

NATIONAL OPT-OUT DAY AGAINST INVASIVE BODY SCANNERS . . . National Opt-Out Day Against Invasive Body Scanners in use at airports around the country is Wednesday, November 24, 2010. Air travelers are encouraged to decline the TSA’s technological strip searches en masse on Wednesday as a protest against the scanners and new enhanced pat-downs demanded of those who refuse.

BIOMIMICRY IN ACTION: USING NATURE-BASED PRINCIPALS TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE SOLUTIONS . . .Biomimicry is a conscious emulation of nature’s genuis. Tuesday, November 30, 2010, 11:00am to noon, MST, Marie Zanowick, Certified Biomimicry Professional in EPA’s Region 8 Pollution Prevention Program, will provide an overview of the emerging science and its direct application to sustainability. To reserve a Webinar seat, click here. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

PRESS CONFERENCE AND MEETINGS WITH TRANSCANADA . . . Tuesday, November 23, 2010, there will be a noon press conference at the Capitol Rotunda to release a new report on the *current* TransCanada pipeline and emergency response plan. The 60 page report shows huge safety concerns. If you’d like to speak, or represent your organization at the press conference, phone Jane Kleeb, 402.705.3622, or twitter: [at] janekleeb. After the press conference, a copy of the new report will be delivered to the governor and the attorney general.
TransCanada is holding meetings in Nebraska right now. In most cases, pipeline opponents don’t know about them until after they happen, although Bold Nebraska has learned about two meetings this week: Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 10:15am, at the County Courthouse Boardroom, 411 4th Street, Fairbury; and Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 11:00am, at the Courthouse in Geneva, 900 G Street. (Meetings curiously timed so that opponents will be unavailable due to the press conference.) Again, if readers can be at either of these meetings with TransCanada, please speak with Jane at 402.705.3622.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

NON-PROFITS AND THE JUDICIAL NOMINATIONS PROCESS . . . On Tuesday, November 23, 2010, 2:30 to 4:30pm, Erica Swanson, with the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, will speak about “Guardians of Justice–the Importance of Fair Courts and Independent Judges to Protecting our Civil and Human Rights,” and why non-profit organizations should be interested in the judicial nominations process. This free presentation will be at the Kroc Center Chapel in the new Salvation Army Center, 2825 Y Street, Omaha. Click “join us” here to register.

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 “Homeland: Four Portraits of Native Action.” Nearly all Indian lands in the U.S. face grave environmental threats – toxic waste, strip mining, oil drilling and nuclear contamination. A handful of activists are fighting back. Watch clips, beginning with Winona LaDuke speaking about The Last Slivers of Land, here. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

THANKSGIVING EVE GREEN DRINKS . . . There was a surprisingly good Green Drinks response in Omaha last year on Thanksgiving Eve, so the tradition will continue on Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 5:30pm to close, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by restaurant seating, across from the coffee bar. Everyone working on, or interested in environmental issues is invited. Walk, cycle, bus, or carpool if possible. There are now regular Green Drinks gatherings in 756 cities worldwide.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will rally to protest the XL tar sands pipeline on Saturday, November 27, 2010, 1:00 to 2:30pm, 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. If weather is very cold, the rally will be canceled. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . Guardians of the Good Life will meet Sunday, November 21, 2010, 6:00pm, at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, Omaha, in the public seating area. To get involved with planning XL pipeline opposition strategy, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net. November 19 through the 22nd, there is a XL Pipeline Summit in Missoula, Montana, where activists from all over North America will meet to work on creative ways to maximize protest energy and opposition. Contact the Indigenous Environmental Network for more information about the Summit.
“Opponents of pipeline question eminent domain,” in the November 18, 2010 Lincoln Journal Star, covered a Thursday press briefing in the Capitol Rotunda where a fifth generation Atkinson, Nebraska rancher joined Nebraska Sierra’s Ken Winston in expressing concerns about the XL pipeline, particularly in light of an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale that hit the Schuyler area, along the route of TransCanada’s first Nebraska pipeline that began carrying tar sands oil earlier this year. A November 17th letter to the editor, “TransCanada’s arrogance,” was followed by a letter from Jim Anderson, “Stop oil dependency,” published on November 20, 2010. Click here and scroll down the Green Notes Index to follow the TransCanada tar sands pipeline issue since May 30, 2010.
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.
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.” Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
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 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.“

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 at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

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

Green Notes Week of November 14, 2010

November 14, 2010Green Notesgreenone

AMERICA RECYCLES DAY . . . ‘I Recycle’ is the theme of this year’s 13th annual America Recycles Day, Monday, November 15, 2010. Recycle More–at home, at work, and on the go. Cick here to learn about Keep Nebraska Beautiful.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items, new letters to Lincoln Journal Star, and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are included, following Green Notes by Congressional District. Please note the weekly Omaha rally in CD 2 Notes below.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

ABENDMUSIK SWEATER DRIVE . . . . Abendmusik Lincoln is sponsoring a drive for new or gently-used winter-wear until Saturday, November 20, 2010, followed by a special “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Concert featuring music of Mr. Rogers’Neighborhood on Sunday, November 21, 2010, 4:00pm, at First-Plymouth Church, 2000 D Street. Admission will be free, but a sweater donation is encouraged. More than 300 sweaters have already been collected. Drop off sweaters at West Gate Banks at Hiway 2 & Old Cheney, 27th & Old Cheney, 17th & South, 27th & Cornhusker Hiway, 50th & O Street, 84 & Holdrege, West O & Capitol Beach; Runza Drive-ins at 27th & Superior, 33rd & Hiway 2, 56th & Holdrege, 70th & Van Dorn, 40th & Yankee Hill; and First-Plymouth.

NEBRASKA WRITERS SPEAK . . . Joseph Wydeven, author of “Wright Morris Revisited,” will speak about Morris and his book “The Home Place,” One Book One Nebraska’s 2010 selection on Sunday, November 21, 2010, at The Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors, third floor Bennett Martin Public Library, 14th & N Streets, Lincoln. Joe Starita will celebrate Native American History Month and his book “I Am A Man: Chief Standing Bear’s Journey for Justice,” with a talk and booksigning Sunday, November 21st, 1:00 to 2:30pm, at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, on the first floor of Lincoln’s Creamery Building in the Haymarket. Starita’s book is this year’s One Book One Lincoln title. Both presentations are free an open to the public.

TOWN HALL MEETING . . . A Town Hall Meeting with Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States, will be Sunday, November 21, 2010, 5:00pm, at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 141 North 9th Street, Lincoln. The free presentation, followed by Q&A and open discussion, will focus on HSUS programs and activities, key priorities, and work on high-impact changes for animals in Nebraska and across the country. To RSVP (required) click here or phone 301.258.1513.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

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 “Title: 8: The Mormon Proposition.” Through never-before seen documents, recordings & insider-interviews, 8: THE MORMON PROPOSITION, exposes the efforts of the Mormon Church and its members to halt nearly every piece of LGBT legislation on the desks of lawmakers from Hawaii to New York. Watch 2:39 minute trailer here. 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 Saturday, November 20, 2010, 1:00 to 2:30 or 3:00pm, at 72nd & Dodge, 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. If weather is bad, the rally will be cancelled. For more information, e-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net

SUSTAINABLE CITIES FORUM . . . The Nebraska League of Conservation Voters will sponsor a forum on improving the quality of urban life with ecological, cultural, political, social and economic components on Friday, November 19, 2010, from 3:30 to 5:30pm, at Embassy Suites LaVista Conference Center Windsor V, 12520 Westport Parkway, LaVista, Nebraska. Click here for details, and a list of sponsors, supporters and presenters. Click here to register, or e-mail cbrenner [at] nlcv [dot] org for more information.

FOOD SUMMIT: A BLUEPRINT FOR THE HARVEST . . . A Food Summit to support development of a local and regional food system that is environmentally sound, socially just, and economically viable leading to self-sufficiency for the community will be Friday and Saturday, November 19 and 20, 2010, at Metropolitan Community College Institute for the Culinary Arts, 32nd Street & Sorenson Pkwy, Omaha. Presented by No More Empty Pots “A Blueprint for the Harvest” will begin at noon on Friday, with lunch, a speaker and workshops, and continue from 8:00am to noon on Saturday, with breakfast and workshops. For more information contact Susan Whitfield, Project Manager, at 402.972.7330, or email nomoreemptypots [at] gmail [dot] com.

DAY HIKE AND WINE TASTING . . . There will be a day hike, Saturday, November 20, 2010, at the DeSoto Bend National Wildlife Refuge. Meet at 10:30am. An “Art of the Wild Show and Sale,” featuring a variety of local artwork, will be on display. DeSoto Refuge is located 25 miles north of Omaha. Take US Hwy 75 North to Hwy 30, then go east 5 miles to the entrance on DeSoto Avenue. At noon, there will be a special tasting of four Nebraska wines at Too Far North, 111 North 14th (Hiway 75), a wine shop and tasting room at Fort Calhoun. For carpool information and to rsvp, contact James Phernetton, jamesphernet [at] gmail [dot] com or phone 402.319.2322.

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 at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . A South Dakota landowner along Keystone I writes about his experience with TransCanada in a November 8, 2010 letter to the Lincoln Journal Star here. Click here and scroll down the Green Notes Index to follow the TransCanada tar sands pipeline issue since May 30, 2010.
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.
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.” Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
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 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.”

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

Green Notes Week of November 7, 2010

November 7, 2010Green Notesgreenone

STOP THE WALL: MAKE APARTHEID HISTORY. November 9 through the 16th, 2010, is the Eighth Week of Action Against the Palestinian Grassroots Apartheid Wall. Learn about a Stop the Wall campaign, and actions you can take, here.

Lincoln area: Congressional District 1

CONGRATULATIONS TO STEVE LARRICK for re-election to the Natural Resources District Lower Platte South, Subdistrict 5, with 60.14% of the vote! From Steve: “Thanks to all for supporting efforts to green our political system. I look forward to pushing for more green infrastructure to reduce soil erosion and flooding downstream, while improving water quantity and quality in our watershed.”

AUTHOR AT UN-L . . . Joan Hecht, author of “The Journey of the Lost Boys,” will speak at UN-L’s Nebraska Union Auditorium, 14th & R Streets, Tuesday, November 9, 2010, 7:30pm. Watch a 2:11 minute video of Hecht introducing the story of The Lost Boys here.

OPEN HARVEST CELEBRATION . . . Open Harvest, Lincoln’s 30 year old natural and organic food market, will celebrate the launch of a new 2010 edition Open Harvest Cooks on Wednesday, November 10, 2010, 5:00 to 6:00pm, at Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, in the Lincoln Haymarket. Meet contributors, and sample recipes from the 350 cookbook offerings at the event.

AUDUBON ANNUAL MEETING . . . The Wachiska Audubon Annual Meeting will be Thursday, November 11, 2010, at the Union College Dick Administration Building auditorium, Room 03 lower level, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln, 7:00pm. Raptor Recovery Nebraska will introduce live birds of prey. Learn about Nebraska’s raptors and then witness several species in person. Because of continuing construction on South 48th Street, take the detour one block east and wind around the north side of campus. The large building to the south and west is the Dick Building. Look for Audubon signs on the doors. The public is invited to this free presentation after which refreshments will be served.

ABENDMUSIK SWEATER DRIVE UPDATE . . . . Abendmusik Lincoln is sponsoring a drive for new or gently-used winter-wear until November 20, 2010, followed by a special “Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” Concert featuring music of Mr. Rogers’Neighborhood on Sunday, November 21, 2010, 4:00pm, at First-Plymouth Church, 2000 D Street. Admission will be free, but a sweater donation is encouraged. 300 sweaters have been collected so far. Drop off sweaters at West Gate Banks at Hiway 2 & Old Cheney, 27th & Old Cheney, 17th & South, 27th & Cornhusker Hiway, 50th & O Street, 84 & Holdrege, West O & Capitol Beach; Runza Drive-ins at 27th & Superior, 33rd & Hiway 2, 56th & Holdrege, 70th & Van Dorn, 40th & Yankee Hill; and First-Plymouth.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

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 “Good Hair.” Chris Rock explores the wonders of African-American hairstyles. Watch the trailer here. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

PRO-CHOICE COALITION MEETING . . . There will be a Pro-Choice Coalition Legislative Preparation Meeting on Thursday, November 11, 2010, 6:30pm, at Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, 4610 South 133rd Street, Suite 101, Omaha. Contact Tyler Richard at ACLU Nebraska, 402.476.8091, for more information.

NORTH OMAHA:MOVING FORWARD . . . Saturday, November 13, 2010, the North Omaha Empowerment Network Monthly Community Meeting “MOVING FORWARD!” will be at Omaha North High Magnet School Viking Center, 4410 North 36 Street. There will be an 8:45am Breakfast with networking, information displays and booths; 9:30am Interactive Community Meeting; and 11:30am Family Housing Advisory Services Housing Forum. Transforming the Community, Block by Block. For more information, click here or call 402.502.5153.
The Housing and Financial Stability Forum, from 11:30am to 3:00pm, will address housing and financial issues in North Omaha. The event is free and open to the public. Lunch will be provided by NeighborWorks Omaha. For more information, click here [pdf] or call Michael Robinson, 402.934.6727. Rsvp’s are requested by November 10th.

OVERNIGHT SIERRA BACKPACK TRIP . . . Saturday, November 13, to Sunday, November 14, 2010, hike in Stephens State Forest, Iowa, camp overnight, and return to Omaha Sunday afternoon. Stephens State Forest is 15,170 acres covering the largest geographical area of any state forest in Iowa. For details, and to rsvp, e-mail John Calandra, johndcal [at] cox [dot] net or phone 402.312.4672.

PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION FOR SUDAN . . . The Sudanese Civil Society of Nebraska will host a peaceful demonstration in support of a free and fair referendum to pave the way for Self-Determination in Southern Sudan on Saturday, November 13, 2010, 11:00am to 3:00pm, at Memorial Park, 5700 Dodge Street, in Omaha. For more information, phone James Guek, 402.812.5330, or John Badeng, 402.699.0837.

NEBRASKA SIERRA ANNUAL . . . The Annual Banquet of the Sierra Club-Nebraska Chapter will be November 13, 2010, at the Garden Cafe, 108 & West Center Road, Omaha. Social hour will begin at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30pm. The MoValley Group Sierra will hold a silent auction in conjunction with the banquet.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . All are welcome at the next Progressive Omaha meeting on Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 4924 Chicago, in Dundee. The speaker will be Ollie Perryman, founder of PFrontline, Inc., an Omaha gang prevention and intervention agency. Potluck supper is from 6:00 to 7:00pm, 7:00 to 8:00 is for the Speaker, then meeting business and social time lasts until 9:00pm or after. Contact Karen Abrams, kabrams123 [at] cox [dot] net for more information.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

NEBRASKA WIND POWER 2010 CONFERENCE . . . The third annual Nebraska Wind Power 2010 Conference is Tuesday and Wednesday, November 9 and 10, 2010, at the New Younes Conference Center, Kearney, Nebraska. Click here for more information.

MONEY SMART NEBRASKA . . . November 8 through 14, 2010, Money Smart Nebraska will host workshops, seminars, programs and events providing improved financial literacy throughout the state. Click here for a searchable calendar of statewide events.

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 at 1618 South Street. Buying local grows family farming, grows the local economy, and is thousands of miles fresher.

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . The Thursday, November 5, 2010 Lincoln Journal Star published “Environmental groups want Hillary Clinton’s recusal from pipeline review,” reporting that Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace USA, Plains Justice, Public Citizen, the Center for Biological Diversity, Center for International Environmental Law and Indigenous Environmental Network have called for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “to recuse herself from the review of a $7 billion oil pipeline project because of comments she made last month suggesting support for it.” TransCanada sent its own letter to Secretary Clinton this week, arguing that a draft environmental impact analysis of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline already “fully takes into account all reasonable alternatives and satisfies the Department’s obligations and the public’s interests.” New letters to the LJS editor are here and here. Click here and scroll down the Green Notes Index to follow the TransCanada tar sands pipeline issue since May 30, 2010.
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.
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.” Read Ken Winston’s November 4, 2010 Tar Sands Pipeline Update for Nebraska Sierra here.
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 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.“
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