MARCH IS WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH celebrating women’s contributions to history, culture and society. The 2011 theme is “Our History Is Our Strength.”

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 in CD 3, on Friday, April 1, 2011, with the intention of deep healing for the Planet and all its beings. Click here for more information about Earth Circle.

SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCANADA XL PIPELINE UPDATE. News items and contact information for needed communication with specific elected officials are below in District 3 Green Notes.

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 when weather is good, 1425 H Street, Lincoln. In winter, the vigil is inside the capitol, near the Information Desk. 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.

STOP THE PIPELINE MEETING . . . Monday, March 28, 2011, leaders of Stop the Pipeline coalition groups will meet in Lincoln at 5:30pm. To get involved with planning for local actions and events, e-mail Marian at scp [at] audubon [dot] org for more details.

CONVICTION . . . There will be a free screening of the film “Conviction,” starring Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell, Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at the Un-L City Campus Student Union, 1400 R Street, Lincoln, 5:00pm. (Room will be posted that day.) “ Conviction” chronicles the true story of Betty Anne Waters’ 18-year effort to put herself through college and law school to challenge the wrongful conviction of her older brother, Kenny.  Kenny Waters was exonerated in 2001 with assistance from the national Innocence Project after spending over a third of his life in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. View the trailer here. For more information, e-mail Jill Francke, jill [at] nadp [dot] net.

PUBLIC HEARING ON COMMERCIAL WIND FARMS . . . Lancaster County residents will get a chance to comment on proposed regulations for commercial wind farms, Tuesday, March 29, 2011, at a public hearing during the County Board’s meeting set to begin at 5:00pm on the first-floor of the County-City Building, 555 South 10th Street, Lincoln. The proposed regulations apply to wind turbines with a generating capacity of more than 100 kilowatts.

WATER AND NATURAL RESOURCES SEMINARS . . . A 14-lecture series of seminars at UN-L focused on urban stormwater runoff, gobal climate change, and related environmental issues continues Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 3:30 to 4:30pm, in the first-floor auditorium of Hardin Hall, on the northeast corner of North 33rd and Holdrege Streets, Lincoln. The series runs through April 27th. For more information, contact the UN-L Water Center, 402.472.3305. Click here for a schedule of the lectures. View most lectures online after they have been presented 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.

SUSAN HERMAN AT LAW COLLEGE . . . National security issues and their interplay with court systems will be the subject of a lecture by new National ACLU Board President Susan Herman, on Thursday, March 31, 2011, noon, in the Hamann Auditorium, UN-L College of Law Ross McCollum Hall, East Campus Loop and Fair Street, in Lincoln. The talk, titled “How the Bush/Obama War on Terror Threatens Ordinary Americans, Constitutional Rights, and Democracy,” is free, and open to the public.

THINK GREEN IT’S THURSDAY . . . TGIT is a new happy hour for planning a sustainable future at the Eco Stores Conference Room, 530 West P Street, Lincoln. This is informational, educational, and social weekly event, with locally grown food and beverages. (Beverage donations will be accepted.) Learn about the latest green products, businesses, policies and practices every Thursday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. For the spring schedule of TGIT speakers, click here.  For more information, e-mail Mitch Paine at mitch [dot] paine [at] ecostoresne.org.

AAPER PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL-UN-L . . . The American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights Nebraska, will host a festival showcasing films that highlight the situation in Palestine and experiences of the Palestinian people, Friday, April 1 and Sunday, April 3, 2011, at UN-L and Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso in Lincoln. Friday’s films are at UN-L in the City Campus Union, 1400 R Street.  “With God on Our Side,” a look at what Christian Zionism teaches, and the impact it has on people of the Middle East, will show in the Colonial Room at 10:00am; “Salt of This Sea,” a romantic drama about a working-class woman traveling home, will be screened at 6:00pm; and “Private,” about a Palestinian family trapped inside a house commandeered by Israeli soldiers, will show at 8:00pm, both in the City Campus Auditorium. (See Note below for Sunday’s film schedule.)

“JOURNEYS OF JUSTICE” . . . New ACLU National President Susan Herman will be keynote speaker at the 2011 ACLU Nebraska Annual Dinner on Friday, April 1, 2011, 6:00pm, at the Grand Manse Jasmine Room, 129 North 10th Street, in Lincoln. This year’s theme is “Journeys of Justice.” For more information, e-mail trichard [at] aclunebraska [dot] org or check the Facebook page here.

SUSTAINABLE AG AT INDIGO BOOKS . . . Indigo Bridge Books, 701 P Street, Lincoln, will host the photographer and one of her subjects from a new book titled “Farm Together Now: A Portrait of People, Places, and Ideas for a New Food Movement,” on Sunday, April 3, 2011, from 2:00 to 3:00pm. Native Lincoln photographer Anne Hamersky and Jim Knopik, founder of the Nebraska Food Cooperative, will discuss the work they are doing together now. The event is free and open to the public.

AAPER PALESTINE FILM FESTIVAL-Meadowlark . . . The American Association for Palestinian Equal Rights Film Festival continues Sunday, April 3, 2011, with films at Meadowlark Coffee & Expresso, 1624 South Street in Lincoln. One family’s story reveals the larger tragedy of Gaza in “One Family in Gaza,” screened at 7:00pm; and “Something to Prove,” a documentary following 15 boys from Gaza as they visit the US for the first time, showing at 7:30pm. Spread the word about the Film Festival on Facebook here.

Omaha area: Congressional District 2

PIPELINE OPPOSITION BRAINSTORMING . . . The next Guardians of the Good Life meeting will be Tuesday, March 29, 2011, 6:30pm, at 1st Unitarian Church, 31st & Harney, Omaha. A scheduled XL Pipeline Education/Action Forum in May and other awareness projects will be discussed. E-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net for more information.

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 a Peace Vigil at 72nd and Dodge Streets. Park next to 72nd Street, in the pet store parking lot. Contact Steve Horn at 402.426.9068 for more information about Saturday vigils.

LEAD IN A COMMUNITY GARDEN . . . Last fall, two UN-O environmental engineering classes tested the Decatur Street gardening site for lead. Wednesday, March 30th, 2011, 6:30 to 8:00pm, leaders of the project will report on their results at City Sprouts, 4002 Seward Street, Omaha. Since many people in Omaha live in a Lead Superfund site, this is an important issue as the community looks to scale up the local food supply. The public is invited for no charge. For more information, phone Jeannie at 402.680.0118, or e-mail jeaninedickes [at] gmail [dot] com.

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 “Palestine Trilogy,” These three thematically related videos tell the tragic story of Palestine and dispel many myths. For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

SOLAR TOUR OF MCC GREENHOUSE . . . Metropolitan Community College will commission a solar hot water system in the Horticulture Department’s Fort Omaha Campus [pdf] greenhouse on Friday, April 1, 2011. This is the first solar installation of its kind in the state, and the first in any community college across the country. The purpose of the solar system is to assist with heating the greenhouse during the winter and to provide heat for bedding plant growing tables. The Nebraska Solar Energy Society will hold a bi-monthly meeting at the Fort Omaha Campus and provide a speaker at the buffet following the commissioning tour of the solar system. The free solar tour begins at 6:00pm. A buffet dinner follows at 7:00pm. To rsvp, e-mail focuseg [at] cox [dot] net, or call Gary Boe at 402.321.2797.

PROTEST KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE . . . Omaha protests with Guardians of the Good Life continue. E-mail japlapoo [at] netzero [dot] net for details of this week’s protest. STOP THE PIPELINE yard signs are available in Omaha by calling Nebraskans for Peace Coordinator Mark Welsch, 402.453.0776, or e-mail NFPOmaha [at] nebraskansforpeace [dot]
org.

VICTIMS AGAINST POLICE BRUTALITY . . . Saturday, April 2, 2011, 12:30 to 2:30pm, Victims Against Police Brutality will gather at Washington Branch Library, 2868 Ames Avenue, just west of the turnpike, in Omaha. This is a relatively new group of victims, their families, and friends who want violence by police officers to stop. It happens in Nebraska, and they are working to end it. For more information, phone Mark Welsch, 402.453.0776.

BEANS AND RICE ANNUAL . . . Saturday, April 2, 2011, the Annual Rice and Beans Annual fundraiser to benefit Nebraskans for Peace will start at 6:00pm. State Senator Brenda Council will address event speaking on “Child Poverty: Caring for All of Omaha’s Children.” The potluck meal and program will be at Hanscom Park United Methodist Church, 4444 Frances Street, Omaha. Rice and drinks will be provided. For more information, and to let organizers know what type of dish you’ll bring, RSVP by phone at the NFP Omaha Office, 402.453.0776.

Greater Nebraska: Congressional District 3

KEYSTONE XL PIPELINE UPDATE . . . A good letter to the editor was published in the Lincoln Journal Star on March 21, 2011, Please read Jan Enstrom’s letter “Lack of Civil Stewardship,” here.
EveryOne who wants to see Nebraska’s fragile Sand Hills and Ogallala Aquifer saved from potential nvironmental devastation at the hands of Canada’s tar sands pipeline promoters needs to write their own state senator asking for personal involvement in opposition. The legislature’s Natural Resources Committee has stalled all three pipeline related bills that were introduced this session.  Find your state senator’s contact information is at the map linked here.
Nebraska has no legislation on the books for regulating the current Keystone I pipeline, nor the proposed XL tar sands pipeline.  Contact information for 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.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has the power to approve or reject the Keystone XL pipeline, and your senators can ask her to stand up to Big Oil and stop it. Tell them 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.
What else can you do? Keep writing letters to the editor of your local newspaper. “Langemeier’s comments ridiculous,” a letter by Barbara Bailey, was published by Lincoln Journal Star March 20, 2011. From the letter, “It was with great disappointment and anger that I read Sen. Chris Langemeier’s comments (“Pipeline regulations languish,”  March 15) concerning the pipeline bills before the Natural Resources Committee.  Sen. Langemeier and the six members of the Committee voting against advancing these basic safety regulations for our citizens and natural resources are not providing responsible legislating.”
Keep the issue alive in conversations at the kitchen table, in cafes, churches, and clubs around Nebraska. We have a brief window. The State Department has called for a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study with a new 45 day comment period. The State Department’s news release is here.  “We welcome the news from the US State Department on a Supplemental Environmental Impact Study,” declared Duane Hovorka for coalition member Nebraska Wildlife Federation.  “However, we want to be clear, our state elected officials must now lead by providing an alternative route for the risky TransCanada pipeline.”
The public will have 45 days to express concerns on the Supplemental Draft EIS after the anticipated mid-April comment period begins. Following issuance of a Final EIS, the State Department will solicit public comment and host a public meeting in Washington, D.C., before it makes a determination under Executive Order 13337 on whether issuance of this permit is in the US national interest. The Department of State expects to make a decision on whether to grant or deny the permit before the end of 2011.
SAVE THE DATES: The next Pipeline Forums are scheduled for Sunday, April 17, 2011, 2:00pm to 3:30pm, in Holt County at the Stuart Auditorium, 204 Parnell Street, Stuart, Nebraska, and Tuesday, May 3, 2011, 6:00 to 7:30pm, at First Unitarian Church, 31st & Harney, in Omaha.
The National Farmers Union has passed policy language opposing “any infrastructure or resource development that jeopardizes the health, safety and quality of the Ogallala Aquifer and other freshwater resources.” The new policy also addresses Eminent Domain, and pipeline development specifically. The Nebraska Farmers Union, a Stop the Pipeline coalition member, was successful in calling for this new policy language.
From previous Green Notes: A 2:10 minute video explaining the tar sands extraction process is included with “Oil pipeline from Canada stirring anger in US Great Plains,”  by McClatchy, published in the Kansas City Star. “Extracting oil from tar sands and liquefying it enough so it will move through a pipeline is an energy-intensive process that adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Getting it out of the ground involves clear-cutting forests, leaving a wasteland that oil companies say they will restore. Some scientists say that rivers also become polluted. “From start to finish, this a dirty project,” said Stephanie Cole, a spokeswoman for the Kansas chapter of the Sierra Club. “Forests in Canada are being destroyed, and increased reliance on fossil fuels will accelerate global warming.”
“Tar Sands Pipelines Safety Risks,” was published jointly by the Natural Resources Defense Council,  the National Wildlife Federation, Pipeline Safety Trust, and the Sierra Club.  The Executive Summary begins “Tar sands crude oil pipeline companies may be putting America’s public safety at risk. Increasingly, pipelines transporting tar sands crude oil into the United States are carrying diluted bitumen or “DilBit”—a highly corrosive, acidic, and potentially unstable blend of thick raw bitumen and volatile natural gas liquid condensate—raising risks of spills and damage to communities along their paths. The impacts of tar sands production are well known. Tar sands extraction in Canada destroys Boreal forests and wetlands, causes high levels of greenhouse gas pollution, and leaves behind immense lakes of toxic waste. Less well understood, however, is the increased risk and potential harm that can be caused by transporting the raw form of tar sands oil (bitumen) through pipelines to refineries in the United States.” Download the 16 page report here. [pdf]
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.
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. A website refuting TransCanada’s myths with an interactive graphic is here. More actions EveryOne can take are listed here.  For comprehensive references in media since May 30, 2010, click here and scroll from the bottom up for links to each week’s Green Notes coverage.
Be a community educator and organizer. Let’s change the world together.
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.”

PEACE VIGIL . . . Central Nebraska Peace Workers, a Chapter of Nebraskans for Peace, will gather to Vigil for Peace on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, 5:00 to 6:00pm, at State Street and Webb Road in Grand Island. Stop for a few minutes, or vigil for the hour. For more information, e-mail Charles Richardson, ceryf [at] windstream [dot] net.

PETITION THE EPA . . . Tell the Environmental Protection Agency to immediately prohibit the use of clothianidin and conduct a full scientific review to determine its impact on honey bee populations.  Learn more about clothianidin and sign the petition here.

TAKE ACTION: NO NEW LEASES IN THE ARCTIC OCEAN . . . Department of Interior Secretary Salazar is looking to the public for input on where and when to drill for oil in our oceans for the next 5 years. Please tell Secretary Salazar to heed the warnings of the President’s Oil Spill Commission to be cautious in the Arctic. Until we have a better understanding of the region and can fully clean up a large oil spill there if it occurs, Secretary Salazar should not offer additional oil and gas leases in the Arctic. Instead, the Secretary should use the next five years to undertake a comprehensive scientific study of the area to understand the basic ecology of the Arctic Ocean, how it is shifting due to climate change, and what effects oil and gas drilling would have on the region’s wildlife and people. Tell the Interior Department: The Arctic Ocean should not be considered for drilling!

TELL PRESIDENT OBAMA NOT TO CAVE TO MONSANTO AND THE BIOTECH INDUSTRY . . . In the past 3 weeks, the Obama administration has unbelievably chosen to approve three biotech crops, Roundup Ready genetically modified alfalfa, Roundup Ready genetically modified sugar beets and a new industrial biotech corn for ethanol production. These decisions are a devastating blow to our democracy and the basic rights of farmers to choose how they want to grow food on their land and the rights of consumers who increasingly choose organic and sustainably grown food for its positive health and environmental impacts. Please tell the President it’s time to stand up to Monsanto and reject GMO crops.
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.

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