EARTH DAY 2009 . . . Coalition for the Environment and Earth Day (CEED) will host “A Time for Action,” Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration, on Sunday, April 19, 2009. The next planning meeting is Tuesday, February 10, 5:30pm, at the Community Foundation Building, South 15 & N Streets, in the 5th floor conference room. Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here. Get involved. For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.438.9341.

F.W. DE KLERK AT THE LIED . . . Nobel Peace Prize winner F.W. De Klerk, former president of South Africa, will give the EN Thompson Forum Lecture on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Lied Center on UN-L campus, 301 North 12th Street. De Klerk released Nelson Mandela from prison and presided over the dismantling of apartheid. His speech will focus on “Bridging the Gap: Globalization Without Isolation.” Free tickets are available at The Lied box office.

RAIN GARDEN WORKSHOP . . . A half-day technical training session on rain garden design will address rain garden basics from 8:30am to 12:30pm, Tuesday, February 17, 2009, at the Lancaster County Extention Office, 444 Cherry Creek Road, in Lincoln. Information will be presented on how to design, install, and plant residential rain gardens. Organized by the City of Lincoln Watershed Management and UN-L Cooperative Extention, there is a registration fee. For more information, phone Steven Rodie, 402-554-3752. For website information and a registration form in pdf, click here.  Registration closes on Wednesday, February 11, 2009.

LINCOLN PEACE VIGILS . . . Join weekly peace vigils at the Federal Building, 15th and O streets in Lincoln, every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00pm. Contact Mark at 402-499-6672 or e-mail mark [at] weddleton [dot] com for more information.

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. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. This week’s film is Born Rich.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

WACHISKA AUDUBON MONTHLY MEETING . . . Gordon Warrick, Habitat Program Manager at Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center , will present “New Mexico’s Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge” on Thursday, February 12, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Wachiska Audubon  general meeting. Click here for program details, and directions to the Union College Dick Administration Building, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. The meeting is in the lower level Room 03.

NEBRASKA SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE SOCIETY (NSAS) CONFERENCE . . . Learn about sustainable agriculture from the fields to your fork at The Rural Advantage/Healthy Farms Conference, Midtown Holiday Inn, 2503 South Locust, in Grand Island. Keynote speaker Melinda Hemmelgarn, M.S., R.D. Nutrition and Health Communication Consultant, will present “Feast or Famine: A Fork in the Road and the Crucial Farmer-Consumer Connection.” Sessions include workshops on beekeeping, organics, and food entrepreneurship. Click here  for Conference Brochure, including registration fees, in pdf. The Conference begins Friday, February 13, 2009, with 8:00am registration. An “All Nebraska Dinner” is at 6:30pm. Continuing Saturday, February 14, there is 8:00am registration with workshops until 4:00pm. Phone Gary Lesoing, 402-274-4755, for more information.

LINCOLN ELECTRIC SYSTEM SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAM . . . LES customers may offset the cost of making homes and businesses more energy efficient by applying for incentive payments to replace existing heating and cooling systems with more efficient pumps. Under the program, insulation, caulking materials, and pre-season cooling maintenance also may be subsidized. Click here for details of the program, application forms, terms and conditions.

LANCASTER COUNTY TOWN HALL MEETING . . . Friday, February 13, 2009, from noon to 1:00pm, join Mayor Chris Beutler and Senators Bill Avery, Kathy Campbell, Colby Coash, Tony Fulton, Ken Haar, Amanda McGill, Danielle Nantkes, and Norm Wallman for a Town Hall Meeting in room 1023 at the state capitol building. For more information, phone 402.471.2633, or e-mail nkanne [at] leg [dot] ne [dot] gov.

WEBCAST: SMALL TURBINES 101 . . . For an overview of small wind turbines, “Basics of Farm/Residential Small Wind Turbines” will air Friday, February 13, 2009, 11:30am to 12:30pm, at connect/extension.iastate/edu/nebraska. When logging on the webscast, click “click to enter,” under “Enter as Guest.” Enter your name to gain access to the meeting space. Further instructions will be on screen when you join the meeting. Topics will include applications, estimating wind turbine production, policies and economics, installation, components and technology. For more information contact John Hay, jhay2 [at] unl [dot] edu or phone 402.472.0408.

DARWIN RECOGNIZED . . . The scientific methods developed by Charles Darwin will be examined as part of UN-L activities marking his 200th birthday. On Friday, February 13, 2009, 7:30pm, George Levine, professor emeritus of English at Rutgers University, will lecture on “Darwin’s Prophetic Apprenticeship” in the Nebraska Union Auditorium, 1400 R Street, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information on events recognizing Darwin’s birth, click here to visit the Center for Great Plains Studies website.

GREAT PLAINS TRAILS NETWORK ANNUAL MEETING . . . The GPTN is a nonprofit group that advocates and supports trails networks in Lancaster County and Nebraska. The public is invited to their 2009 annual meeting on Sunday, February 15, 2009, 1:00pm, at the BryanLGH College of Health Sciences, Room 204, 5035 Everett Street, Lincoln.  Featured speakers Lynn Johnson, director of Lincoln Parks and Recreation, Susan Larson Rodenburg, former GPTN board member, and Terry Genrich, natural resources & greenways manager for Parks and Recreation, will provide details about Antelope Valley Trails, Union Plaza, the proposed Active Living Center, and the existing Lincoln trails system. Refreshments will follow presentations, awards and elections.

WINTER BIRDING FIELD TRIP . . . On Sunday, February 15, 2009, John Carlini and Shari Schwartz will lead a birding trip to Oak Lake, Branched Oak Lake, and Jack Sinn Wildlife Management Area beginning at 3:30pm. To carpool, meet in the east parking lot of Oak Lake located at Sun Valley Blvd. and Charleston Street. Although much of the trip will be done by car, wear warm clothing. For more information phone 402.475.7275.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . The Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series will focus on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond,” 7:00 to 9:00pm each Sunday through March 8, 2009. Sunday, February 15, Bryon Barksdale, a North Platte physician who leads the Cuba AIDS Project, will discuss Cuban health care, medical training and AIDS policies. The church is located at 6300 A Street. Lectures are free and open to the public. For more information, phone Dick or Karen Dienstbier, 402.489.7545 or e-mail rdien [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

We are no longer the alternative; we are the imperative.