LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Monday, March 16, 2009 is the registration deadline for a League of Women Voters’ Lunch and Learn event, March 19th, featuring Senator Kathy Campbell and former Senator DiAnna Schimek. They will discuss the question “Why Don’t More Women Run for Public Office?” Open to the public, the luncheon begins at noon on the 20th floor of the US Bank Building, 13th & M Streets, Lincoln. There is a fee. For more information and to rsvp, contact the League office at 402.475.1411, or e-mail lwv-ne [at] inebraska [dot] com.

WAGE PEACE AT OMAHA CROSSROADS . . . War Is Not Green! This month marks the 7th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq. Palestinian homes are still being destroyed on the West Bank. There is still a separation wall. More US troops are going to Afghanistan. US drones are bombing Pakistan. In Omaha, join members of UN-O Nebraskans for Peace, the UN-O Ecology Club, and unaffiliated peace wagers on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 2009, 11:30am to 1:00pm, at the 72nd & Dodge Streets intersection for a “Go Green! Stop War!” peace demonstration. Signs will be provided. For more information, e-mail c [dot] ing [dot] the [dot] light [at] gmail [dot] com, or phone Candella at 712.520.4298.

“CANNABIS IS SAFER THAN ALCOHOL” . . . The Cannabis Team Omaha/SAFER will host a peaceful display of how Cannabis sativa is much less dangerous than alcohol on Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 12:00 noon to 1:00 or 2:00pm at the Courthouse, 17th and Farnam Streets in Omaha. Organizers are “unhappy that people are penalized for choosing to use a substance that is no serious threat to a person’s body or to society.” They “chose St. Patrick’s Day to demonstrate because of the large amounts of alcohol that will be proudly consumed.” Click here for action alert information.

EARTH DAY PLANNING . . . The next planning meeting for Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration is Tuesday, March 17, 5:30-7:00pm, at the Lincoln Community Foundation Building, 215 Centennial Mall South, 5th floor conference room. Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here.  To sign up for a booth, sponsorship, or volunteer, click here.  For more information, e-mail lincolnearthday [at] gmail [dot] com, or phone Eva Sohl, 402.326.1375.

FRIENDS OF WILDERNESS PARK PANEL . . . Tuesday, March 17, 2009, 7:00-9:00pm, Kay Young, Robert Klein, and “Farmer Bill” Hawkins will hold a panel discussion on “How To Grow Native Plants In Your Own Yard” at the FWP monthly meeting in Lefler Middle School’s library, 1100 South 48th Street, Lincoln. Learn about the benefits and satisfaction of landscaping homes, schools, businesses and places of worship with native plants and grasses. The meeting and panel are free and open to the public. For more information contact Mike Carlin by phone at 402.420.9092, or e-mail mcarlin [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

PRIMARY CANDIDATE DEBATES . . . The League of Women Voters of Lincoln-Lancaster County Primary Candidates debates will be Tuesday, March 17, 2009. The series of five debates featuring candidates on the ballot for the spring elections will run from 2:45pm to 9:00pm in the Bevins Family Life Center on the main floor of Saint Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M Street, Lincoln. CITY-TV (Time Warner Cable channel 5) also will tape the debates for rebroadcast. All races are nonpartisan. Click here for complete schedule information. The primary is April 7th and the general election is May 5th.

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. This week’s film is Southern Comfort.  The event is always free and open to the public. Food and drink is available. A lively discussion follows each showing. For more information, click here. The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

LINCOLN BIONEERS COMMUNITY . . . The 30-minute Winona LaDuke DVD “Seeds the Creator Gave Us” will be shown at the next Lincoln Bioneers meeting, Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:00-8:30pm, at Meadowlark Coffee, 1624 South Street. LaDuke, former Green Party Vice Presidential candidate, spoke about creating a “green economy” at Un-L on March 3rd. Click here to read local newspaper coverage. A Community Discussion will follow showing of the DVD. All are welcome at the free event.

GANDHI SYMPOSIUM . . . Registration deadline for the twelfth annual UN-O School of Social Work Gandhi Award and Symposium is Friday, March 20, 2009. “Restorative Justice: What It Is, Why It Works, How It Applies to Practice” will be Friday, April 3, 2009 at Thompson Alumni Center, 6705 Dodge Street. There is a fee. Longtime Omaha peace activist Peg Fitzgerald Gallagher will receive the Gandhi Award at a 12:15pm luncheon with Keynote, “Advocacy for the Poor in Spirit: Vignettes from a Poor Person,” by A’Jamal Byndon. Click here for information about the event and speakers.

SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS SYMPOSIUM . . . Thursday, March 26, 2009, regional and national known speakers will cover topics such as economic viability and sustainability, development site and water decisions, energy conservation in designs and methods, indoor environments with material uses and compositions, and community ordinances, building standards and applications within the built environment. At the Gearing Civic Center, Gering, Nebraska, The Symposium is for anyone interested in learning more about sustainability. The registration fee provides a flash drive with all presentations making this a paperless conference. REGISTRATION CLOSES FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2009. For more information and to register by phone, call Jennifer Rogers, Panhandle RC&D, 308.632.1311. Click here to register online.

RIVERS AND WILDLIFE CELEBRATION . . . The 39th annual crane migration spectacle will be celebrated Friday through Sunday, March 20-22, 2009, at the Kearney, Nebraska Holiday Inn. Speakers include Pete Dunne, author and renowned birder, and Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer from Nebraska. The main attraction will be 500,000 Sandhill Cranes. Click here for a conference brochure and online registration. For more information phone 402.797.2301.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS MONTHLY MEETING . . . This month’s CNPW meeting is Sunday, March 22, 2009, 3:00pm, at Trinity United Methodist Church, 511 North Elm Street, Grand Island, Nebraska. Greens and all peace workers welcome. For more information, contact Mena Sprague, mine71 [at] hughes [dot] net.

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