HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS . . . Elena Dodd, Vermont playwright/actress, returns to Nebraska presenting her one-woman show “Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.” In LINCOLN Monday, April 13, 2009, 7:00pm, First-Plymouth Church Chapel, 2000 D Street, her performance opens with local a cappella trio Baby Needs Shoes. Dodd will also be interviewed on Lincoln Community Radio Station KZUM, 89.3fm, Saturday, April 18, 8:00 to 9:00am.

MALCOLM X HALL OF FAME BENEFIT DINNER . . . As part of the Eighth Annual Malcolm X Festival and Conference at the University of Nebraska-Omaha, the Hall of Fame Benefit Dinner will be Monday, April 13, 2009, 6:30 TO 8:00pm at Thompson Alumni Center, UN-O, 6705 Dodge Street, OMAHA. A pre-event banquet at the William H. and Dorothy Thompson Alumni Center will feature actor Meshach Taylor and actress Anna Maria Horsford. For more information call Sharif Liwaru, 402.590.7526, or e-mail info [at] malcolmxfoundation [dot] org.

MALCOLM X FESTIVAL AND CONFERENCE . . . Tuesday April 14, 6:00 TO 9:00pm, the Malcolm X Festival and Conference, “An Inaugural Ride to Freedom – Legacy of a People, A Movement, A Mission” will be held at the Great Escape Movie Theatre, 7440 Crown Point Avenue, OMAHA. There is an admission fee. Contact Felicia Dailey, 402.554.2412, for more information.

SOLAR ENERGY EXPERT IN NEBRASKA . . . International solar energy expert Richard Komp,  Executive Director of Skyheat Associates, will present the following Earth Day related events:   MONDAY, April 13, 7:00-8:30pm, Public lecture, First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street, OMAHA.   TUESDAY, April 14, 9:40-11:40am, Marrs Magnet Center, 5619 South 19 Street, OMAHA, teaching children how to make solar panel kits.  TUESDAY, April 14, 6:30-9:00pm, Public lecture at The Pizza Shoppe and Pub, 6056 Maple Street, OMAHA.  WEDNESDAY, April 15, 7:00-8:15pm, Reception for Engineers and Architects, discussion following, room 252, PKI, 1110 South 67 Street, OMAHA.  SATURDAY, April 18, Noon-6:00pm – Earth Day OMAHA, Elmwood Park, 808 South 60th Street.  SUNDAY, April 19, Noon-5:00pm – Earth Day LINCOLN, UN-L City Campus, 12th & R Streets.

PROJECT CENSORED SPEAKER IN LINCOLN . . . Mickey Huff, author and Associate Professor of History and Critical Thinking at Diablo Valley College in California, will be at Indigo Bridge Books in the Haymarket’s Creamery Building, 701 P Street,  Lincoln, on Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 3:00-5:00pm. Huff will discuss his co-authored book, Censored 2009, and sign books following the discussion. Check Out Project Censored TV and Radio here.

WEB STRATEGIST IN LINCOLN . . . Internet strategist Joaquin Alvarado will speak about Nebraska’s role in US efforts to improve the speed and capacity of the Internet on Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16, 2009 in Lincoln. April 15, he will be at the Great Plains Study, 1155 Q Street, 2:30pm. On April 16, at 9:30am, he will speak in the NET Board Room, 1800 North 33rd Street. His talks are free and open to the public.

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 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. 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, 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. The film this week is I Am An Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA.  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.

BLACKS IN FILM FESTIVAL . . . The African American and African Studies Program and the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln are sponsoring the second bi-annual Blacks in Film Festival, “REAL TO REEL: Documenting Empowerment, Equality, Inclusion,” Thursday, April 16 through Monday, April 20, 2009 at The Ross, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln. The festival will feature Mo & Me filmmaker Salim Amin;  What We Want, What We Believe: The Black Panther Party filmmaker Roz Payne; and Author T.J. Desch-Obi. Click here for more information. All screenings are free and open to the public. A Panel or discussion will follow each film.  There will also be a Black Panther and COINTELPRO exhibit at Ben Jones’s Studio, 1410 O Street (upstairs, #25), Lincoln.

LINCOLN BIONEERS COMMUNITY . . . Lincoln Bioneers will meet Thursday, April 16, 2009, 7:00pm, at Meadowlark Coffee, 1624 South Street. The dvd this month will be Greg Watson – Twelve Degrees of Freedom: Lessons Learned from Thirty-Five Years of Environmental Activism.  A community discussion will follow the film.

EARTH DAY IN OMAHA . . . An Omaha Earth Day Festival in Elmwood Park, 808 South 60th Street, will be Saturday, April 18, 2009, noon to 8:00pm. The free event will feature family friendly booths, hands-on exhibitions, displays, music and food.

NATURE’S MARKET . . .  There will be a Nature’s Market at Pioneers Park Nature Center on Saturday, April 18, 2009, starting at 9:00am.  At 9:30am, twenty-five Artistic Rain Barrels will be up for live auction.  There will be a chain saw carving demonstration at 10:30am, the String Beans will perform live at 11:00am, there will be a silent auction with more than 60 items from local donors, and lunch on the grill from Russ’s Market.  Kids craft projects will be ongoing from 9:00am to 1:00pm.

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE COLLECTIONS . . . The first Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department unwanted chemicals collection is Saturday, April 18, 2009, 9:00am to 1:00pm at State Fair Park’s 4-H Youth Complex. Find a list of accepted items here.  The event is for households, not businesses. For more information about local recycling, call 441-8021 or click here (keyword: household).

SHRED DAY . . . The third annual Shred Day is Sunday, April 19, 2009, in conjunction with Earth Day in Lincoln. For details about where to bring items for “certified document destruction,” click here.  WasteCap Nebraska is also offering electronics recycling collection from 1:00 to 5:00pm on April 19 at the Recycling Enterprises site, 6100 North 70th Street. For electronics recycling costs and information contact Kari Rohren, 402.474.7376.

CLEANUP MINI-GRANTS AVAILABLE . . . Keep Lincoln & Lancaster County Beautiful is offering mini-grants as an incentive for cleaning up litter to improve the local environment. Click here  for details about the incentives program. Click here www.lincoln.ne.gov (Keyword: KLLCB) for online applications.

A GRASSLAND DANCE . . . Sunday, April 19, 2009, there will be a field trip to Burchard Lake Wildlife Management Area east of Beatrice, Nebraska. To caravan, meet at the Wachiska Audubon office parking lot, 46th & Calvert Streets, Lincoln, 4:15am. For more information, phone John Carlini, Field Trip Guide, at 475.7275.

EARTH DAY 2009 IN LINCOLN . . . “Energy–A Time for Action,” Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration, will be Sunday, April 19, 2009, 1:00 to 5:00pm, at UN-L City Campus, 12th & R Streets. Special Guest Presenter: International solar energy expert Richard Komp. For more information, e-mail lincolnearthday [at] gmail [dot] com.

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