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Green Notes Week of April 19, 2009

Green Notes

LINCOLN CANDIDATES DEBATES . . . The League of Women Voters of Lincoln-Lancaster County will host four debates for candidates on the ballot in the May 5 general election from 4:15 to 8:00pm, Monday April 20, 2009, in the Bevins Family Life Center of St. Paul United Methodist Church, 1144 M Street, Lincoln. Click here for a schedule of the debates. Click here for bios and Q&A with candidates.

VOTE EARLY . . . Early/absentee voting for the May 5 Lincoln City General Election begins Monday, April 20, 2009. An early/absentee ballot request form is available here.  To vote early by mail, fill out the form and return it to the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s Office, 601 North 46 Street, Lincoln, NE 68503. Or call the election office before 4:00pm April 29, 441.7311, and have an early/absentee ballot request form mailed or faxed. Voters also can vote early in person at 601 North 46th, Monday through Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.

RENEWABLE ENERGY & NEBRASKA’S FUTURE . . . Monday, April 20, 2009, a new documentary produced by students of the UN-L College of Journalism & Mass Communications, “Renewable Energy & Nebraska’s Future,” will premiere at the Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center, 313 North 13th Street, Lincoln. There will be a 6:30pm pre-screening discussion with students behind the project. The film will be followed by an 8:00pm conversation about renewable energy with Congressman Jeff Fortenberry.

HUMAN RIGHTS AWARENESS . . . Elena Dodd, Vermont playwright/actress, continues her Nebraska tour presenting a one-woman show “Eleanor Roosevelt and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights” on Monday, April 20, 7:00pm at Doane College, Sheldon Hall, CRETE; Thursday, April 23, 1:30-2:30pm at the Nebraska Supreme Court, 2nd floor of the state capitol building, LINCOLN (public performance); and Saturday, April 25, 10:00am, at the Holiday Inn, 9th & O Streets, LINCOLN, followed by a noon lunch. For lunch reservations, phone Bob Haller, 402.488.4258, or e-mail mshortt [at] inebraska [dot] com.

SOLAR ENERGY OUTREACH . . . International solar energy expert Richard Komp,  Executive Director, Skyheat Associates, continues to bring solar energy education to Nebraska at the following OMAHA events: TUESDAY, April 21, Noon and 1:00pm – Two, one-hour “edutainment” lectures at the UNO Milo Bail Student Center, hosted by UNO’s Maverick Productions.TUESDAY, April 21, 7:00-9:00pm – Public lecture at El Museo Latino, 4701 South 25 Street. WEDNESDAY, April 22, 7:00-9:00pm – Progressive Omaha Film Group, McFoster’s Natural Kind Café, 38th and Harney.  THURSDAY, April 23, 6-9:30pm – Public lecture at King Science Center, 3720 Florence Blvd., with the Omaha Astronomy Club. Viewing on football field after lecture. FRIDAY, April 24, 6:30-9:00pm – Public lecture, Lewis & Clark Jr. High School, 6901 Burt. SATURDAY, April 25, 9:00am-4:30pm – Energy education seminar and public outreach at Beveridge Magnet Center, 1616 South 120 Street.

LINCOLN CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FORUM . . . Wachiska Audubon, the Bluestem Group of Sierra Club, Friends of Wilderness Park, and the Nebraska League of Conservation Voters will co-sponsor a forum for City Council candidates in the May election on Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 7:00pm, at the Lincoln Unitarian Church, 6300 A Street. The public is invited to participate and to submit questions at the forum, or in advance to Mike Carlin, mcarlin [at] neb [dot] rr [dot] com.

POISONED WATERS . . . FRONTLINE examines the rising hazards to human health and the ecosystem in a new documentary, “Poisoned Waters,” Tuesday, April 21, 2009, from 8:00 to 10:00pm Central Time, on PBS. View a trailer here.

ENERGY STIMULUS PROGRAMS . . . Informational sessions on Nebraska energy assistance programs will be held from Tuesday, April 21 through Thursday, April 23, 2009 in Scottsbluff, Kearney and Ashland, Nebraska. Click here for times and location details.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION AT WESLEYAN . . . Greens will host a table at the Nebraska Wesleyan University Earth Day celebration Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 10:00am to 1:00pm. The Celebration will be located between the Story Student Center and the Smith Curtis Administration Building at NWU. Contact Environmental Action’s Heather Bearnes by phone at 402.360.1482, or e-mail hbearnes [at] nebrwesleyan [dot] edu for more information.

LINCOLN GREEN DRINKS . . . Green Drinks, the international social network of environmentally interested activists and friends, will meet in Lincoln Wednesday, April 22, 2009, from 5:30pm to close, at Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill, 210 North 7th Street, in the Haymarket. Green Drinks is now active in 488 cities worldwide.

THE ELEVENTH HOUR . . . Leonardo DiCaprio’s “The 11th Hour” is a documentary concerning Our environmental crises. The 11th Hour is the last moment when change is possible. The film will be shown in Lincoln on Earth Day, Wednesday, April 22, 2009, 7:30 and 9:30pm, at the former State Theater, now Bourbon Theater, 1415 O Street. View the trailer here.

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 event will feature solar energy expert Richard Komp. 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 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 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 at 402.426.9068.

“BORDERLANDS PROTECTION” . . . For over ten years, the United States government has implemented a border policy that is resulting in destruction of unique habitat along the US/Mexican border. Omaha Sierra Club will meet Thursday, April 23, 2009, 7:00pm, at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets, to view the short film Wild vs. Wall.  Following the film, questions and concerns will be discussed with Omaha native Sean Sullivan, Chair of the Sierra Club Borderlands Team. The program is free and open to the public. For more information, phone Mary Green at 556.1830, or e-mail mary [dot] green [at] nebraska [dot] sierraclub [dot] org.

EARTH DAY AT UN-L . . . The UNL annual Earth Day Festival will be Friday, April 24, 2009, 10:00am to 5:00pm on the green space north of the City Campus Union. In case of rain, space has been reserved inside the Union. The goal of the Festival is to educate about environmental issues and celebrate The Earth. Stop by the Nebraska Green Party table and introduce yourself!

NETWORK WITH NONPROFIT LEADERS . . . The Nonprofit Association of the Midlands presents “Connect. Promote. Strengthen. A Nonprofits Guide to Building Capacity,” from 9:00 to 11:00am, Friday, April 24, 2009 at the Lincoln Community Foundation, 215 Centennial Mall South, #100, Lincoln. For details, click here.

RETURNED PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS MEET IN LINCOLN . . . Friday, April 24, 2009, returned Peace Corps volunteers will meet at 7:30pm for dinner at The Bread and Cup, on the corner of 8th & S Streets in Lincoln’s Haymarket, 440 North 8th, Suite 150. The dinner is open to all for discussion of current events and Green politics. For more information, or to carpool from Omaha, e-mail bobbygoetschkes [at] hotmail [dot] com, or phone 402.326.1775.

OMAHA EARTH DAY . . . The Omaha Earth Day Festival in Elmwood Park, 808 South 60th Street, will be Saturday, April 25, 2009, noon to 8:00pm. The event was rescheduled because of weather. The free Festival will feature family-friendly booths, exhibitions, displays, music and food.

AWAKENING THE DREAMER SYMPOSIUM . . . Click here to watch a four minute video about this “Symposium designed to accelerate the Great Turning to a just and sustainable world.” Participants are invited to “reconnect with their deep concern for Our world, and are empowered to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on Earth,” Saturday, April 25, 2009, 9:00am to 1:00pm, at Unity Church of Omaha, 3424 North 90th Street. For more information, click here.

ACLU ANNUAL . . . The 2009 ACLU Nebraska Annual Dinner will be Saturday, April 25, 6:00pm, at the Holiday Inn Downtown, 141 North Ninth Street, Lincoln.  Keynote Speaker will be Lucas Guttentag, founding national director of the Immigrants’ Rights Project. Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest will receive the Roger Baldwin Civil Libertarian of the Year Award, Christy Abraham will receive the Robert M. Spire Founders Service Award, and Nelson Potter will receive the Defender of the Bill of Rights Award. For reservations, phone 402.476.8091, or e-mail mmoslander [at] aclunebraska [dot] org by Friday, April 24th.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS MONTHLY MEETING . . . This month’s regular CNPW meeting is Sunday, April 26, 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.

INTERNATIONAL SEED DAY . . . The Green Party endorses International Seeds Day, (pdf) Sunday, April 26, 2009, calling for the repeal of Order 81 making Iraqi farmers dependent on US firms. ISD, organized by the Institute of Near Eastern & African Studies, will educate the public and media about the importance of biodiversity and seed saving; the dangers of genetically modified food and patent seeds; the ruinous effect of Order 81 on Iraqi agriculture; and the growing resistance to the power of giant agribusinesses over seed resources. The Green Party supports the right of farmers to save their own seeds and preserve the heritage that farmers have developed over thousands of years to sustain human populations. Greens support protection for small farms, farmers’ markets, and organically and locally grown produce in the US and around the world. The Green Party opposes genetic modification of organisms used for food and supports legislation to protect the public from threats to biodiversity from seed stocks created by corporations. • “The First 100 Days: What Would a Green Administration Look Like?” Click here for video and text.

PALESTINE FOCUS . . . A noon potluck benefit to help support Christian Peacemaker Team member Jessica Frederick will be Sunday, April 26, 2009, at the Mennonite church, 7300 Holdrege Street, Lincoln. At 10:45am, Dr. Gordon Brubacher will speak on Occupied Palestine from his academic and personal experiences in the area. Following the noon meal, Jessica will update her work with CPT. Lincoln Palestinians Sam and Fay Ismail will also be part of the discussion. Click here for details.

SPRING ON THE PRAIRIE . . . Sunday, April 26, 2009, 1:00 to 5:00pm, Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center will host an Open House and walks through the prairie’s trails. Light refreshments will be served in the Center.

LEDGES STATE PARK DAY HIKE . . . Sunday, April 26, 2009, there will be an organized day hike at Ledges State Park near the Des Moines River. The hike will cover a mix of prairie and woodlands, starting near Inspiration Point. Carpools can be arranged. E-mail Bob Goetschkes, bobbygoetschkes [at] hotmail [dot] com, or phone 402.614.4788 for more information and to rsvp.

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

 

Green Notes Week of April 12, 2009

Green Notes

International expert Richard Komp brings solar energy education to Nebraska April 13 through April 28, 2009 for Earth Day events. See schedule below.

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

Green Notes Week of April 5, 2009

Green Notes

OMAHA COMMUNITY CONVERSATION . . . “Women’s Health and Racial Justice: A Prescription for Success” is the topic of a Community Conversation Monday, April 6, 2009, 7:00 to 9:00pm at the Nebraska Urban Indian Health Coalition,  2240 Landon Court. The conversation is part of a Series on Racial Justice.

PRIMARY ELECTION DAY . . . Tuesday, April 7, 2009, 8:00am to 8:00pm, please vote in local Primary Elections at your polling place. Click here to find a sample ballot for the Lincoln primary (pdf). Click here for a Douglas County sample ballot (pdf). Candidate and polling place information for Douglas County is here;  for Lancaster County, click here.  In Lincoln, you can also vote Monday, April 4th, at the Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s office, 601 North 46th Street.

PEACE FEST AT DANA COLLEGE . . . Tuesday April 7, 2009, 10:00am, through Thursday, April 9, Dana College in BLAIR will host Peace Fest 2009. Workshops begin with Tim Rinne, State coordinator of Nebraskans For Peace speaking on StratCom:  The Most Dangerous Place on the Face of the Earth, and concluding April 9 at 10:00am with Sr. Maryann Klostermann speaking on Alternatives to Violence. Many other speakers will present! For a Schedule of workshops, click here.

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 at 426.9068.

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.

WACHISKA AUDUBON ANNUAL POTLUCK . . . The Wachiska Audubon  annual awards program and potluck will be Wednesday, April 8, 2009, beginning at 6:15pm. The event will be held at Van Dorn Villa 3001 South 51 Street, Lincoln. This year’s Earthkeeper Award will be presented to Lincoln environmental activist Foster Collins. Following dinner and awards, Alan C. Kamil, director of the School of Biological Sciences and George Holmes Professor of Biological Sciences and Psychology at Un-L, will speak on the cognitive abilities of birds.

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 Don’t Call Me A Saint.  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.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA MEETING . . . Saturday, April 11, 2009, 6:00 to 9:00pm, Progressive Omaha  will meet at 4924 Chicago, (the corner of 50th and Chicago) in Omaha’s Dundee neighborhood. A potluck will be from 6:00-7:00pm. The guest speaker at 8:000pm will be Tristan Bonn, former Public Safety Auditor, addressing the current status of a Public Safety Auditor ordinance, and other City issues. Progressive Omaha is an organization that provides information, education and support to progressive people and groups through website outreach, speakers bureau, a weekly film festival, calendar of events, and monthly meetings.  All are welcome.

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

Green Notes Week of March 29, 2009

Green Notes

2009 PEACEMAKING WORKSHOP . . . Friday, April 3 and Saturday April 4, the “2009 Peacemaking Workshop” will be held in Lincoln. Anna Baltzer will speak at Nebraska Wesleyan University’s Miller Lab Theater, just off Huntington Avenue between 51st and 52nd Streets, 1:00pm, Friday, April 3, and deliver the keynote address, "Life in Occupied Palestine: Eyewitness Stories and Photos," 7:00pm, at 1st United Methodist Church, 50th & St. Paul Avenue.  The  workshop will continue Saturday morning, April 4, 8:30am, at 1st Mennonite Church, 7300 Holdrege Street, with Baltzer presenting "The Next Step: Taking Action for Peace with Justice in Israel/Palestine!" All events are free and the public is invited. Click here for more information.

LINCOLN BEYOND WAR RALLY AND MARCH. . . Saturday, April 4, 2009, "Beyond War: A New Economy is Possible," the sixth annual protest of occupation in Iraq, will begin at 12:30pm on the north side of the state capitol building. There will be an organized march to the UN-L Student Union, where Steve Larrick will talk about Martin Luther King Jr’s Beyond Vietnam speech of April 4, 1967. Also the date of Dr. King’s assassination, the rally will focus on the societal problems King emphasized: militarism, racism, social and economic injustice.

2009 PEACEMAKING WORKSHOP PREPARATION . . . Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American writer and peaceworker documenting human rights abuses and supporting non-violent direct action in the West Bank will speak at a noon lunch in the Hastings College Cafeteria, HASTINGS, Nebraska, Wednesday, April 1, 2009. That night at 7:00pm, she will give a Sermon at the Lenten Service, First St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Hastings. Thursday, April 2, Anna will appear at Doane College Whitcomb Lee Conservatory, Room 240, 3:00pm, in CRETE.  Anna’s Eyewitness Reports from Palestine: Stories & Photographs document human rights abuses in her work with the International Women’s Peace Service.  Thursday, April 2, 4:35pm, Anna will be spotlighted in an interview with Susan Risinger on WJAG 780AM and 105.9FM Radio. Live streams at www.wjag.com and www.kexl.com. Nebraska appearances are in conjunction with the 2009 Peacemaking Workshop in Lincoln, Friday, April 3 and Saturday April 4. Monday, April 6, Anna will speak at 3:30pm in the Hacks Landing Room at the Student Center, North East Nebraska Community College, NORFOLK. There will be a 6:15pm pot luck at Christ Lutheran Church in Norfolk followed by Anna’s presentation of “Life in Occupied Palestine.”

OMAHA’S WATER SUPPLY ON AGENDA . . . Tuesday, March 31, 2009, 7:00pm, former State Senator Don Preister will convene a public information meeting to address the issue of toxic ground water moving toward Omaha’s water supply in the Platte River. The open community conversation will be at the VFW Hall, 102 South 24th Street, ASHLAND, Nebraska.

2009 GRASSLAND FOUNDATION LECTURE . . . The Grassland Foundation’s 4th Annual Grassland Conservation & Sustainable Communities Lecture “Global Developments in Private Conservation: Do They Apply to the Northern Great Plains?” will be presented by Jeffrey Langholz of the Monterey Institute of International Studies on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. A 3:00pm reception will be followed by the lecture with Q & A from 3:30 to 5:00pm. The annual lecture is free and open to the public.

THE BATTLE FOR WHITECLAY . . . A new Mark Vasina documentary, The Battle for Whiteclay, will be shown Wednesday, April 1, 2009, 4:00-7:00pm, at Hixson-Lied Auditorium in the Harper Center, Creighton University, OMAHA. The screening will be followed by Q&A with Frank LaMere and filmmaker Vasina. For more information, contact Rhonda Kodad, rkodad [at] creighton [dot] edu, or phone 402.280.2079. April 7, 6:00-9:00pm, LaMere and Vasina will appear for a screening at the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska Headquarters, 1800 Syracuse Avenue, NORFOLK, Nebraska, followed by Q&A.

CHILD WELFARE CONFERENCE . . . Social workers, providers and therapists are invited to the first annual Child Welfare Conference, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 at the University of Nebraska-Kearney Student Union, 1013 West 27th Street, KEARNEY, Nebraska. For details, e-mail stuehmnj [at] unk [dot] edu,or phone 308.865.8738.

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 Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soapbox.  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.

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.

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.

LEAVE NO CHILD INSIDE . . . Bestselling author and journalist Richard Louv, Chairman of the Child and Nature Network, will speak at Countryside Community United Church of Christ, 8787 Pacific Street, OMAHA, on Thursday, April 2, 2009, 7:00pm. “Leave No Child Inside: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder,” will be the keynote address of Radical Amazement: The Spirituality of Childhood Conference April 2-3.  Click here for the entire brochure and complete ticket information or contact Cyndi Kugler, 402.391.0350 x121.

BIONEERS MEETING . . . Lincoln Bioneers will meet Thursday, April 2, 2009. Everyone is invited to a potluck before the meeting at 6:00pm. Phone 489.8669 for directions to the home of Carol Smith. Details for a Bioneers Earth Day booth will be worked out, and a spring/summer scheduled for meetings will be discussed.

GANDHI SYMPOSIUM . . . The twelfth annual UN-O School of Social Work Gandhi Award and Symposium, “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, ONAHA. 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.

LEED CERTIFIED BUILDING TOUR . . . Friday, April 3, 2009, 6:00 to 8:00pm, the public is invited to tour The Sawmill Building, a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) space on the corner of 8th and S Streets in Lincoln’s Haymarket. The environmentally-friendly building tour is being offered by the Building & Design Task Group of Lincoln Green by Design.

LABOR CONFERENCE: PROMOTING THE GENERAL WELFARE . . . The Tenth Annual Labor Studies Conference will be Saturday, April 4, 2009, 9:00am to 5:00pm, at the University of Nebraska-Omaha Milo Bail Student Center, 6001 Dodge Street. Same day registration starts at 8:00am. To pre-register phone 402.595.2344.

INDIAN CAVES OVERNIGHT BACKPACK TRIP . . . Indian Cave State Park is a pristine area devoted to camping, hiking and backpacking, with 3,052 rugged acres bordering the Missouri River. Hikers on the organized trip will backpack about five miles Saturday, and five miles Sunday, April 4-5, 2009. Contact John Calandra, hike leader, johndcal [at] cox [dot] net, or phone 402.991.8314 for more details and to rsvp.

There is WALK-IN VOTING NOW for the April 7, 2009 PRIMARY ELECTION, Lancaster County Election Commissioner’s office, 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln.

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

 

Green Notes Week of March 22, 2009

Green Notes

ANNA BALTZER ON KZUM . . . Anna Baltzer, a Jewish American writer and peaceworker documenting human rights abuses and supporting non-violent direct action in the West Bank, will be the guest Saturday, March 28, 2009, 8:30am, on KZUM community radio, 89.3fm. Anna will keynote the “2009 Peacemaking Workshop” Friday April 3, 2009, 7:00pm, in Lincoln. See next week’s Green Notes for Anna’s Nebraska itinerary.

BIONEER AT NEBRASKA WESLEYAN . . . Dave Foreman,  "Godfather" of EcoAction, Founder of Earth First!, and Director of The Rewilding Institute, will present the Fetzer Lecture on Thursday, March 26, 2009, 1:00 to 4:00pm at Nebraska Wesleyan Olin B Lecture Hall in the Olin Hall of Science, 51st Street and St. Paul Avenue, Lincoln. "Rewilding North America" is the title of his lecuture. For a map of campus, click here.

CESAR CHAVEZ CELEBRATION . . . Presentation of the documentary “We The People: An American Dream and Nightmare,” will be part of the Cesar Chavez Celebration at UN-L on Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 6:00pm at the Student Union Heritage Room, 15th & R Streets, Lincoln. The film will be followed by a panel discussion. Free and open to the public.

PANEL DISCUSSION ON DEATH PENALTY LEGISLATION . . . Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 7:30pm, there will be a panel with State Senator Brenda Council, J. Kirk Brown, Nebraska Solicitor General, and NADP board member Josh Cramer discussing LB 36 and LB 306, the state’s proposed death penalty legislation. Sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha, political science honor society, the panel will be at the Nebraska Student Union Auditorium, 15th & R Streets, Lincoln. Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty vigil every Monday, noon to 1:00pm, in front of the governor’s mansion, 1425 H Street, in Lincoln. For more information, phone the NADP office at 402.477.7787.

COMMUNITY-BASED ENERGY DEVELOPMENT . . . “The Devil is in the Details” lecture series, sponsored in part by the Nebraska League of Conservation Voters, will examine energy topics in depth to provide citizens and lawmakers with accurate, timely information from experts in the energy industry. Tuesday, March 24, 2009, at 7:00pm, “How Nebraska Builds Wind” will be presented by Dan Juhl, Chairman and CEO of Juhl Wind Inc., at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln East Campus, Hardin Hall Auditorium 107. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Eva Sohl at 402.438.9341, or esohl [at] nlcv [dot] ogr.

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.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS VIGIL . . . The monthly CNPW Vigil for Peace is Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:00pm, at State Street and Webb Road in GRAND ISLAND. Join Greens and Peace Workers for a few minutes, or for the hour from 5:00 to 6:00pm.

OMAHA GREEN DRINKS . . . Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 5:30pm to close, Omaha Green Drinks, an informal, self-organizing environmental interest network will meet at Whole Foods Market, 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by the restaurant seating area, across from the coffee bar. Everyone interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks now meet in 437 cities worldwide. For questions or further information, phone Jean Waters at 402.554.6259, or e-mail jwaters [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

“ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: PATH TO CITIZENSHIP?” . . . Wednesday, March 25, 2009, the EN Thompson Forum on World Issues will present The Charles and Linda Wilson Dialogue on Domestic Issues at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, 301 North 12th Street, Lincoln, 7:00pm. In the second annual Wilson Dialogue, Dr. Michael Olivas, William B. Bates Distinguished Chair of Law at the University of Houston, and Dr. Vernon Briggs, Professor Emeritus in the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, will discuss the issue of a path to citizenship as a means of immigration reform. For free ticket information, click here. Available live on the web, Lincoln cable channel 21 or channel 5, NETSAT 104, UNL campus channel 8 and UNL KRNU radio 90.3 FM.

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 film this week is Lackawanna Blues. 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.

SUSTAINABLE DECISIONS SYMPOSIUM . . . Thursday, March 26, 2009, regional and nationally known speakers will cover topics such as economic viability and sustainability, development site and water decisions, energy conservation in designs and methods, and building standards/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 Monday, March 23rd, 2009. For more information and to register by phone, call Jennifer Rogers, Panhandle RC&D, 308.632.1311, or to register online, click here.

BICYCLING AS COMMUTING . . . The OMAHA Sierra Club will meet Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:00pm at First United Methodist Church, 69th & Cass Streets. (Enter north doors.) The program, “Bicycling as Commuting,” will feature leaders with Activate Omaha and Bikeable Communities discussing bicycling as a means of commuting that will cut your carbon footprint, provide more physical exercise, reduce traffic congestion, and help reduce our collective dependence on foreign oil. The speakers are avid cyclists working to make Omaha a “bicycle friendly community.” For more information about the free meeting, open to the public, contact Mary Green, 402.556.1830, or mary [dot] green [at] nebraska [dot] sierraclub [dot]org.

DARWIN CONFERENCE TALK . . . Thursday, March 26, 2009, 7:00pm, University of Minnesota professor Randy Moore will present “The Creationist Down the Hall: The Extent and Impact of Teaching Evolution and Creationism in Public Schools” at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Lincoln. Moore is the author of Evolution in the Courtroom: A Reference Guide.

EARTH HOUR . . . Saturday, March 28, 2009, 8:30 to 9:30pm, millions of people will turn out their lights for one hour to make a statement of concern about our planet and climate change. Earth Hour is a global event sponsored by World Wildlife Fund. More than 250 cities in 74 countries have agreed to take part this year, including Atlanta, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami and Nashville in the US; Moscow, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Shanghai and Mexico City. Anyone can participate. Click here to watch a 3:13 minute YouTube video about the history of this worldwide unity event.

PREPARING LINCOLN BEYOND WAR RALLY . . . “Beyond War: A New Economy is Possible,” the sixth annual protest of occupation in Iraq, will begin at 12:30pm, Saturday, April 4, 2009, on the west side of the state capitol building. There will be an organized march to the UN-L Student Union, where Steve Larrick will speak about Martin Luther King Jr’s Beyond Vietnam speech of April 4, 1967. Also the date of Dr. King’s assassination, the rally will focus on taking a stand against the societal problems King emphasized: militarism, racism, social and economic injustice. HELP MAKE SIGNS FOR THE EVENT Saturday, March 28th, 3:00pm, at the studio of Ben Jones, above Duffys Tavern, 1412 O Street, Lincoln.

CRANE CARNIVAL . . . The Fourth Annual Family Crane Carnival at Rowe Sanctuary, will be Saturday, March 28 and Sunday March 29, 2009, 10:00am to 4:00pm. Learn about sandhill cranes with your family. Highlighted activities include Crane Jep-Birdie; Bird Bingo; Crane Dancing Lessons; walk and talk with Candi Crane; lunch at the Crane Cafe; Face Painting; a Crane Photo Wall; and more. The event is free to the public. For more information call (308) 468-5282.

CRANEFEST . . . The Annual Minden, Nebraska Cranefest will continue through Sunday, March 29, 2009. Art displays are featured at several Minden businesses, there are trivia and treasure hunt contests, and crane dances. A “Feathered Friends Finale” will be 4:00 to 7:00pm on March 29th at Burchell’s White Hill Farmhouse Inn.

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

Green Notes Week of March 15, 2009

Green Notes

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

Green Notes Week of March 8, 2009

Green Notes

FULL-MOON HIKE . . . A Bellevue Loop Full-Moon Hike will be Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 7:00 to9:00pm. An easy, accessible section of the Keystone Trail,  part of Omaha’s growing trial network, the Bellevue Loop runs along the Missouri River and Big Papillion Creek with views of farmland, timber, and the horizon. Meet at the Haworth Park trailhead parking lot, Highway 370 and Payne Drive, Bellevue NE, 6:50pm. For more information, and to rsvp, contact Ronda Nelson, pinoakrd [at] msn [dot] com. Day Phone: 402.829.1545, home phone: 712.566.2919.

EARTH DAY PLANNING . . . The next planning meeting for “A Time for Action,” Lincoln’s Earth Day Celebration, is Tuesday, March 3, 5:30-7:00pm, at the Lincoln Community Foundation Building, 215 Centennial Mall South, 5th floor conference room. 2009 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here,  and get involved. For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.326.1375.

PAUL A. OLSON SEMINAR IN GREAT PLAINS STUDIES . . . “Historic Presence of Trees Along Rivers in the Great Plains” will be presented Wednesday, March 11, 2009, 3:30pm, at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, in Lincoln. Greg Ruark, director of the USDA National Agroforestry Center, will present. There will be at 3:00pm reception, followed by the lecture with Q & A from 3:30 to 5:00pm.

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 Lives for Sale.  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.

CHILDREN AND NATURE . . . The close connection young children have with birds will be explored by educational architect Camilla Rice, assistant professor, UN-L College of architecture, at the Thursday, March 12, 2009 Wachiska Audubon monthly meeting, 7:00pm, in Room 03 (lower level) of the Union College Dick Administration Building, 3800 South 48th Street, Lincoln. From 48th and Calvert Streets, go one block south to Bancroft Avenue and turn east onto campus. Continue for two blocks. Park in lots on the south. Look for Audubon signs on the door of the Dick Building to the south and west. The public is welcome. Refreshments will follow the program.

AUDUBON WOMEN’S WORKSHOP . . . Spring Creek Prairie Audubon Center  will hold a “Women at the Spring Workshop” on Saturday, March 14, 2009, 9:00am to 3:30pm, at the Center, 20 minutes southwest of Lincoln. Follow Southwest 98th Street south out of Denton for three miles. The workshop will feature yoga sessions, walking meditation on the prairie and other coordinated activities. There is a fee. For more information, call 402.797.2301.

PROGRESSIVE OMAHA POTLUCK . . .  The next Progressive Omaha meeting is Saturday, March 14, 2009, 7:00-9:00pm, at 4924 Chicago, the home of Jo Peterson.  Potluck is 6:00-7:00pm.  This month’s speaker is Kendrick Olson, organizer of a new NORML Chapter in Omaha.  All are welcome.

GUIDED GALLERY TOUR . . . Sunday, March 15, 2009, from 3:30 to 5:00pm, join Curator Paul Johnsgard and Linda Brown leading a free tour of the current Great Plains Art Museum exhibit “Celebrating Darwin’s Legacy: Evolution in the Galapagos Islands and the Great Plains,” 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place, in downtown Lincoln. The exhibit contains more than 100 photographs by Johnsgard, Brown and other Nebraska photographers, plus early Darwin volumes, images, engravings and historic items on loan.

LUNCH AND LEARN . . . Monday, March 16, 2009 is the registration deadline for the League of Women Voters’ Lunch and Learn, a March 19th event featuring Senator Kathy Campbell and former Senator DiAnna Schimek discussing 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.

EARTH DAY CONTEST . . . Nebraska artists are invited to submit three entries in each of two Earth Day competitions: Earth Day Writing and Earth Day Art & Photography. All entries must be based on this year’s contest theme, “Every Day is Earth Day.” Written submissions must be previously unpublished original short stories or poems. Art and photography must be original within the past two years. The entry deadline is April 3, 2009. There will be an art and photography exhibition April 6-10 & April 13-17, 2009, at Central Community College-Hastings. For more information, phone 402.461.2492, or click here  for history, details on prizes, and to download entry forms.

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

Green Notes Week of March 1, 2009

Green Notes

VIGIL AGAINST THE DEATH PENALTY . . . During winter months, every Monday from noon to 1:00pm, supporters of abolition in Nebraska vigil inside the State Capitol Building by the information desk on the ground floor, Lincoln. Join them for a few minutes, or the hour. For more information, contact Fran Kaye, fkaye1949 [at] yahoo [dot] com, or Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty, 402.477.7787.

EARTH DAY PLANNING . . . 2009 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. 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, March 3, 2009, 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,  and get involved. For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.326.1375.

EARTH DAY CONTEST . . . Nebraska artists are invited to submit three entries in each of two Earth Day competitions: Earth Day Writing and Earth Day Art & Photography. All entries must be based on this year’s contest theme, “Every Day is Earth Day.” Written submissions must be previously unpublished original short stories or poems. Art and photography must be original within the past two years. The entry deadline is April 3, 2009. There will be an art and photography exhibition April 6-10 & April 13-17, 2009, at Central Community College-Hastings. For more information, phone 402.461.2492, or click here for history, details on prizes, and to download entry forms.

SPRING 2009 WATER SEMINAR SERIES . . . Ken Williams, US Geological Survey, will present “Adaptive Management of Water and Related Resources,” the Williams Memorial Lecture, Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 3:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L east campus Hardin Hall first floor auditorium, on the northeast corner of 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here, or phone 402.472.3305.

NOTES FROM AFGHANISTAN . . . Wednesday, March 4, 2009, 7:00pm, the EN Thompson Forum on World Issues Lecture will be presented by Sarah Chayes at The Lied Center, 12th and R Streets, Lincoln. Chayes reported for National Public Radio in the Balkans, North Africa, Kosovo, the Middle East. She has been living and working in Kandahar, Afghanistan since 2001, helping rebuild the shattered country. Her book is “The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban.”  There will be a pre-talk session in the Steinhart Room at 6:30pm.

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 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.

A POWERFUL NOISE . . . In celebration of International Women’s Day, SouthPointe Theater will host the documentary “A Powerful Noise LIVE,”  an in-theater event to united people fighting injustices against women around the world. More than 450 theaters will participate in the event nationwide. The film will be followed by a live simulcast town-hall meeting of celebrity activists and experts from New York City, including Natalie Portman. You may buy tickets on the website. Phone SouthPointe at 402.323.6740 for more information.

WORLD DAY OF PRAYER . . . A free celebration marking World Day of Prayer will be held on Friday, March 6, 2009, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, 12th & M Street, in Lincoln. Six prayer method stations will be open to the public from 9:am–1:00pm and 3:00pm–7:00pm. Light meals will be served for a free-will donation from 11:30am–1:00pm and 6:00pm–7:00pm. There will be a free first Friday organ concert at 12:10pm. At 7:00pm, Stephen C. Griffith will speak on Prayer: The Song of the Soul. For more information, contact Victoria Hatterman, 402. 477.6951 or vhatterman [at] saintpaulumc [dot] org.

DAY HIKE AT BRANCHED OAK . . . Saturday, March 7, 2009, 9:00am to 2:00pm, there will be a day hike at Branched Oak State Recreation Area.  For “Driving Directions” click the link on the right side of the page. For carpool information and to RSVP with first and last name, phone number, and e-ddress so you can be contacted in case of cancellation, phone John Calandra, 402.991.8314, or e-mail johndcal [at] cox [dot] net.

CRANEFEST . . . Cranefest, an annual event in Minden, Nebraska featuring art displays, weekly contests, and crane dancing will be from Saturday, March 7th, through Sunday, March 29th this year. A “Feathered Friends Finale” will be 4:00-7:00pm, Sunday, March 29, at Burchell’s White Hill Farmhouse Inn. At a new website, NebraskaFlyway.com, you can sign up for e-mail alerts when the cranes start arriving. There are also maps of key birding areas along the Platte River and the Rainwater Basin; information about how to sign up for blinds and guided tours; a calendar of wildlife-related events; a gallery where you can share crane photos; information on lodging and attractions; plus a link to “Crane Cam,” where you can watch cranes from your own computer.

RIVERTON WILDLIFE AREA FIELD TRIP . . . Sunday, March 8, 2009, Nebraska birding expert John Carlini will lead a field trip to the 2,721 acre expanse of marsh, open water, and fields at one of Iowa’s finest birding spots located just east of Waubonsie State Park. The trip will coincide with peak spring migration for thousands of waterfowl, many bald eagles and rusty blackbirds. Meet at noon in the Wachiska Audubon office parking lot, 4547 Calvert Street, Lincoln, to carpool. For more information, phone Carlini at 402.475.7275.

LEARN MORE: CUBA AND LINCOLN . . . This year’s Lincoln Unitarian Church Winter Lecture Series focused on “Cuba from Slavery to Sanction and Beyond.” Sunday, March 8,2009, the Series will end with dinner and a discussion beginning at 6:00pm. The church is located at 6300 A Street. This event requires advanced sign-up. For more information and to rsvp, 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. –Rosa Clemente

 

Green Notes Week of February 22, 2009

Green Notes

MEMORIAL FOR PEOPLE WHO DIED HOMELESS . . . A memorial to remember and celebrate the lives of 40 people who died homeless in 2008 will be held Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 9:00am, at Holy Family Church, 1715 Izard StREET, in Omaha. These Omaha residents were neighbors, family, and community members. The remembrance was organized by Metro Area Continuum of Care for the Homeless.  For more information, phone Erin Porterfield, 402.561.7597.

GREEN RECOVERY CONFERENCE CALL . . . Van Jones, Founder of Green For All, and Angela Glover Blackwell, CEO of PolicyLink, will join a National “Bringing Home the Green Recovery” Conference Call, Tuesday, February 24, 2009, 2:00pm CST. Learn about key green initiatives in the Recovery Package, how they will be implemented locally, and how to advocate for community. To participate, rsvp here , and call-in information will be e-mailed to you.

SPRING 2009 WATER SEMINAR SERIES . . . Reed Maxwell, Colorado School of Mines, will present “Interdependence of Groundwater Dynamics and Land-Energy Feedbacks Under Climate Change,” on Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 3:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L east campus Hardin Hall first floor auditorium, on the northeast corner of 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here, or phone 402.472.3305.

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.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS VIGIL . . . The regular monthly CNPW Vigil for Peace is Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 5:00PM, at State Street and Webb Road in Grand Island. Join Greens and Peace Workers for a few minutes, or for the hour from 5:00 to 6:00pm.

LINCOLN GREEN DRINKS . . . Wednesday, February 25, 2009, 5:30pm to close, Lincoln Green Drinks will meet at Lazlo’s Brewery and Grill,  210 North 7th Street in the upstairs boardroom. Everyone interested in environmental issues is welcome. Green Drinks now meet in 437 cities worldwide. For questions or further information, contact Jean Waters at 402.554.6259 or email jwaters [at] mail [dot] unomaha [dot] edu.

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 Soldiers of Conscience.  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.

“MY LIFE AS A WARDEN, AND WHY I BECAME AN ABOLITIONIST” . . . Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 8:00pm, former Florida State Prison Warden Ron McAndrew will speak about his journey from executioner to abolitionist at First United Methodist Church, 7020 Cass Street in Omaha. Learn about the trauma experienced by those who are asked to carry out the death penalty from McAndrew, a murder victim family member, in Lincoln on Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7:00pm at Saint Teresa’s Parish Kaczmarek Hall, 735 South 36th Street. Supporters of abolition vigil every Monday from noon to 1:00pm, inside the State Capitol Building by the information desk on ground floor. For more information, contact Nebraskans Against the Death Penalty,  402.477.7787.

2009 NEBRASKA SUMMIT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP . . . There is no registration fee for the 2009 Summit on Entrepreneurship, Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:30am to 3:00pm at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. Registration deadline is Monday, February 23, 2009.  Pre-registration is required, because seating is limited. For more information, and to register online click here.

RESTORE OMAHA CONFERENCE . . . Restore Omaha, a conference to promote historic restoration and provide education to Omaha professionals and the public will begin Friday, February 27, 2009, 7:00 to 10:00pm, at Prouty Place Dos, 4825 South 25th Street. Saturday, February 28, 8:00am to 4:00pm, Conference Workshop Sessions are at the Metropolitan Community College South Omaha Campus, 27th & Q Streets. There is a fee. Register and pay online here.

ACHIEVING ENERGY INDEPENDENCE . . . Learn how to cut energy costs at an Energy Independence Workshop, Saturday, February 28th, 2009, 9:00 to 11:00am, at the American Red Cross, 520 West 48th Street, Kearney, Nebraska. Presentations will include tips on efficient heating/cooling, lighting, energy saving devices, wind & solar energy, among others. Free Admission. To register by phone, call Tom Knoblock at 308.367.4542, or click here to register online.

EMPTY BOWLS EVENT . . . Saturday, February 28, 2009, 12:20 to 2:30pm, there will be an Empty Bowls Fundraiser for the Lincoln Food Bank’s Backpack Program at Roy G. Story Student Center Dining Hall, Nebraska Wesleyan University. Click here for a map. Tickets for the lunch, including a variety of soups, bread and a drink, plus a handmade bowl, may be purchased by calling 402.465.2387. Tickets can also be purchased at Heartland Pantry, 48th Street and Leighton Avenue in Lincoln.  For more information, click here or e-mail dfw [at] nebrwesleyan [dot] edu.

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, March 1, Ricardo Zuniga, deputy director of the Cuban Affairs Office at the US State Department, will discuss US-Cuban relations in past and present administrations. 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. –Rosa Clemente

Green Notes Week of February 15, 2009

Green Notes

EARTH DAY IN LINCOLN . . . 2009 is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. 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 17, 5:30pm, at the Community Foundation Building, South 15 & N Streets, 5th floor conference room.  Join one of the Committees listed in meeting notes here, and get involved.  For more information, e-mail Eva Sohl, esohl [at] nlcv [dot] org or phone 402.438.9341.

LEARN ABOUT WILDERNESS PARK TRAILS . . . Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 7:00 to 9:00pm, Friends of Wilderness Park will present a discussion of the complex system of hiker, biker and horse trails throughout the park’s 1,475 acres. The panel will include Jim Craig and Beth Thacker, members of The Great Plains Trails Network, and Rosina Paolini, the Mayor’s Environmental Task Force for Transportation member. The free, public discussion will be at the Lefler Middle School library, 1100 South 48th Street, Lincoln.

SPRING 2009 WATER SEMINAR SERIES . . . Michael Hochella, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, will present “Environmental Nanogeoscience” at the Kremer Memorial Lecture, Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 3:30 to 4:30pm, UN-L east campus Hardin Hall first floor auditorium, on the northeast corner of 33rd & Holdrege, Lincoln. The lecture is free and open to the public. For more information, click here, or phone 402.472.3305.

CELEBRATING DARWIN’S LEGACY . . . George F. Engelmann, professor of geography and geology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, will present “The Fossil Record and the Fact of Evolution,” at the Paul A. Olson Seminar in Great Plains Studies, Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 3:30pm at the Great Plains Art Museum, 1155 Q Street, Hewit Place, Lincoln. Sponsored by the Center for Great Plains Studies, the lecture is 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 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 The Battle for Whiteclay.  For more information, click here.  The People’s Film Festival – Expanding Political Consciousness Since 2004.

“BIRTHING A NEW POLITICS” . . . The next Lincoln Bioneers Community  meeting is Thursday, February 19, 2009, 7:00 to 8:30pm at the Meadowlark Coffee & Espresso, 1624 South Street. There will be a free showing of a 30-minute Van Jones dvd, “Toward a Green Growth Alliance: Birthing a New Politics,” followed by a community conversation.

Hitchcock Nature Center Day Hike . . . Saturday, Feburary 21, 2009, 9:00am to 11:00am, hike a 1,003 acre preserve located in the heart of Loess Hills. Stay for an optional extra hike and lunch. The Hitchcock Nature Center, acquired by Pottawattamie County in 1991, harbors some of the largest remaining prairie remnants in Iowa and provides refuge for plants and animals found nowhere else in the state. For details, directions, what to bring, and to rsvp, contact Ronda Nelson, pinoakrd [at] msn [dot] com. Day phone: 402-829-1545. Home phone: 712-566-2919. Include your first and last name, phone number, and email so you can be notified in case of cancellation.

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.

CENTRAL NEBRASKA PEACE WORKERS MONTHLY MEETING . . . This month’s regular CNPW meeting is Sunday, February 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.

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 22, a Canadian State Department representative will contrast Canada’s normal relationships with Cuban and US 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.

2009 NEBRASKA SUMMIT ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP . . . There is no registration fee for the 2009 Summit on Entrepreneurship, Friday, February 27, 2009, 8:30am to 3:00pm at The Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 South 13th Street, Lincoln. Pre-registration is required, and seating is limited. For more information, and to register online, click here.  The registration deadline is Monday, February 23, 2009.

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