Steve Larrick: My motivation for seeking leave

March 2, 2015NewsPersonal and Global ResponsibilityShane Pekny

From Steve Larrick, board member for the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District, writing in the Lincoln Journal Star:

The Lincoln Journal Star editorial titled “Larrick Should Step Down” (2/23) makes some good points, but is also disappointing. Its theme is doing the “honorable” thing, but the editors never contacted me for my perspective before questioning my honor in a story line replicated by newspapers across the state. Is that honorable journalism?

Thankfully, it notes that “in the grand scheme of things,” a large board of 21 members (and an excellent staff, I might add), assures that the Lower Platte South Natural Resource District is not endangered by a few temporary absences. But by not asking me questions, the editors fail to identify my motivations for seeking a leave and simply suggest that my only “honorable choice” was to abandon the seat to which I was elected.

Read the full op-ed at JournalStar.com.

Landowners in KXL Path Win Injunction

February 16, 2015NewsEcological Wisdom, Grassroots DemocracyShane Pekny

From BOLD Nebraska:

On Feb. 12, landowners won a huge victory when a Holt County, Nebraska, District Court judge halted TransCanada’s attempt to use eminent domain to take their land for the Keystone XL export pipeline. Many thanks go out to landowners’ attorneys Dave Domina and Brian Jorde for their excellent work fighting against eminent domain for private gain.

What the ruling means: All of the eminent domain claims that TransCanada has filed against landowners over the past month are now put on hold, until this case is eventually heard by the Nebraska Supreme Court — in a timeline that could take another 12 months, or longer.

Read the full story.

Jill Stein Takes Steps Toward 2016 Presidential Run

February 12, 2015NewsGrassroots DemocracyShane Pekny

From jill2016.com:

It’s Time For A New Society, A New Economy, A New Way Forward.

Dr. Jill Stein is “testing the waters” and forming an exploratory committee to seek the Green Party nomination for President of the United States.

This is the time to come together. Solutions are in our hands. Justice is in our hands. Democracy is in our hands. Together we can create a world that works for all of us, and ensure that People, Planet and Peace will prevail. It’s in our hands.

Read the press release.

Watch Dr. Stein’s announcement speech on CSPAN.

Climate change documentary showing in Lincoln

January 29, 2015EventsEcological Wisdom, Future FocusShane Pekny

Three episodes of Showtime’s Years of Living Dangerously will be shown in Lincoln at Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso, 1624 South Street. The showings are sponsored by the Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Interfaith Power and Light, and the Nebraska Wildlife Federation. Come down and watch this engaging documentary about climate change with your fellow citizens:

Winds of Change: 7 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, January 30, 2015
Dangerous Future: 7 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, February 6, 2015
Moving a Mountain: 7 to 8:30 p.m., Friday, February 13

About the series, from Showtime:

“This groundbreaking documentary event series explores the human impact of climate change. From the damage wrought by Hurricane Sandy to the upheaval caused by drought in the Middle East, Years of Living Dangerously combines the blockbuster storytelling styles of top Hollywood movie makers with the reporting expertise of Hollywood’s brightest stars and today’s most respected journalists.”

Next Omaha Green Drinks Jan. 28

January 23, 2015EventsFuture Focus, Personal and Global ResponsibilityShane Pekny

Here’s everything you need to know about the next world-famous Green Drinks get-together in Omaha:

WHEN: 5:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, January 28, 2015
RULE: Fourth Wednesday of every odd month (Jan., Mar., May, Jul., Sep., and Nov.)
WHERE: Whole Foods Market Omaha, 10020 Regency Circle; education room by restaurant seating, across from coffee bar.
HOW: Walk, cycle, bus, carpool 🙂
WHO: Anyone working on environmental issues (green business, architecture, design, clean energy, natural resources, and more) or studying them.
WHY: Fun, contacts, alcohol (and non-alcohol), info, gossip, inspiration, business, and pleasure.
NEW: Just go up to someone and say “are you green?” and you’ll be made welcome.
REMIND: We have a send-only email circulation list for both Omaha & Lincoln; to get on it, send an email to p2ricinfo@gmail.com with subject “subscribe”
PRIVACY: This email list is ONLY for Green Drinks reminders.
STATUS: Informal, self-organizing network. Continued growth and learning at every meeting. Thanks for sharing your time and knowledge with others.
Check out the Green Drinks Facebook page.
Join this Facebook event.

Harrington Sisters Defend Tradition in Keystone Pipeline Fight

January 23, 2015NewsEcological Wisdom, Grassroots DemocracyShane Pekny

From The New York Times:

BRADSHAW, Neb. — An unpainted wooden barn sits in a snow-dusted cornfield along a gravel road, one of many that dot the rural horizon here.

This barn, however, contains no horses, tractors or farming tools. Its roof is covered with solar panels, there is a windmill out front, and the interior is plastered with signs with slogans like “Build Our Energy” and “#NOKXL,” in protest of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, which could run under the property if President Obama approves the project.

The 1,179-mile pipeline, first proposed in 2008, would carry oil from Canada into the United States, connecting with existing pipelines in southern Nebraska. In Congress, the Senate continues to debate a bill to approve the pipeline, and the House has already passed a bill to approve its construction.

Four Harrington sisters — Abbi, Terri, Jenni and Heidi — grew up in the 1960s and ’70s tending livestock and crops here, and three of them have remained in Nebraska and continue to farm the land. They fear that construction of the pipeline could threaten their livelihood and a family farming tradition that dates back about 150 years, to when their great-great-grandfather settled on the plot.

Their wind- and solar-powered barn, constructed in 2013 after activists raised thousands of dollars online, was built as an unsubtle protest against the pipeline, a physical barrier along the proposed path.