Tag Archives: Community-Based Economics

Join a discussion of solutions to poverty and inequality Oct. 10 in Lincoln

Events, ,

From Nebraskans for Peace:

Don’t miss a daylong discussion of poverty, inequality, and solutions organized by local members of the Religious Society of Friends, or Quakers, at Pioneers Park in Lincoln. The event will be Saturday, October 10, 2015, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Lincoln, Omaha, and Central City Friends Meetings (Quakers) are hosting a day of challenge, inspiration, and community building with Don Reeves. Nebraska native Don Reeves brings a lifetime of experience working on issues around poverty and inequality. Don has served on the boards of Friends Committee on National Legislation, Bread For The World, and American Friends Service Committee where he also served as staff.

Morning discussion followed by lunch, small group discussion and music. Aaron Fowler and Laura Dungan, touring musicians, build community through songs that address issues of the time and matters of the heart. Lunch is provided by Nebraska Friends.

Suggested Donation: $10 (basket will be available at the event)

Questions? E-mail Jean, ludyeden@gmail.com (Please contact us by October 5th for childcare and lunch count)

Directions: Follow Van Dorn street to Pioneers Park and follow the signs. (For further Direction: Google “Pioneers Park Nature Center.”)

Hear an economic development success story in Lincoln Oct. 4

Events,

From Nebraskans for Peace:

Don’t miss “Building a Company and Rebuilding a Community,” part of the Sorensen Lecture series, on Sunday, October 4, at 7 p.m. Lance Morgan, President and CEO of Ho-Chunk, the award-winning economic development corporation owned by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, will tell the story of Ho-Chunk, Inc. and the Winnebago Tribe’s rise from economic despair to an international company with over $250 million a year in revenue in one generation, and its impact on a small, poor, rural community.

Morgan was one of the initial founders of Ho-Chunk, Inc. in 1994 and under his leadership, the corporation has grown to more than 1,000 employees across the United States and in nine foreign countries. For more information on Morgan and Ho-Chunk, check out www.hochunkinc.com.

Morgan’s talk will be at the Unitarian Church of Lincoln, 6300 A St.

2015 Annual Peace Conference in Grand Island Oct. 17

Events, , , ,

The 2015 Annual Peace Conference, presented by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Grace Abbott School of Social Work and Nebraskans for Peace, will be held October 17 at Trinity United Methodist Church in Grand Island. The event runs from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30. It includes a panel presentation by local experts on housing, economic opportunity, education, health, and legal rights issues. The event is free and open to the public; lunch is $10.

Read more and register with Nebraskans for Peace.

Earth Day rally against TPP at Ashford’s office

Action Alerts,

From BOLD Nebraska:

Saturday, April 18 is Earth Day, and before we head to the Earth Day Omaha celebration in Elmwood Park, we’ll be making a short detour to Rep. Brad Ashford’s office, to join a broad coalition calling on him to vote against TPP (the “Trans-Pacific Partnership”), a secret “trade” deal that would give corporations powers to trump a country’s environmental and labor laws.

  • WHAT: Rally Against Fast-Track & TPP at Brad Ashford’s Omaha Office
  • WHEN: Saturday, April 18th at 10:00 a.m. (before Earth Day at 11:00 a.m!)
  • WHERE: Brad Ashford’s Office, 7126 Pacific Street, Omaha (map)
  • SHARE: Click here to share the event on Facebook.

RSVP and learn more about the TPP.

Hear Leonard Pitts Jr. at workshop in Lincoln, April 12

Events, ,

From the Interfaith Peacemaking Coalition:

SAVE THE DATE: Leonard Pitts will keynote this year’s Interfaith Peacemaking Workshop, First United Methodist Church, 2723 N. 50th St., Lincoln, NE, 1:00 to 5:30 p.m., on April 12th.

Leonard Pitts will speak for about 45 minutes, followed by time to view exhibits. There then will be five break-out sessions:

  • 1.1: Implicit Bias; Anna Shavers, UNL Law College.
  • 1.2: Unconscious Bias; Karen Starkweather, Center for Rural Affairs.
  • 2: Three Barriers to Re-entry from Prison to Civilian Life; Larry Wayne, Corrections Dept.; Katrina Thomas, reentrant; and Jim Jones, Oasis.
  • 3. Youth Organizing for Social Change; Vernee Norman, Union College; Keiana Thomas, UNL.
  • 4. Poverty and Organizing for Inclusive Community: Economic Justice; State Sen. Patti Pansing Brooks; Beatty Brasch, Center for People in Need.
  • 5. Racial Profiling in Nebraska; Rebessa Conzales, Appleseed Center; Bennie Shobe, NAACP; Amy Miller, ACLU.

Check out the Facebook event page.

On Nebraska’s Farmland, Keystone XL Pipeline Debate Is Personal

News,

From NPR:

Drive down gravel Road 22 in Nebraska’s York County, past weathered farmhouses and corn cut to stubble in rich, black loam soil, and you’ll find a small barn by the side of the road.

Built of native ponderosa pine, the barn is topped with solar panels. A windmill spins furiously out front.

Known as the Energy Barn, it’s a symbol of renewable energy, standing smack on the proposed route of the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline — a project of the energy giant TransCanada.

Pipeline opponents built the barn two summers ago. And at first, says Jenni Harrington, one of those opponents, “I think a lot of the neighbors didn’t like the barn. They thought it was like poking TransCanada in the eye.

“It took me aback because I was like, ‘Well, what do you think they’re doing, walking on our land and saying, ‘Hey, we’re gonna put a pipeline through it’?”

Read or listen to the two-part radio story.

LES adds wind, solar farms in major push to renewable energy

News,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

Friday was more than a banner day for the Lincoln Electric System. It was equivalent to a seismic shift in the way Lincoln residents will get their power over the next 25 years. Adding power from two wind farms and a solar energy project will increase the utility’s renewable generation portfolio to 48 percent by 2016.

LES will add 173 megawatts of power generated from a wind farm in north-central Kansas and one in northeast Nebraska in 2016 and add a 5-megawatt solar energy farm along Interstate 80 near 75th and West Holdrege streets near the Lincoln airport. The solar farm’s footprint — equivalent to slightly more than 30 acres of land, or about 25 football fields — will be visible to motorists much like the two wind turbines on the east edge of Lincoln.

Read the full story.

Nebraska Conservation Summit: Dec. 8 in Omaha

Events,

From Nebraskans for Peace:

On Monday, December 8, Nebraska’s clean energy leaders will convene in Omaha to attend the Nebraska Conservation Summit. We don’t want you to miss out on the opportunity to attend this event and hear from one of our nation’s leading clean energy experts, and discuss real solutions for moving Nebraska into a clean energy future. Event details:

  • UNO Scott Conference Center, 6450 Pine Street, Omaha
  • Monday, December 8th
  • Doors open at 5:30 PM
  • Program starts at 6:00 PM
  • Reception to follow

Your attendance at the Summit will equip you with information to dispel the economic myths about clean energy, for example, that it’s “too expensive” and “not yet a viable alternative to fossil fuels.” You’ll get to meet with others who are working to advance clean energy in Nebraska, and you’ll learn what you can do to take action and have an impact on Nebraska’s energy future.

Learn more and get tickets.

Vote to raise the minimum wage

News,

From the Lincoln Journal Star:

The viewpoint of small business owners deserves respect. But the positive impact of raising the minimum wage in Nebraska must also be weighed by voters.

The working poor in Nebraska need some help. The economic system currently is imbalanced in favor of those at the top end of the income and wealth scale. The top 1 percent of Americans hold about 40 percent of the nation’s wealth and haul in about a quarter of the country’s income.

Read the full editorial.

Green Drinks Nov. 5

Events,

The November Green Drinks date is changing to Wednesday, November 5, in collaboration with the Green Omaha Coalition and The Joslyn Institute for Sustainable Communities to view the film Nebraska Nexus: Resources, Conservation, Development, and Change.

The event will be held at Aksarben Cinema from 5:30 to 9 p.m.:

  • Registration opens at 5 p.m.
  • Catered social hour is 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
  • Featured film begins at 6:30 p.m.
  • Panel discussion to follow at 7:45 p.m.

Cost is $12. Get more details or purchase tickets.

Also, check the Facebook even page.