July 14, 2010
In this issue: film screening tonight, bike valet parking, energy efficiency workshops, tree planting funds and a stormwater management tour.
Film Screening Tonight
Film Streams – in partnership with Live Well Omaha Kids, Omaha by Design, Environment Omaha and the City of Omaha Planning Department – will host a screening of Beyond the Motor City Wednesday, July 14, at 7:00pm. The PBS documentary explores the country’s historic decisions to invest in highways and automotive infrastructure and the resulting effects in many cities on accessible metro transit systems, safe walking and biking, sustainable development, urban vitality and socially equitable communities. Following the screening, Aaron Woolf – the film’s director – will moderate a discussion with the audience. The screening and discussion are free and open to the public as space allows. For admission information, contact Casey Logan at 402.933.0259.
Bike Valet Parking
You may have seen them at this year’s Shakespeare on the Green festival, and you’ll be seeing more of them at other community events in the future. Omaha Bikes has begun providing free bike valet parking at community events. The group wants to encourage people to ride their bikes to events by providing a convenient, safe and secure place to park their rides, said Julie Harris, outreach coordinator for Activate Omaha. Omaha Bikes is a community organization that promotes and advocates for improved transportation, utility and recreational bicycling infrastructure, opportunities and experiences for the people of Omaha and the surrounding area. You can follow the group on http://bikeomaha.blogspot.com.
Energy Efficiency Workshops
OPPD and the Neighborhood Center are offering a series of free workshops to help residents manage their energy costs as well as protect their home equipment and internal electrical lines. The four remaining workshops will be held at the Neighborhood Center, 115 S. 49th Ave., from 5:30 to 7:00pm. The next workshop, “Home Energy Audits for Existing Homes & ENERGY STAR for New Homes,” will be held Monday, Aug. 9. To register for any of the remaining workshops, call 402.561.7569. For more information about the workshops, call 402.636.3541.
Tree Planting Funds
The Nebraska Forest Service, in collaboration with the Nebraska Statewide Arboretum, has announced that grant funding and technical assistance are now available for tree-planting projects across the state through the Trees for Nebraska Towns (TNT) program, part of the ReTree Nebraska initiative. Applications will be accepted until Oct. 1 for projects to be completed in 2011. Application materials can be downloaded from
http://www.nfs.unl.edu/documents/retreenebraska/2010%20TNT%20funding%20application.pdf. For more information, contact Justin Evertson at 402.4725045 or jevertson1@unl.edu. TNT is funded by the Nebraska Environmental Trust (NET), a beneficiary of the Nebraska Lottery. NET has now provided more than $1.2 million to the initiative since 2006.
Stormwater Management Tour
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension Stormwater Work Group is sponsoring a Green Infrastructure Tour Friday, Aug. 6, in Omaha. Registration begins at 8:30am at the Douglas/Sarpy County Extension Office, 8015 W. Center Road, and the tour runs from 9:00am to 4:00pm. A variety of stops are planned that will provide specific information on stormwater management projects in Omaha, including a stop at The Cole Creek Project site in Orchard Park. The cost is $15 per person and includes a chartered bus, a box lunch, drinks and handouts. The registration deadline is July 31. For more information, contact Katie Pekarek at 402.643.2981 or kpekarek2@unl.edu.