Forum reconsiders nuclear as energy solution

Joshua Goldstein led the May 11 Salisbury Forum.
Patrick L. Sullivan

Joshua Goldstein led the May 11 Salisbury Forum.
SALISBURY — The solution to the problem of providing sufficient energy without burning fossil fuels and increasing already dangerous levels of greenhouse gas emissions is obvious, according to Joshua Goldstein.
That solution is nuclear power.
Goldstein spoke at the Salisbury Forum, held Saturday evening, May 11 at the Salisbury School.
He is the co-author of “A Bright Future” (2019), co-wrote the 2022 Oliver Stone film “Nuclear Now,” and is professor emeritus of international relations at American University.
He began by noting he has a two-year old granddaughter, who he expects will live through all of the remainder of the 21st century and possibly into the next.
He said he asks himself how well society is “setting it up” for the child.
The answer: “Not very well.”
Goldstein said that attitudes toward nuclear power are based on decades-old beliefs that are simply untrue.
Under “Scary,” Goldstein pointed to popular culture, from 1950s monster movies in which seemingly innocuous creatures became city-crushing giants after a dose of radiation, through the 1979 film “The China Syndrome” (released 12 days before the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in Pennsylvania), to the three-eyed fish that makes frequent cameos in “The Simpsons.”
Goldstein said that the statistics about accidents at nuclear power facilities “all come from one incident, Chernobyl” (in 1986 in Ukraine, then part of the USSR).
Nuclear power’s waste products are regarded as “dirty.” Goldstein said in fact the fuel used for nuclear reactors is highly concentrated, and the waste from traditional plants can be and is now being safely stored.
Newer plants produce less radioactive waste than the old models, and some processes even allow the waste to be reused.
He said the waste storage problem is not as bad as it’s made out to be. It’s not even close.
“The waste from all U.S. nuclear power plants would fit in a Wal-Mart.”
Under the heading “dangerous,” Goldstein said the primary problem at Chernobyl was the design of the facility did not include containment.
Radiation did indeed spread throughout Europe after the accident, but only the immediate area suffered from deadly levels.
Goldstein said the 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, caused by a tsunami and earthquake, resulted in zero deaths from radiation, but tens of thousands of deaths from the subsequent flooding and destruction, not to mention the “botched evacuation.”
Making the situation worse, Japan then shut down all its nuclear plants and switched to burning coal, thus contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.
“But we think of it as a nuclear accident.”
Nuclear power is criticized as being slow and expensive to deploy, but Goldstein pointed out that France went to a largely nuclear-powered grid in 15 years in the 1970s and 1980s.
“It’s the fastest way to get clean energy into the grid.”
Goldstein noted that nuclear power is often associated with nuclear weapons, but “they are not connected.”
The processes used for nuclear power and nuclear weapons are very different, and having the first does not mean a country can suddenly switch gears and produce the second.
Goldstein said new reactor technology allows for small facilities, or microreactors, to be built quickly and cheaply, requiring two to three years, seven acres of land and less than $1 billion.
“No scary cooling tower.”
He likened conventional wisdom about nuclear power to someone who, when confronted with a house fire, hides under the bed.
“We have to come out from under the bed.”
The “Nuclear Now” film co-written by Goldstein and Oliver Stone is available on the Salisbury Forum website for free until May 19. Go to www.salisburyforum.org/ for details.
The HVRHS boys rejoice around Jackson McAvoy after he scored the game-winning goal against Shepaug with just two minutes left to play.
WASHINGTON — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys varsity soccer team advanced to the Berkshire League tournament final after a 1-0 win over Shepaug Valley High School in the semifinal game on Friday, Oct. 24.
Jackson McAvoy scored the game-winning goal with just two minutes remaining.
The victory marked HVRHS boys soccer’s first victory over Shepaug since 2020.
“Finally,” said HVRHS Coach Adolfo Portillo after the game.
HVRHS will play top-ranked Nonnewaug High School in the BL final. Nonnewaug advanced to the title game by beating Northwestern Regional High School in penalty kicks (4-3) after a 2-2 draw in regulation time.
The championship game will be played at Nonnewaug beginning at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28.

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Students dressed in neon lined the soccer field for senior night under the lights on Thursday, Oct. 16. The game against Lakeview was the last in a series of competitions Thursday night in celebration of Homecoming 2025.
As homecoming week reaches its end and fall sports finish out the season, an air of school spirit and student participation seems to be on the rise across Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
But what can be attributed to this sudden peak of student interest? That’s largely due to SGA. Also known as the Student Government Association, SGA has dedicated itself to creating events to bring the entire student body together. This year, they decided to change some traditions.
Spirit week from Oct. 14-17 was unlike those of the previous years. From wearing Housatonic merch to Boomer vs Baby day, this year’s spirit week held a little friendly competition to see which grade could participate the most.
“I think that students are bored of the same old activities and events, so it’s good to switch things up even slightly to incentivize interest within students,” said SGA president and senior Mollie Ford. “Plus the point system is super beneficial because it gives students a reason to participate.”
The school spirit sentiment can be seen outside of just the school. Senior Simon Markow is known for his photography throughout the community, and has dedicated time to help Housy sports teams’ social media posts.
“Since I’ve started photography, I think school attendance [at sports games] has gone up,” Markow said. “I feel this year, students will be more aware of games and are more likely to be at the games.”
Whether it’s a pink-out volleyball game or an under the lights soccer match, it’s likely you’ll see some familiar faces.
Social media has played a large role in this over the years. Almost every student organization at Housatonic has an Instagram account, and it’s helped reach students more efficiently than a poster or email would.
“The increase of social media use, with the help from me but as well as the teams themselves has definitely increased student interest,” Markow said. “With Housy teams posting more about their upcoming games, and my help showing the cool goals, spikes, or touchdowns, it’s enlightened students to watch the games themselves.”
In a small school, promoting pride has proven to be a challenge. But this year’s senior class has made some adjustments in the hopes to change that.
“The SGA community has spent the last few years really focusing on student participation, because we think it’s the students who contribute to a better climate,” Ford said. While Housatonic’s student body may be small in size, it seems they certainly aren’t small in spirit.