Safe & Green Campaign

 In response to the outrageous “misunderstandings” spewed from the mouths of Entergy executives and the ongoing subterranean radioactive leaks at Vermont Yankee, Safe & Green brought together a host of experts, advocates and entertainers for an educational and humorous Sunday afternoon on February 21, 2010. It all started with a New Orleans style parade through downtown Brattleboro leading hundreds of people into the Latchis Theatre. Actor and Musician Court Dorsey welcomed the 300+ audience with a song.

The forum addressed the ongoing radioactive leakage from the reactor piping, the Vermont Legislature’s response to Entergy’s loss of public confidence, the importance and feasibility of replacing Vermont Yankee’s electricity with power from safe, renewable sources, and the impact of the Vermont Yankee debacle on the larger debate of nuclear power in the U.S.
Presenters included a range of public health, environmental, and nuclear experts including: Paul Gunter, executive director of the Washington D.C.-based nuclear watchdog group, Beyond Nuclear; David Dean, Vermont State Representative and Riverkeeper for the Connecticut River Watershed Council; Dr. Ira Helfand, co-founder and past president of Physicians for Social Responsibility; Deborah Katz, executive director of Citizens Awareness Network; Clay Turnbull, staff member of the New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution; and Chris Williams, organizer, Vermont Citizen Action Network. The afternoon took a comical turn with a short presentation and outburst from nuclear industry insider Will Nukem. Local activists and owner of Brattleboro’s “Everyone’s Books” Nancy Braus took a moment to recognize the Windham County legislators for their tremendous efforts on behalf of their constituents to hold Entergy accountable and to close Vermont Yankee on schedule. She also recognized the Massachusetts legislators for their efforts to provide representation for the people just south of the reactor.

Thank you to the Vermont Citizens Action Network and the Citizens Awareness Network for co-sponsoring the event and all the presenters, musicians and technical support we received.

To view photos of the speakers and performances, click here. For additional photos, click here.

Here are two articles that appeared in the statewide media:
“Vermont Yankee Activists Lauded” (Brattleboro Reformer)

“Anti-Yankee Rally: Fight is Coming” (Rutland Herald)