Pacific Fusion is too risky for Alameda
To the Editor:
I hope citizens of Alameda will read this important article on fusion reactors from the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists—one of the most respected sources for information on nuclear issues. Everything in this 2017 article, Fusion reactors: Not what they’re cracked up to be, still applies to this tech today, including right here in our island city if this project moves forward.
While this Pacific Fusion project is being touted as clean energy, a source of revenue and jobs, etc., it’s inappropriate due to the many undisclosed risks to our community, our security, and our local environment.
Using resources that should be going to real clean energy research and distributed renewable energy production for this project is not something we as a city should condone or be a host to.
Thank you,
Jeffrey Gould
Former Alameda Municipal Power Public Utilities Board Commissioner
Like the beach, Alameda Beach Cleanup group is evolving, laid-back, resilient
To the Editor:
Five years ago, I started a local campaign to help raise awareness of the worldwide threat to endangered species. Leading a group of East Bay volunteers inspired by the Saving Life on Earth campaign by the Center for Biological Diversity, we were determined to “birddog” presidential candidates and draw attention to the current man-man extinction crisis.
Then COVID hit and we could no longer lobby or do much of anything. But I realized that with such a great group of committed environmentalists, we had to do something. So a beach cleanup was the easy solution. After all, the beach is just a few minutes away and easily provides space for social distancing. That’s how the Thursday 11 a.m. Alameda Beach Cleanup was born, nurtured thereafter through weekly online posts and now boasting over 260 Nextdoor members.
Like the beach itself, which is constantly changing through tides and erosion, human and wildlife activities, and the seasons, the volunteers also evolve. It has been my privilege to meet a fabulous array of people out on the sand. Seeing new faces is a joyful thing because it confirms that the community has our back. Volunteers might join us for a day, weeks, or years, or pop in and out of our cleanups unpredictably. This generosity in action from strangers feels almost magical to me.
By way of thanks, I insist on an appreciative and staunchly guilt-free atmosphere (because I myself sometimes don’t make it out to the beach). A relaxed vibe of enthusiastic participants translates to a better experience for all. I mean, I’m not paying anyone, so if someone comes out to pick up only one piece of trash, then thank you!
We estimate that our group takes about two tons of trash off the beach each year. Compared to the approximately 12 million tons that go into the ocean during the same time, this may not sound like much. But I take heart in the quote attributed to American anthropologist Margaret Mead: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
So join us on the beach one Thursday. We meet across from McDonalds and use our own supplies. You’d be most welcome.
Chase Martin
Alameda
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