Few things spark more fear in the minds of Americans than the thought of a nuclear meltdown. The melting skin, three eyed pigs and clicking Geiger counters of Chernobyl are all firmly attached into the cultural zeitgeist whenever nuclear power is being talked about. However, despite an overwhelmingly negative public perception, nuclear power remains the most reliant, safe and renewable form of energy we currently have.

Beginning with dependability, nuclear power leads the pack and it’s not even close. According to the U.S Department of Energy, nuclear power produces 92% of its maximum power output 24/7, that is more than twice the reliability of natural gas and 3 times more reliable than wind and solar. The next most reliable energy source is geothermal; however, because of its reliance on location and the environmental damage that its construction can cause, geothermal is far less practical than nuclear. Nuclear plants are also designed to run year round and only require refueling about every 1.5 to 2 years, compared to the constant flow of massive amounts of coal required for standard power plants. Furthermore, the combined cost of infrastructure, fuel and regulatory fees to create one megawatt of nuclear power is around $30 compared to between $36 to $71 for coal. 

The biggest concern with nuclear power is its safety, and rightfully so. Nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl and Fukushima have made large amounts of land uninhabitable, cost billions of dollars in damages and have led to some of the most gruesome deaths in history. However, these accidents did not happen in a vacuum or spontaneously, but because of external factors that led to the meltdown of what would normally be a perfectly safe plant.

Chernobyl was a plant in Soviet Ukraine that exploded in 1986, killing around thirty firefighters and plant workers and leading to countless more cancer diagnoses and birth defects across Europe. The reactor in Chernobyl was poorly designed and was under-inspected by the corrupt Soviet party. On the night of the explosion, the plant operators performed a core shut down despite warnings from the computer system of immediate meltdown. This combination of flawed design and mismanagement caused the meltdown to occur, not because it was a nuclear plant. 

The other commonly provided example of nuclear power plants failing is the Fukushima Daiichi disaster in 2011. This was a power plant in Japan that suffered a meltdown due to the Great East Japan Earthquake that caused massive tsunamis to hit the plant, causing a failure in the electrical grid and safety system. In both instances, it was either an uncontrollable situation like a natural disaster, or faulty human operation that led to the nuclear meltdown, not the production of nuclear power itself. In fact, nuclear power has been shown to be less radioactive than coal power. In a 1978 study by J.P McBride that was published in Science Magazine found that in one instance, the amount of radiation that was in the bones of people living near coal plants was between 50 to 200% higher than those who lived near nuclear power plants. 

But not only is nuclear safe, it is unbelievably renewable. Spent nuclear rods can be reused to extract between 70–92% of its energy each time until all the uranium is used, leaving small and easily disposable pieces of waste. According to Mikhail Chudakov, the current head of the Department of Nuclear Energy, one kilo of nuclear waste can be recycled down to only 30 grams that can be disposed of safely in a process that can provide energy for centuries. Furthermore, nuclear power is carbon neutral, meaning that the creation of nuclear power does not produce CO2 at all. 

Since Chernobyl, the creation of nuclear power plants around the world has slowed to a crawl due to the fear of it happening again. However, understanding that nuclear power is safe and effective is key to continue the fight against climate change and the fossil fuel industry. One country that has defied the world wide trend against nuclear energy is France, a nation that now derives over 70% of it’s nations power from nuclear energy and currently accounts for only 0.72% of worldwide CO2 emissions. Nuclear energy has become a bad word for many environmentalists, with even Greenpeace taking a strong anti-nuclear stance. But the truth about why  disasters happen and the benefits of nuclear power should be evidence enough in favor of the creation of more power plants and the replacement of the fossil fuel industry with nuclear power at the center. 

~ Benjamin Whealy

Plants v. Zombies; Fungus v. Plastics

Before I begin this article, I’d like to thank Mr. Lovell of Creighton Prep for bringing it to my attention. 

Here’s a little bell work for this article. Look up from your device right now and see how long it takes you to find something made out of plastic. Easy, right? Now, close your eyes and think of something made of plastic that you use every day? Also pretty easy, I’d imagine. Now, close your eyes and imagine how the world may look in 200 years. 

I’d imagine that final task is pretty difficult. I’ll give you a little clue, there will be plastic.

I won’t bore you with statistics about how much plastic is produced or how bad plastic is for our environment. We all know these things, more or less. Today, I’m just going to try to be a fungi (bad pun). But seriously, let’s talk about fungus. 

A promising alternative to plastics is to use mycelium, which can be thought of as the root system of a fungus. The fungus is placed into an environment that is conducive to its growth and, in essence, mycelium (the roots) grow and fill a cavity. 

The mycelium grows to fill the shape of a cavity, and is prevented from growing further than the cavity by being cooked. This method produces a product that has properties similar to plastic in structural nature, but it is fully biodegradable.

For example, I’d place a fungus in a cavity with the shape of a cup. The fungus’s mycelium (remember, root structure) would grow to fill this cavity and when filled, be cooked. The result? A cup. 

I cannot over-state the potential this technology has for fighting plastic pollution. Much like plastic too, mycelium can be cultured in ways that allow it to hold different properties, such as being rubber-like or even leather-like. The technology is here. Now, work must be done to implement it. That’s the hard part. 

In the meantime, keep reducing your plastic waste, keep recycling, and consider the Hefty ReNew program. 

~ Seamus Haney

This article was guided by this video. For a full discussion on the potential of mycelium, check out this PubMed article.

A Case for 3D Printing

3D printing is a nightmare for the environment. Plastic is added on top of plastic and microplastics are everywhere in the process of 3D printing. Plastics, plastics, plastics. 

It’s easy to get lost in the fact that 3D printing uses plastics, and plastics are poison for our environment. I get it, and you wouldn’t be wrong for stopping short of buying a 3D printer for that reason. 

But there is something to be said about what 3D printing can do for the environment. 

The core tenets of sustainability are reduce, reuse and recycle. This knowledge is elementary, almost, but I have been led to believe that the “reduce” aspect of sustainability has often been forgotten (I’ll touch on consumerism in a future article). To reduce means to limit your consumption of something. That means, in practice, using less “stuff.”

In a car, for example, to reduce means to not use as much gas to go the same distance. In the case of 3D printing, it may mean printing and designing parts that could replace or augment an existing piece of equipment so that it lasts longer. 

For example, my water bottle's lid broke the other day. I can’t carry the lidless water bottle around—it will spill everywhere! So, I designed and printed a new lid so that the water bottle can continue to be used. Voila, a fully functional water bottle—and I didn’t have to buy a new one. I invented a new lid for my water bottle in order to combat climate change.

I’ll concede, a 3D printer is definitely a net negative for the environment. This article was, in part, a way for me to justify my ownership of one as a self-proclaimed environmentalist. But I’d like to bring this example forward to emphasize the concept of repair for helping the environment. If you can take the time to repair something, repair it. If you can’t, or you don’t know how, find someone. 

I am here to help. 

~ Seamus Haney

The Leaflet’s Simple Steps to Sustainability

This summer, I consider myself fortunate to be spending quality time in Bentonville, Arkansas—known as the “Mountain Bike Capital of the World.” As someone who has always loved biking, it is exciting to be in a place where cycling culture is both vibrant and thriving. Biking has long been one of my favorite hobbies and ways to stay active, but I’ve come to realize it has so much more to offer. 

One often overlooked benefit of biking is its positive impact on our environment. Choosing to ride a bike instead of taking a car helps reduce our carbon footprint and lowers overall pollution levels. Though it may take an extra couple minutes to reach your destination, it’s a small yet meaningful way to support sustainability and care for our planet.

So next time you’re about to hop in the car, consider riding your bike instead. That simple, intentional choice can help protect our common home and contribute to real, practical change.

Just think about it. 

~ Jack Van Moorleghem

This Week’s Waste Management Tip: Grad Party Cards

Grad party cards are generally recyclable—the ones I’ve seen are mostly made of paper. But there are a few key exceptions you should watch out for.

1. If the card has glitter on it—not recyclable.

2. If the card has a metallic shine to it—not recyclable.

3. If the card is a PHOTOGRAPH—not recyclable.

4. If the card has any plastic on it—not recyclable.

We apologize for the delay in getting this information to you.

The Leaflet’s 2025 Goal: Status

Helpful Links for Your Own Research

1. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

2. Omaha Recycling Guide

3. Calculate Your Carbon Footprint

4. Mongabay Newsletter

5. UNO Green Guide to Omaha

6. The Leaflet’s Shared Resources

Thank you for reading this issue of The Leaflet.

The Leaflet is not affiliated with any organization or school.

Newsletter produced primarily by Seamus Haney

Cover image pulled from this source (photoshopped).