Harvey Wasserman
Encyclopedia
Harvey Franklin Wasserman (born December 31, 1945) is an American journalist, author, democracy activist, and advocate for renewable energy
. He has been a strategist and organizer in the anti-nuclear movement in the United States
for over 30 years. He has been a featured speaker on Today, Nightline, National Public Radio, CNN
Lou Dobbs Tonight
and other major media outlets. Wasserman is senior advisor to Greenpeace
USA and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service
, an investigative reporter, and senior editor of The Columbus Free Press
where his coverage, with Bob Fitrakis
, has prompted Rev. Jesse Jackson
to call them "the Woodward
and Bernstein
of the 2004 election." He lives with his family in the Columbus, Ohio, area.
, and helped organize mass demonstrations at Seabrook, N.H.
against reactors being built there. Rolling Stone
magazine featured Wasserman in its 1979 cover story on the Musicians United for Safe Energy
(MUSE), which staged five concerts organized by Wasserman in Madison Square Garden
in 1979 shortly after the Three Mile Island accident
, including New York City's 1979 "No Nukes" concerts and rally (featuring Bruce Springsteen
, Bonnie Raitt
, Jackson Browne
, CSN
, James Taylor
and others).
in 1967, where he was a member of both the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi
academic honor societies. He also earned a Public Teaching Certificate from New York University
in 1968, and then a Master of Arts in American History from the University of Chicago
in 1974.
, and Massachusetts' communal/organic Montague Farm, now home to the Zen
Peacemaker Community, International.
On behalf of Greenpeace
USA, Wasserman addressed 350,000 concert-goers at the Woodstock 1994 Festival. He has been a frequent speaker at both the Starwood Festival
and the WinterStar Symposium (a Starwood interview is documented in the book People of the Earth by Ellen Evert Hopman
). According to records from the Greater Talent Network (NY), he has addressed several score campus audiences since 1982 on issues of energy, the environment, politics and history.
Wasserman has been an adjunct instructor of history at Hampshire College
in Amherst, MA, and is currently on staff in Ohio at Columbus State Community College
and Capital University
. Based in Ohio, Wasserman works to replace the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants with renewables and efficiency
, and has helped his friends shut a trash-burning power plant, a proposed radioactive waste
dump, the two Zimmer and Perry nukes, a refuge-threatening housing development and a McDonald's restaurant. He currently works through Farmers Green Power in Ohio and elsewhere to promote farmer/community-owned wind power and other renewables.
, Boston Globe, and other major newspapers, and in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Nation
, Mother Jones Magazine and other magazines.
His first book, Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States, was first published by Harper & Row (NY) in 1972 (introduced by Howard Zinn
), with approximate sales of 30,000 copies. (The book has been republished by Four Walls, Eight Windows (NY), and through www.harveywasserman.com.)
Wasserman is also a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman
plutonium factory in Colorado, and near the West Valley Reprocessing Plant
in upstate New York, have also complained of defects and illnesses among their animals.
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
. He has been a strategist and organizer in the anti-nuclear movement in the United States
Anti-nuclear movement in the United States
The anti-nuclear movement in the United States consists of more than 80 anti-nuclear groups which have acted to oppose nuclear power or nuclear weapons, or both, in the United States. These groups include the Abalone Alliance, Clamshell Alliance, Institute for Energy and Environmental Research,...
for over 30 years. He has been a featured speaker on Today, Nightline, National Public Radio, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight
Lou Dobbs Tonight is an American editorial commentary and discussion program hosted by Lou Dobbs, previously broadcast on CNN and currently on Fox Business Network. The hour-long show aired live on evenings every weekday, and was replayed in the overnight/early morning hours. It covered the major...
and other major media outlets. Wasserman is senior advisor to Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
USA and the Nuclear Information and Resource Service
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
The Nuclear Information and Resource Service is an anti-nuclear group founded in 1978 to be the information and networking center for citizens and organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation and sustainable energy issues...
, an investigative reporter, and senior editor of The Columbus Free Press
Columbus Free Press
The Columbus Free Press is an alternative journal published in Columbus, Ohio since October 11, 1970. This publication originally focused on anti-war and alternative culture issues...
where his coverage, with Bob Fitrakis
Bob Fitrakis
Bob Fitrakis is a Professor of Political Science in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department at Columbus State Community College, an attorney, reporter, Executive Director of the Columbus Institute for Contemporary Journalism/CICJ Books as well as the Editor of The Free Press .He has a Ph.D...
, has prompted Rev. Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
to call them "the Woodward
Bob Woodward
Robert Upshur Woodward is an American investigative journalist and non-fiction author. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post....
and Bernstein
Carl Bernstein
Carl Bernstein is an American investigative journalist who, at The Washington Post, teamed up with Bob Woodward; the two did the majority of the most important news reporting on the Watergate scandal. These scandals led to numerous government investigations, the indictment of a vast number of...
of the 2004 election." He lives with his family in the Columbus, Ohio, area.
Anti-nuclear work
In 1973 he helped pioneer the global grassroots movement against atomic reactors, and helped coin the phrase "No Nukes" in 1974. He was a media spokesperson for the Clamshell AllianceClamshell Alliance
The Clamshell Alliance is an anti-nuclear organization co-founded by Paul Gunter, Howie Hawkins, Harvey Wasserman, Guy Chichester and other activists in 1976. The alliance's coalescence began in 1975 as New England activists and organizations began to respond to U.S...
, and helped organize mass demonstrations at Seabrook, N.H.
Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant
The Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant, more commonly known as Seabrook Station, is a nuclear power plant located in Seabrook, New Hampshire, approximately north of Boston and south of Portsmouth. Two units were planned, but the second unit was never completed due to construction delays, cost overruns...
against reactors being built there. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine featured Wasserman in its 1979 cover story on the Musicians United for Safe Energy
Musicians United for Safe Energy
Musicians United for Safe Energy, or MUSE, is an activist group founded in 1979 by Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, and John Hall. The group advocates against the use of nuclear energy, forming shortly after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident in March 1979...
(MUSE), which staged five concerts organized by Wasserman in Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in 1979 shortly after the Three Mile Island accident
Three Mile Island accident
The Three Mile Island accident was a core meltdown in Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania near Harrisburg, United States in 1979....
, including New York City's 1979 "No Nukes" concerts and rally (featuring Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
, CSN
CSN
CSN might be an acronym or abbreviation for:Companies* CSN Stores* Calvary Satellite Network* Centrala Studiestödsnämnden...
, James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
and others).
Education
Wasserman received a Bachelor of Arts in American History from the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1967, where he was a member of both the Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi
Phi Kappa Phi
The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is an honor society established 1897 to recognize and encourage superior scholarship without restriction as to area of study and to promote the "unity and democracy of education"...
academic honor societies. He also earned a Public Teaching Certificate from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in 1968, and then a Master of Arts in American History from the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
in 1974.
Public appearances
Wasserman's widespread appearances throughout the major media and at campuses and citizen gatherings have focused since the 1960s on energy, the environment, nuclear power, United States history, and election protection. In 1968 he helped found the legendary anti-war Liberation News ServiceLiberation News Service
Liberation News Service was a New Left, Underground press news service which published news bulletins from 1967 to 1981.-History:The Liberation News Service was co-founded in the summer of 1967 by Ray Mungo and Marshall Bloom after the two of them were separated from the United States Student...
, and Massachusetts' communal/organic Montague Farm, now home to the Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
Peacemaker Community, International.
On behalf of Greenpeace
Greenpeace
Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
USA, Wasserman addressed 350,000 concert-goers at the Woodstock 1994 Festival. He has been a frequent speaker at both the Starwood Festival
Starwood Festival
The Starwood Festival is a seven-day Neo-Pagan, New Age, multi-cultural and world music festival presented in mid- to late July. Approximately 1,500 people attend including staff, speakers and entertainers. The Starwood Festival is a camping event which holds workshops on a variety of subjects...
and the WinterStar Symposium (a Starwood interview is documented in the book People of the Earth by Ellen Evert Hopman
Ellen Evert Hopman
Ellen Evert Hopman, M.Ed., was born in Salzburg, Austria. She is an herbalist, lay homeopath, and counselor who lives and works in western Massachusetts....
). According to records from the Greater Talent Network (NY), he has addressed several score campus audiences since 1982 on issues of energy, the environment, politics and history.
Wasserman has been an adjunct instructor of history at Hampshire College
Hampshire College
Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
in Amherst, MA, and is currently on staff in Ohio at Columbus State Community College
Columbus State Community College
]Columbus State Community College, commonly referred to as CSCC, was first established in Columbus, Ohio as Columbus Area Technician's School in 1963 and was renamed Columbus Technical Institute in 1965...
and Capital University
Capital University
Capital University is a private liberal arts university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Bexley, Ohio, founded in 1830. In addition to its rigorous liberal arts program, the university also offers a reputable adult degree program in Columbus, Ohio. It is one of the oldest...
. Based in Ohio, Wasserman works to replace the Perry and Davis-Besse nuclear power plants with renewables and efficiency
Efficient energy use
Efficient energy use, sometimes simply called energy efficiency, is the goal of efforts to reduce the amount of energy required to provide products and services. For example, insulating a home allows a building to use less heating and cooling energy to achieve and maintain a comfortable temperature...
, and has helped his friends shut a trash-burning power plant, a proposed radioactive waste
Radioactive waste
Radioactive wastes are wastes that contain radioactive material. Radioactive wastes are usually by-products of nuclear power generation and other applications of nuclear fission or nuclear technology, such as research and medicine...
dump, the two Zimmer and Perry nukes, a refuge-threatening housing development and a McDonald's restaurant. He currently works through Farmers Green Power in Ohio and elsewhere to promote farmer/community-owned wind power and other renewables.
Written works
Wasserman's articles have appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, Boston Globe, and other major newspapers, and in Rolling Stone Magazine, The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
, Mother Jones Magazine and other magazines.
His first book, Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States, was first published by Harper & Row (NY) in 1972 (introduced by Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
), with approximate sales of 30,000 copies. (The book has been republished by Four Walls, Eight Windows (NY), and through www.harveywasserman.com.)
Wasserman is also a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/harvey-wasserman
Killing Our Own (1982)
In the book Killing Our Own: The Disaster of America’s Experience with Atomic Radiation, Wasserman relates stories about people and animals living near nuclear weapons facilities, mining and waste storage sites, uranium processing plants, and nuclear power reactors. For example, farmers in central Pennsylvania whom he spoke to reported abnormalities in their animals in the wake of the Three Mile Island accident in 1979. Farmers living near the Rocky FlatsRocky Flats Plant
The Rocky Flats Plant was a United States nuclear weapons production facility near Denver, Colorado that operated from 1952 to 1992. It was under the control of the United States Atomic Energy Commission until 1977, when it was replaced by the Department of Energy .-1950s:Following World War II,...
plutonium factory in Colorado, and near the West Valley Reprocessing Plant
West Valley Reprocessing Plant
West Valley Reprocessing Plant was a formerly operational plant for the reprocessing of used nuclear fuel at West Valley, New York, USA. It was operated from 1966-72. During this time period, 600,000 gallons of highly radioactive waste accumulated in an underground waste tank...
in upstate New York, have also complained of defects and illnesses among their animals.
Partial discography
- The Spiral Path of American History - Lecture on cassette: recorded live at the Starwood Festival. ACEAssociation for Consciousness ExplorationThe Association for Consciousness Exploration LLC is an American organization based in Northeastern Ohio which produces events, books, and recorded media in the fields of "magic, mind-sciences, alternative lifestyles, comparative religion/spirituality, entertainment, holistic healing, and related...
External links
- Harvey Wasserman official site
- Solartopia site
- Free Press Website
- Cracking the Media Silence on Three Mile Island
Video
- Harvey Wasserman interview on Democracy Now!, December 17, 2007
- Harvey Wasserman interview about nuclear energy on Democracy Now!, February 18, 2010