Edoardo Ventafridda & Aurora Pinto, Italian Nuclear Activists, Students
Edoardo Ventafridda & Aurora Pinto, Students, Nuclear Advocates
Meet the young Italians that view themselves as a “new generation of environmentalists” pushing for the clean, abundant energy future they see as a human right.
Italian students and science educators Edoardo Ventafridda and Aurora Pinto aim to educate the Italian and European public about nuclear energy through social media and in-person events. The initiative, Giovani Blu, is active on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Ventafridda created GiovaniBlu in 2020, in his freshman year of high school, out of frustration that people his age did not know the benefits of nuclear energy, namely its capability to provide clean electricity while fighting climate change.
Pinto (left) and Ventafridda (right), Youth Ambassadors for Italy.
“We represent a new generation of environmentalists. Our battle, our fights is, is a battle of rationality, of science and of progress,” Ventafridda said. “I want to hear to live in a world where there's abundance, where energy is for everyone, where energy is safe, it's clean, and it's for all. It's a basic human right.”
Over the years, Giovani Blu’s Instagram amassed almost 7,000 followers, and their YouTube videos have received thousands of views. According to Ventafridda, the most successful posts are the ones that spread positive messages about nuclear as a solution to climate change, while depolarizing the discussion - highlighting how nuclear and renewables can work together.
Ventafridda and Pinto began their work together in 2022 when the pair connected online over a shared passion for nuclear and climate topics, and soon after Pinto joined Giovani Blu as the co-director. Together they focused on nuclear communications and grassroots activism. In 2023, Ventafridda and Pinto both attended COP 28 in Dubai as youth delegates for the Net Zero Nuclear initiative, representing the Italian nuclear perspective at the conference.
In 2022, Giovani Blu joined the Italia Nucleare network, a coalition of pro-nuclear Italian organizations. As part of this, Pinto and Ventafridda joined Nucleare e Ragione (nuclear and reason), an Italian association composed of students and experts. Through Nucleare e Ragione, Pinto and Ventafridda participated in energy conferences, conducted educational programs in schools, organized Stand Up pro-nuclear events, and visited nuclear plants and research centers.
Ventafridda and Pinto attended Stand Up events in Milan and Italy has hosted the most Stand Up events in the world to date, with over 80 events since 2019. The group said they were proud to be part of organizing the first festival of scientific environmentalism in Italy’s history, the Eco & Brain Festival and of their advocacy in the streets throughout Italy. They said they are encouraged by the curiosity on the part of the public.
Italy has a rich and polarized history with nuclear energy. Enrico Fermi, an Italian, played a crucial role in the development of nuclear energy, and Italy operated four commercial nuclear plants in the 1960s. Public sentiment soured after Chernobyl, however, leading to a referendum that shut down Italy’s nuclear program. Anti-nuclear sentiment and fear have lingered for many years after that setback.
Yet, with the recent pro-nuclear mobilization and support, Pinto and Ventafridda believe nuclear is set for a comeback. In fact, their petition launched in October 2024 that will allow new nuclear construction in Italy demonstrates widespread, groundswell support.
“So this is an incredible moment. We just did it in three days, 72 hours. Italian people, 50,000 Italian people, just signed this petition, and right now we are working on getting even more signatures,” Pinto said. “ It is saying that the young generation is actually more comfortable in talking about nuclear and its role against climate change and that we need to act now.”
Pinto and Ventafridda with homemade pro-nuclear signs.
Over 50% of Italy’s electricity is generated by natural gas, coal, and oil. According to Ventafridda, while Italy has strong solar and wind resources, they are concentrated in the South, and transmission cables are expensive, making 100% renewables not viable. Giovani Blu’s petition aims to achieve 30-40% nuclear in the electricity mix by 2050, with the rest backed up by intermittent sources.
Considering that they both came to nuclear at a young age, Ventafridda and Pinto are hopeful that young people will learn about nuclear and come to support what they see as a vital energy source.
Both Pinto and Ventafridda showed interest in science at a young age. For Pinto, physics always appealed to her – she currently studies physics at University of Milano-Bicocca – and her love of science spilled into nuclear. She said she loves using mathematical aspects to describe natural phenomena and enjoyed diving into nuclear fission and fusion from a phsyics and scientific point of view, before she came to advocate it as an energy source.
Ventafridda said he always loved science technology and that he collects model aircraft. His path to nuclear came because of a sense of environmentalism and desire to tackle climate change. While he was in middle school and high school, Fridays for Future launched massive climate demonstrations that sparked Ventafridda to learn about climate change, the source of emissions, and electricity generation. He became convinced that nuclear was the solution, after research told him that the source was clean and safe. With this in mind, Giovani Blu was born.
Ventafridda was 15 when he changed his mind about nuclear, influenced by examining how humans used energy throughout history. Energy transitions and discoveries allowed for larger, more abundant societies, in short. The full potential of a nuclear world has not been realized yet, partially due to setbacks like Chernboyl and Fukushima, Ventafridda said.
“I’m not just talking about electricity here. I'm talking about the immense capabilities of us as humans. I'm thinking about of us on other planets. I'm thinking about incredible science discoveries that would be impossible without nuclear,” Ventafridda said. “So that's basically what changed my mind about nuclear, sowing the unused potential, the waste. The real waste about nuclear is not the nuclear waste, it’s the fact that its potential was wasted.”
Pinto’s nuclear turning moment was when, as a 16 year old, her high schoool physics teacher engaged with her in a discussion on nuclear waste management, and encouraged her to inform herself. Specifically, he directed her to L’Avvocato Del Attomo, one of the largest nuclear communication profiles on Instagram with over 189 thousand followers. After that, Pinto began her career as a nuclear activist, met Ventafridda, joined GiovaniBlu and began advocacy efforts in Italy.
For Pinto, the fact that she became a nuclear advocate at such a young age gives her confidence that other teenagers can change their views on nuclear as well.
“We just were very passionate. We were discovering this incredible world, the world of nuclear energy. Mostly for me, it was the idea if I have changed my mind on it, maybe other teenagers can change their mind too,” Pinto said. “and we can finally make our voices loud, and maybe we can be heard by older generations, and we can say, okay, scientists have been saying this for many, many years. But right now, we don't have the time to wait.
Pinto, also a member of Women in Nuclear Italy, said the organization helps young women like herself enter the nuclear field. The organization, though small, is performing hard work in schools and companies, according to Pinto.
“It’s about having the chance to have a figure for which young women can look up to and say, I met a young nuclear engineer. I want to be like her one day,” Pinto said.
Politically, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine raised energy security concerns for Italy, as the country reckoned with its reliance on imported natural gas. Due to the energy situation in Italy, the country faced some of the highest energy bills in Europe - Ventafridda and Pinto view nuclear as a solution.
Recognizing their position, Italian ministries are looking into nuclear energy. Yet, according to Ventafridda, officials are only considering SMRs.
“They're small, they are safer. That's basically not true, but they say they’re safer, and so if you're a politician, they're much easier to sell,” Ventafridda said. “In our petition, we made it clear we are not only for SMRs. SMRs are like deserts. SMRs are the deserts, but you need the main dish, the main course, and that's large-scale plants.”
Ventafridda and Pinto outside of Barakah Nuclear Plant in the UAE, while they attended COP 28 as nuclear activists.
Italy holds some of the lowest scientific literacy scores among OECD countries. For Ventafridda, this means people believe myths and ideas like internet connection may give you cancer; an uphill battle when trying to educate the public about nuclear energy.
Pinto and Ventafridda’s passion stems from a hope for a brighter future.
“Nuclear energy represents this huge thing, which is a bright, a different a new future, a new way of imagining the future,” Ventafridda said. “I'm really proud to be a small part of this huge movement which is trying to bring nuclear back to Italy, to Europe and the world.”