The

anti-nuclear The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, nationa ...

logo "Nuclear Power? No Thanks" (

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

: "Atomkraft? Nej tak."), also known as the "Smiling Sun," is the international symbol of the

anti-nuclear movement The anti-nuclear movement is a social movement that opposes various nuclear technologies. Some direct action groups, environmental movements, and professional organisations have identified themselves with the movement at the local, natio ...

. This logo has been ubiquitous worldwide since the late 1970s and the 1980s.

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

reported in 2005 that few symbols had become "as instantly recognizable across the world." Even the

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced ...

industry recognized the logo's "power and success," the BBC report said. Over 20 million Smiling Sun badges were produced in 45 national and regional languages, such as Danish, Korean, Swedish, English, Arabic, Hebrew, Norwegian, and Russian. In recent years the logo has been playing a prominent role once again to raise awareness and funding for anti-nuclear groups, especially in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and Switzerland where opposition is growing to plans for extending the operation of old nuclear reactors and constructing new ones.

Anne Lund, Activist and Designer

The Smiling Sun logo was designed in 1975 by

activist and designer Anne Lund who was part of the Danish organization OOA (/ Organization for Information on Nuclear Power). At the time of creating the Smiling Sun she had no prior design experience. However, the logo was trademarked in 1977. By posing the question: "Nuclear Power?" and providing a concise answer, "No Thanks," the logo was intended to express dissent and—by questioning nuclear power—to stimulate dialogue. The house where Anne Lund designed the original symbol can still be seen in Klostergade 6-8, Aarhus, Denmark. In 2011, after the Fukushima disaster, a new version was released for renewable energy, with the statement "Renewable Energy? Yes Please" (Danish: "Vedvarende Energi? Ja tak!") on a green background with a yellow sun.

Smiling Sun Mural in Aarhus, Denmark

In 1983, a mural of the Smiling Sun was painted near the crossing of Vestergade and Emil Vetts Passage, in the city of Aarhus, Denmark, near the location where it was originally designed by Anne Lund. However, in 2008, it was almost destroyed because of real estate developments in the area, but there were protests by its admirers and they succeed in keeping this urban mural intact. More recently, it was restored.

Trademark

The Smiling Sun logo is an internationally registered

trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a type of intellectual property consisting of a recognizable sign, design, or expression that identifies products or services from a particular source and distinguishes them from othe ...

. The purpose of the trademark is to protect the logo against alteration and prevent use by commercial and partisan political interests. Anti-nuclear groups may apply for user rights to the OOA Fund in Denmark. An online shop sells Smiling Sun merchandise in 50 different languages. The Italian political parties

Federation of Green Lists The Federation of Green Lists ( it, Federazione delle Liste Verdi) or Green List (''Lista Verde'', LV) was a green political party in Italy. Its members included Gianni Francesco Mattioli, Lino De Benetti, Gianfranco Amendola, Alexander Langer ...

Federation of the Greens The Federation of the Greens ( it, Federazione dei Verdi, FdV), frequently referred to as Greens (''Verdi''), was a green political party in Italy. It was formed in 1990 by the merger of the Federation of Green Lists and the Rainbow Greens. T ...

and

Green Europe Green Europe ( it, Europa Verde, EV), officially Green Europe – Greens (''Europa Verde – Verdi''), is a green political party in Italy. Its leaders are Angelo Bonelli, long-time leader of the former Federation of the Greens, and Eleonora Evi, ...

have licensed use of the symbol for their party electoral materials and logos.

Nuclear Power? Yes Please

A network of pro-Nuclear physicists, software developers, and environmental activists drawing inspiration from the original "Nuclear Power? No Thanks" image, but that viewed Nuclear power as part of a sustainable and green-friendly energy option into the 21st century, devised an image similar to—but with a pro-nuclear energy connotation—as part of an ongoing effort that originated in 2008. Some commentators in support of the "Nuclear Power? Yes Please" movement have made arguments that nuclear power should be regulated and safely conducted, but not outright banned, arguing that "The overwhelming priority for those who make decisions about energy must be to avert climate breakdown. They need to keep the lights on, but not by sacrificing the future welfare of humanity and Earth’s living systems. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. It is also better to curse the darkness than to burn your house down." Additional pro-nuclear power environmentalist commentators have supported the "Nuclear Power? Yes Please" messaging as, "...part of a comprehensive post-carbon energy..."

Gallery

Gorleben Stein.jpg Lachende sonne ostermarsch2011.jpg File:20110320ManifAntinucleaireParisFukushima.jpg

References

External links

* * * * {{Anti-nuclear movement Anti-nuclear movement Political symbols Symbols introduced in 1975