Unplug Nuclear Power 2026!
March 11, Boycott Grid Power!
Fifteen years ago, on March 11, 2011, nuclear power plants in Fukushima, Japan, melted down and exploded, exposing the nuclear industry's lies. They had claimed that nuke plants were safe and "couldn't melt down." But, we knew even then that the nuclear industry is literally built on lies. It had promised electricity "too cheap to meter." Instead it's the most expensive power in human history, 10x as expensive as wind and solar. It had promised that the problems of nuclear waste would be solved easily. Seventy years later, there is still no solution. Nuclear HAS delivered seventy years of scandal and corruption. Bribes and kickbacks have been an essential part of the nuclear industry, and have caused scandals in South Korea, Ukraine, Japan, Ohio, Illinois, and many other places.
But, memories fade and fresh scandals and disasters push catastrophes like Fukushima off the front pages. That's why, fifteen years ago, we started the Unplug Nuclear Power direct action against the nuclear industry. For the 24 hours of March 11, we are asking people to boycott grid electricity. We do this every year so that the tragedy of Fukushima will never be forgotten and hopefully will never be repeated.
There are four Levels of participation.
Level One is simple conservation. Simply make a conscious effort to reduce electricity consumption that day. Turn off lights; turn down thermostats a degree or two; stay off of video games; reduce AI internet searches; and so forth. One of the lies of the nuclear industry is that our modern standard of living would be impossible without nuclear power. This is obviously false, since only 31 of the 195 countries in the world have nuclear power. Also, countries like Germany and most recently Taiwan have shuttered their nuclear power plants and are now nuclear free. Nuclear's share of global electricity has fallen to 9%. Participating at Level One will save a typical household more than 9% of its average daily electrical use, demonstrating that nukes are not necessary.
Level Two is severe conservation. Turn off all non-essential uses of power. No artificial lights. No Screens. Only use electricity for things like sump pumps, furnaces, or refrigerators. People who participate at this Level find that a day without the painful distractions of modern life can be very peaceful. It allows them time and peace of mind to think about the victims of Fukushima and nuclear power past, present, and future. Many people light candles.
Level Three is complete disconnection from the grid for 24 hours. This level takes some preparation such as backup power for essentials like sump pumps or furnaces. Turning off the main breaker is not practical for everyone, but it's a good idea for households to be prepared for such outages as old, and increasingly unreliable power plants fail. Nuclear plant failures in South Korea and Louisiana have actually crashed regional grids, causing blackouts.
Level Four is providing the grid with a net surplus of clean energy through rooftop solar or home wind installations. When we started this action fifteen years ago, few households could have participated at this level. Now, many millions of homes around the world can. In Australia, for example, nearly 1 in 2 homes and businesses have solar. This is one of the most hopeful developments in the last 15 years.
Unfortunately, the nuclear industry has 'gone nuclear' with its propaganda in recent years. With outrageous lies like, "No one has died because of Fukushima" and "Nuclear wastes aren't dangerous," They have misled politicians and business leaders to attempt a dangerous expansion of nukes, aiming to triple the number of nuclear power plants by 2050.
This is happening even as scientific studies, like the 2023 INWORKS study, prove conclusively that even the smallest exposures to radiation are deadly. In 2025, Harvard also released a study that showed cancer death rates increase the closer people live to nuclear plants. Despite this, the US is planning to increase radiation exposures. The Department of Energy just made a secret rule change that lets nuclear reactors contaminate ground water with unlimited amounts of radiation. They also no longer have to monitor ground water around nuclear plants for contamination!
That's why it's more important than ever that we spread the word and spread awareness. Please join us for the 24 hours of March 11th as we remember the victims of Fukushima and the nuclear industry. Boycott grid power! Unplug Nuclear Power, 2026!
Visit our website, unplugnuclearpower.com, to learn more and to let us know what Level your household will participate at.
