Eco-logical II: Re-thinking
“You reap what you saw”

Lately headlines about earth’s status quo are getting increasingly gloomy, and research shows that the 5% cut of carbon dioxide emission put down in the Kyoto Protocol in 1997, actually has been followed by a 6,4% increase. There have been several climate summits over the last 2 decades, and still we are battling with this problem more than ever. It is clear that we are doing something wrong or just not doing enough. The eco-campaign in Japan has been intensified as it was decided that this year’s G-8 summit would be held there. Tokyo, Japan’s capital, which is aiming at getting the Olympics in 2016, is using this to also counteract ecological problems. A campaign to improve its greenery was started in 2006, which aims for instance at increasing roadside trees from 486.000 to 1 million in 10 years. A related campaign is “my street-tree”, through which citizens can get their name on a roadside tree, an appeal to the community to be more eco-conscious.

In Japan the summer season is long and hot, which leads to extensive use of air conditioning that causes pollution. To prevent this, the government launched a “cool biz” campaign in 2005. This implicated cutting use of air conditioning by setting the indoor temperature to minimum 28 degrees. Further, workers were urged to dress lighter, dropping use of tie or even wearing a suite all together. This campaign triggered of a whole “cool biz” boom with all kinds of products. Clothes made of respiring fabrics and t-shirts with electrical fans. In big cities where the temperature accumulates due to the many skyscrapers, buildings are arranged with gardens on the roof or even built with grass-covered spots on the walls. There are also buildings installed with watering systems, where water runs down the outside walls, or mist showering crowded streets.

We have to come up with new ideas of how to lead a modern lifestyle that is non-polluting. In this concern alternative energy sources have become a major issue. Wind, water, and solar energy are increasingly used, and in Japan there have for instance been developed mobile phone recharge-batteries with solar cells. The Japanese department of one of the world’s largest underwear makers has even made a bra with solar panel. Solar energy is non-polluting and low-cost, and is thus an energy source for the future. A shopping street in Tokyo that has installed solar cells can show to a 30% cut in conventional energy consumption, meaning also a 30% cut in expenses as well as pollution. There are many hot-springs in Japan, and this natural energy source is increasingly taken into use. “Hoshi no ya”, an eco-resort in Nagano has developed a system that makes it 75% energy self-sufficient. It gets energy from water running in the river and by compressing heat from the hot-spring water into a heat pump. Further, by recycling waste with for instance fresh garbage given to farmers as fertilizer, this reduces disposal by 80%. A NPO in Tokyo teaches children and their parents how to make eco-toys and play eco-friendly games instead of watching TV or playing video games, and also teaches them how to cook just by using the heat from the sun. As Japanese are getting more eco-conscious increasingly more people commute by bike. Some companies provide bicycles for their employees and even give them extra bonus when they use a bike for commuting. There is also a national eco-movement called “team minus 6 %” appealing to companies to cooperate so Japan will reach its 6% CO2 cut as promised. This movement informs, praises eco-pushers, and tries to vitalize the eco-campaign, promoting eco as a natural business choice.

Japanese culture is deeply rooted in the concept of being in harmony with nature, and there is even a field within Japanese medicine called “forest medicine”. The modern lifestyle is a new concept, and so humans feel stressed in urban areas, which presses even further that eco is logical and indispensable. Though Tokyo may become greener, it still won’t become like living in the midst of nature. Thus in the future taking a walk in the forest may become a part of doctor’s orders. However, then we only have to make sure that there will be any real forests left to walk in don’t we. Carpe Diem, plant a tree!