Sunday, February 04, 2007
We have updated our English Guided Tour Report page!
Please check it out!
JFS English Guided Tour Movie Project 2006
English Guided Tour Movie Project
Eco Product 2006 Staff Review -Movies and Article(Personal opinion about the tour from English Guide Tour staff)
Staff Review
JFS English Guided Tour Report Page
Monday, December 25, 2006
Hello folks, sorry for leaving this blog blank for long time.
At this time, I am constructing two blogs that consists highlights of Eco Product Exhibition!
I will post the information when its ready!
(I will sure finish it, before the year ends!)
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Picture from English Guided Tour 2006(12/15/2006)
Guests from England and tour staff members
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Topic 10
"New Wave"
1. E-Mobile Co. LTD
Small Automobile company with strong ethics of:
- prevent the growth of global warming
- Vehicle for future (aging society in Japan)
- For people with physical disabilities
With unique designs!
The size of the vehicle is very efficient, since Japan has population in high density.
The roofing will also suitable for tropical weather in Japan
Very efficient battery(At this time, we do not have so much information)
But it is worth seeing it at the Eco Product Exhibition!
Topic 9
"This Year at the Exhibition!"
Eco Product 2006 is going to be really exciting!
At the JFS Enlgish site, they have linked this blog!
as you scroll down, you will see the link for this page.
http://www.japanfs.org/en/jfs/event/eco-pro2006/#updates
On this page,(I actually wrote it)
There are updates about eco products and services.
Do you have products that you are interested?
Do you think it is efficient product/service in your country?
Do you have any other comments?
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Topic 8
"Food companies' environmental efforts at Eco Product Exhibition"
I like to introduce you to green packaging trend in Japan.
Ajinomoto, Co.
- a major food and seasoning company
Nissin
-a major food producing company
a) Environmental efforts in eco-friendly containers and packaging
The company established its original index (The Eco-Index for Containers and Packaging) to make food products containers and packaging greener. In the index, six evaluation items are set to examine the environment-friendliness of containers and packaging, including efficient resource use, recycling and disposal adaptability, CO2 emissions and labeling.
Efforts in environmentally friendly containers and packaging include;
- reducing weight of bottles by reducing the volume of materials such as glasses and plastics. (e.g. By reducing the amount of glasses by 12 %, the total amount of glasses for bottles can be decreased by 117 tons per year, which can also cut CO2 emissions by 132 tons per year.)
- reducing the size of carton packs, which leads to a 55-ton reduction in annual paper use.
- adopting biomass and/or biodegradable plastics for some packages
- improving the designs of containers so users can easily compress them when disposing or separate recyclables and non-recyclables.
Questions:
What is the perspective of packaging in the future?
What can company do to prevent unnecesary packaging?
Tell me what is unnecessary packaging that you see on the store?
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
November "This year and last year at Eco-Product Exhibition"
Topic 7
"Last Year's Ecological Product with great attention"
Last year was my first year to join 3 day giant ecological product exhibiton
held in Tokyo Big Site Center. I was amazed with the numbers of big corporation,
government sector, NGO, and College organizition. Last year, I worked as a guide for
English Guided Tour by JFS (Japan for Sustainability). We had introduced our guests to
6 booth from big company to small organization.
I will introduce you to some of the lookout products and service I saw at Eco Product 2005
First, I like to introduce you to biomass plastic in Japan.
In total, 192 million tons of plastic are consumed in the world and Japan consumes about15million tons. But if Japanese inhibit the trends of bioplastic, we can cut down CO2 by 1.5 million tons! Thats 10% of Japanese plastic consumption.
Fujitsu "Bioplastic Computer cover"
Fujitsu is the world's third -largest IT services provider and Japan's market leader.
- Fujitsu develops World's first bioplastic computer cases.
- In August 11, 2005 Fujitsu LTD and Toray industries jointly developed a large case made of bioplastics. Notebook FMV-BIBLO NB80K". This is the first bioplastic made form corn starch were used in computer parts. This new technology can reduce by about one liter the consumption of petroleum in the production of a notebook personal computer.
- Cost of new biomass plastic computer is somewhat higher than conventional materials and the to
ughness is one of structural difficulties
But, it is beneficiaries to the environment!
- The material contains polylactic acid and is a bioplastic made for lactic acid derived from fermented starches and sugars from corn and potatoes
- About 50 percent of the newly-developed plastic consists of natural materials, if used in the case of notebook computers, it can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 15 percent compared to conventional petroleum based resins.
Question:
What is your opinion regarding the bioplastic material?
What is the major contribution of bioplastic in your country?
What kind a role can bioplastic has abilities to play other than computer cases?
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Topic 6
“Cool Biz, Warm Biz”
First, what pops into your mind when you hear “cool biz and warm biz”?
When I first heard “cool biz”, I thought the government of Japan was trying to change image of “straight” Japanese businessman to “cool” image. I was wrong in the way I defined “cool”. Well “cool biz and warm biz” has relation to prevent the growth of global warming by changing the way we dress in formal occasions.
Cool biz
The old traditional business style in Japan, majority of workers is encouraged to wear shirts, jacket, and ties. For many years, Japanese workers screamed and sweated enormously under business uniform during summer that reaches beyond 30℃ with high humidity.
In 2005, Japanese Ministry of the Environment began advocating the Cool Biz Campaign. The goal is to limit the use of air conditioning. The workers were encouraged to wear short sleeved shirts, without ties or jackets. With Cool Biz style, the work environment can reduce the usage of air conditioning and when cool air condition system comes to use, we can increase its temperature and reduce its energy use.
Due to its sudden trend, many workers were confused about whether they should follow the new trend or the old ways. It was either to follow the new approach of the government or the stick with the old custom from the company. The workers became very self-conscious and felt impolite when their boss and business partner was following the old ways of wearing jackets and ties to work. I think cool biz is still in a trial stage, and as years adds up, the tradition of cool biz will fade over the old custom.
Warm biz:
By reading cool biz, you probably have guessed what warm biz is. Many large corporations are starting to support to its act. But, warm biz is not supported by Japanese government. So, no one really knows what “warm biz” is going to be like. One example is to wear turtle neck under the jacket? What we know is that, we have to keep ourselves warm and reduce the usage of heating system.
Questions:
So, what do you think about this cool biz and warm biz system?
Would this system be beneficial, if government supported this act in your country?
Tell me, what kind of support government can do to encourage citizen to change their habits in order to reduce growth of environmental problems?
Sunday, October 22, 2006
First of all, I am very sorry for the delay in updating the topic.
October:”Environmental Activities in Japan”
Topic 5 “NGO and New Wave of Environmental Activities”
Do you know anything about NGO in Japan?
What is current trend of environmental activity in Japan?
Past several years, the numbers of environmental NGO are rapidly increasing in Japan. But, the number and reliance of NGO are still weak compared to other countries.
Here are the interesting organization from Japan, approaching in different ways of ecological contribution:
1. Be Good Café:
Non-profit organization, “Be Good Café "is founded in 1999. This organization is very unique where promotes an information regarding goodness of environment through workshops, live music, and healthy organic food. The aim for this organization is to build a sustainable society throughout the world. Be Good members are young activists with variety fields of expertise. With multi-skilled members, Be Good Café is filled with activities like Steiner, macrobiotic, permaculture, and developments of eco-village..
Be good Café will participate in this year’s Eco-Product Exhibition and serve traditional Japanese food “okayu” (rice in soup) in organic style!
http://begoodcafe.com/english.php
2．Uchi-Mizu Project
What is “uchi-mizu?” “The old custom of sprinkling water with a ladle on streets and garden….People sprinkle water, especially in the summer time, in their house entranceand garden or in front of their shops to lay the dust or to ease the heat” (Uchimizu Daisakusen HP). The main purpose of uchimizu is to cool down your surrounding territory. Since there was no air conditioner 100 years ago, Japanese citizen splashed cool water on the surface to entrance of the house, verandahs, and walls of the house., This splash of water forms cool breeze entering through your house in humid summer. In my youth, I remember my grandmother and I would be splashing water on the road front of our house and I always thought she was just having “play in outside”.
The custom of uchimizu has faded away over the decade, and JWF (Japan Water Forum) with strong effort of reviving the old tradition of “uchimizu” use especially in urban cities (prevent heat island effect). It is necessary for all Japanese citizens to keep its custom and realize little chores can make big contribution for our future.
http://www.uchimizu.jp/eng/index.html
3. Think the Earth Project
Think the Earth is artistic and unique organization with a concept to form “ecology and economy in Coexistence”. The projects are focused on development of ecological products and services targeted from young audiences to expertise in various field. The organization has broad range of services and it even has a learning place for companies and NPOs.
Their representative projects are:
Watch Project: WN-1
Wn-1 is one of famous project done by Think the Earth. Wn-1 watch is very unique with a small earth dial (a dome shaped hour hand makes one revolution every 24 hours, rotating clockwise around the North Pole.) This project is a collaborative work of Think the Earth and Seiko Instruments in a concept “acknowledge importance of our time by seeing the earth from the outside”. Wn-1 watch is eye catching for fashionable teenager in Japan, and Think the Earth is targeting young people to percept “to be environmentally conscious is a cool thing”.
http://www.thinktheearth.net/
Think the Earth has several other interesting projects such as “Peaceball Campaign –deliver soccer balls (collect used soccer balls) to kids in undeveloped nations. You can also purchase Peaceball package and portion of the sale will be donated to Peacball project. http://www.thinktheearth.net/ball/about/index.html
Questions:
Do you know any organization in your country that are approaching in environmental activity from different angles compared to other organization? Can you tell me environmental organization that are attractive to young people in your country?
What is your enviromentally friendly product that has abilities to change habits of future citizens in your country?(in a good way, i hope..)