Posts Tagged ‘3Rs’

In traditional Japan, the furoshiki, a beautifully decorated cloth wrapping, was used to wrap anything just like the plastic bag is used today. I ponder how such a beautiful way of carrying anything can be substituted by the ugly white plastic bags that you see now-a-days.

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A recent article about students at Wisconsin working on simplifying the garbage system at a cafeteria just made me smile. Despite an undeniable attachment to packaging, or should we say over-packaging, Tokyo residents have been doing this for many years, and the Japanese even have a word for the philosophy behind this - Mottainai (lit. “what a waste”) – that expresses regret at the loss of respect for the inherent value of something. There’s also a campaign by the same name that has made this expression part of daily life, and inspired everything from children’s books to funky garbage bags.

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In addition to the over packaging of food here, the astounding number of drink machines adjacent to colorful recycling bins catch the eyes of many newcomers to Japan. PET bottle recycling is up to a high of 77.9% in Japan (Council for PET Bottle Recycling, as of 2008), a significant improvement since the 2005 rate of 61.2%. As we learned before on Greenz, countries like Sweden have implemented a charitable incentive to encourage bottle recycling.

However, it’s hard to ignore the evolving shapes and designs (even floral for the cherry blossom season) that attract consumers to buy certain bottled drinks. What if manufacturers made a simple eco-design change instead? How about a square shaped bottle to reduce the shipping space and recycling bulk of these omnipresent thirst quenchers?

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Any new visitor to Tokyo, even the non “eco conscious” one, will eventually gain a heightened awareness of plastic consumption after witnessing the art of (over)packaging food here. In the past, we’ve talked about the Virtual Buddhist Temple Online, where the monks promote cloth packaging over plastic, and zero-plastic waste initiatives at Indonesian schools using locally grown banana leaves but it seems the message is still not sinking in here at home. Take a minute to watch my exposé video, Green Salad Under(plastic)cover, showing how a single customer’s food order was prepared to-go at a prominent Tokyo department store. (Ed: Do not miss this original undercover exposé on the dark underbelly of overpackaging in Tokyo, complete with funky music!)

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Here at greenz.jp we love the concept of using reused and recycled materials to make furniture, something we like to call reFurniture. In the past, we’ve talked about projects such as the Eco De Project, which reuses waste wood to make furniture, or Yusuke Iseya’s Rebirth Project, which “rebirths” art and furniture from scrap wood from demolished buildings, and of course, Freecycle, one of the world’s largest online eco communities where people can swap anything from TVs to bikes, furniture or fondue sets for free. Now there is an innovative new Japanese design team called Magocraft which makes furniture out of Amazon boxes.

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Recycling a metallic can in Sweden gives you 0.5kr (Swedish Krona) or 6 yen. Recycling plastic bottles give you 1kr or 2kr, equivalent to 12 or 25 yen. No wonder around 91% of cans and 88% of plastic bottles are recycled each year.

The Swedes have taken this system to the next level by adding a new charity button to the recycling machines. Instead of getting a money voucher, you can choose to donate the money to the Swedish Cooperation Centre charity working towards giving “help to self help” in developing countries. (more…)

Keyboards, iPod, fur and more knit together. Photo: Nooshin Navidi

Here at greenz, we love cultural creative design that reinforces positive messages for the future of society. Take for example the Sustainable fashion challenge: One dress, 365 days, or Forest Milk, winner of the 2009 Good Design Awards. So, as a recent transplant to Tokyo from the green and techie Silicon Valley, California, I was doubly intrigued to come across MODE less CODE, a high concept eco + art + LAN lines + fashion exhibit at Nanzuka Underground by Kosuke Tsumura. (more…)

It’s time for Christmas. It’s time when everybody thinks how they can spend a fun, entertaining and warm time with friends and families. But it’s also a time to re-think how fortunate we are to be able to celebrate this happiness. So we decided to throw not just an ordinary Christmas party but something that would be meaningful anfd fulfilling to many people. At greenz.jp, we held the green drinks Tokyo Xmas Special kindly supported by Sanyo Electric’s eneloop universe series and was reported to be the greenest Christmas event in Tokyo.

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“Moe Rubbish Bag” Project

After the cherry blossoms fell, did you separate all your rubbish out properly? And the bag in this picture, is it “Moeru” (combustible) or “Non-Moeru”?

Neither, it’s “Moe” rubbish!!
Just a pun, you might be thinking? Actually, this “Moe Rubbish Bag” bearing the famous anime character MOE is the brainchild of a group of students.

“Moe Rubbish Bags” were developed by a group of Keio University Students known as “K-307”. These guys were all MOE fans and part of the same lab when they came up with the “MOE” anime pun on “Moeru” (burnable), which then turned into a rubbish bag concept. It’s a simple idea, but what is of note is that they linked it into one of their research themes, namely “regional vitalization.” (more…)

Over at Treehugger, we introduce some of the drawings made by kids around Japan, dealing with environmental issues and “planet  living” (Wa no kurashi). Many of the images show the deep concerns that kids in Japan have about pollution issues, global warming and the future. Let’s hope many adults are inspired by the stories told by these children.

Wa no kurashi

Manga is serious business. The International Manga Summit began in 1996 as the East Asia Manga Summit. Manga artists from Japan, Korea, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan held conferences and joint exhibitions in order to share their feelings, exchange cultures, and discuss copyright issues.

The theme for the 2008 Kyoto Convention was Environmental Innovation.

This theme was appropriate given that Kyoto was the site of the United Nation’s Convention on Climate Change. They wanted to boost awareness of “global warming prevention”, “dietary education”, and “The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)”, while advocating the passing of the torch of a promising culture to the children and young people responsible for the next generation.

Over at Treehugger, we introduce Mariko Shinju and her best-selling book Mottainai Grandma (published by Kodansha), which has sold half a million copies in Japan. Mariko-san is currently on tour, talking to children about environmental & ethical issues, war & peace, bringing a huge grand-mother doll to bring home the message.

“What do you mean by Mottainai?” One day I was asked by my child. How can I explain this word? There are some Japanese words that cannot be translated into English and Mottainai is the one and is difficult to explain even in Japanese. This is how I started to think about making this picture story book.

- Mariko Shinju

(Photo from Good News Japan)

Over at Treehugger, we introduce the 9th International Manga Summit that was held on September 6-8, 2008 in Kyoto, with “Environmental Innovation” as the main theme.We also couldn’t resist to show Tezuka Osamu’s wonderful anime Red Cat from 1980 (Part 1 on Youtube), with Astro Boy helping save the Spring Valley from destruction and development, complete with a mad professor, a corrupt government minister, and lots of wild animals that just won’t take it anymore!

Those in charge of the Manga Summit note:

Kyoto was the site of the United Nation’s Convention on Climate Change. We envision a convention that will boost awareness of sub-themes such as “global warming prevention”, “dietary education”, and “The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)”, while advocating the passing of the torch of a promising culture to the children and young people responsible for the next generation.