There are two things we can learn from the JFS article (below) on the generation of energy from passengers walking through the ticket gates at train stations.

One, the “think out of the box” mentality. If we put our mind to it, we can think of innovative ways to generate energy from different sources (not just depend on power plants) and use it for local specific purposes.

Two, the “first to try” spirit. If we don’t try, we would not know whether it works, especially for something that has not been done before. Either we take the risk, put in some money and do it first. Or we can be “kiasi” and wait for others to try it out and see how it goes. If it is successful, it is usually too late for us to follow suit and lead since others already have accumulated enough experience and know-how to do it better.

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Power Generating Floor Tested at JR Tokyo Train Station

The East Japan Railway Company (JR East) conducted a demonstration experiment from January 19 to March 7, 2008, at Yaesu North Gate, Tokyo Station, on a new power-generating floor. Installed at the ticket gate area, it generates electricity from the vibrations created by passengers walking through the ticket gates.

The power-generating floor is embedded with piezoelectric elements, which are 35 millimeters in diameter, and disc-shaped components used for loudspeakers. It uses 600 of these elements per square meter. While the loudspeaker creates sound by converting electric signals to vibrations, the floor adopts the reverse mechanism that produces electricity by harnessing the vibrational power generated from passengers’ steps. It is being developed by JR East with the aim of making stations more environmentally friendly and energy efficient.

Following the first experiment in autumn 2006, this test was aimed at verifying the improvement in power generation efficiency and durability. It was also targeted at verifying power-generating capacity, now more than ten times per unit of installation area compared to the performance in 2006. JR East expects to generate enough electricity to light a 100-watt bulb for about 80 minutes per day. It intends to use the power for station facilities such as automatic ticket gates or electric displays in the near future.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.

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So Simple 2 is a Chinese TV programme shown on Channel U every Tuesday at 9.30pm and 11.30pm, and is Season 2 of So Simple. So Simple 2 follows host Peifen on her journey to seek the simple life in places such as Taiwan and Japan. It’s about simplicity, DIY, LOHAS, eco-friendly, travelling and following your dream.

Along Peifen’s journey, she meets people who have embraced the simple life and are doing what they love. There’s the guy who makes wood furniture and items from driftwood. The couple who recycles used skateboards to make decorative items. The family restaurant serving food grown at their garden. And the guy who builds treehouses. Find out more at the show’s blog.

We like So Simple 2 because it serves as an inspiration and reminder for us that we can choose to follow our dreams and live our lives in a simple and eco-friendly way. Simple is Beautiful.

The last episode of So Simple 2 is showing tonight. If you are a fan of the show, remember to catch it. For those who missed the show, you would have to wait for the repeat telecast of So Simple 2 over the weekends. Or you can catch the current repeat telecast of Season 1 (about DIY tips) of So Simple on Saturdays at 11am, Channel U. 

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What is the current status on the recycling of food waste in Singapore? Currently, a local company recycles soya bean waste, spent grains and spent yeast into animal feed. A local food waste treatment plant was also set up last year to turn food waste from food courts, hotels and factories into compost and biogas.

In addition, a local non-profit organisation, Food from the Heart, collects unsold bread and pastries from bakeries and hotels and distributes them to welfare organisations, needy families and individuals (not really considered as recycling but reduces food waste nonetheless).

We are not sure what happens to the unsold, expired or soon-to-be expired food products in supermarkets and retail shops. There are a few possibilities:

1. Disposed and sent to the incineration plants
2. Sold at a cheaper price before the expiry date to clear stock
3. Donated before the expiry date to schools, charitable organisations or anyone who wants them
4. Recycled (we don’t think this is happening now): the food is sent to recycling plants for composting or digestion to produce biogas, and the food packaging (plastics, paper and metal cans) is recycled

From the 2006 waste data for Singapore, the recycling rate for food waste is only 8% and there is more room for improvement. For a start, we can learn from Japan and Korea.

In Korea, campaigns and policies have increased the food recycling rate to 81% in 2004 (Green Korea 2006 report). In Japan, there is a Food Waste Recycling Law that requires businesses and consumers to take responsibility for the reduction of food waste. Some retail stores have also implemented food waste recycling programmes (see article below from Japan for Sustainability).

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Convenience Store Chain Establishing a System to Recycle 100% of its Unsold Food

Seven & i Holdings Co., the parent company of the major convenience store chain Seven-Eleven Japan Co., started turning its food waste into animal feed on September 1, 2007, in cooperation with Agri Gaia System Co., a company specializing in food recycling. By the end of July 2007, Seven & i Holdings had already implemented the system of composting food waste from about 1,600 stores, or about 14 percent of all its stores. The company intends to raise this to roughly 2,350, or 20 percent, of its stores by the end of February 2008 (this does not include recycling of oil waste).

The two companies have been working on composting unsold food products collected from approximately 1,000 Seven-Eleven stores in Tokyo’s 23 wards since 2003. Seven-Eleven and Ito-Yokado Co., another company of the Seven & i Holdings group, have been selling watermelons and spinach grown using the compost made from the group’s waste food products. Under the new system, outdated food products such as packed lunches and delicatessen foods, collected under refrigeration once a day from stores by Seven-Eleven’s original waste collecting system, called the “eco distribution system,” which was established in 1994, are to be recycled fully by being processed into animal feed.

The waste food products will be sorted at Agri Gaia System’s recycling feed mill. Materials suitable for animal feed will be processed, while others will be composted or processed into methane gas to be used as supplementary fuel for the mill. Plastic food trays will be incinerated as an auxiliary fuel. Seven-Eleven intends to sell packed lunches and prepared food containing pork and poultry raised on the feed produced by this new recycling system.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability. Image attribution: quotlumen.

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In a study conducted by TNS, children aged 3 to 9 in four Asian countries (China, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand) were asked on their level of concern about the need for environmental protection. The results are shown below:

• Very concerned - 15%
• Somewhat concerned - 43%
• Not very concerned - 32%
• Not at all concerned - 10%

The study results suggest that 42% of children in Asia are not very or not at all concerned about the need for environmental protection. This is in contrast to the children’s mothers, who are 95% concerned about the need for environmental protection. Why do a high percentage of our future generation not care about the environment?

Perhaps we are just too harsh on them. They are still young and innocent to understand the need for protecting the environment. Or they do know the need but are more concerned about other things such as schoolwork, toys and computer games or just about having fun.

Regardless of the reasons, there is a need for parents to educate their children and raise awareness about the environment. Since parents know more about the need to protect the environment (as shown in the high 95% concern), they should be the role models and educate our future generation.

Source: TNS via Treehugger. Image attribution: Sailing ( Ronn ) “El Viaje”.

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ASEAN Member Countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, Korea and New Zealand signed the Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment yesterday at the Third East Asia Summit (EAS) in Singapore. The Declaration reaffirms the need for countries in East Asia to tackle the “interrelated challenges of climate change, energy security and other environmental and health issues”. Some key issues that the countries commit to:

Stress that all countries should play a role in addressing the common challenge of climate change, based on the principles of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities; and that developed countries should continue to play a leading role in this regard;

Participate actively in the process of developing an effective, comprehensive, and equitable post-2012 international climate change arrangement under the UNFCCC process; and in this context, reiterate our support for the successful outcome of the 13th session of the COP to the UNFCCC and the 3rd MOP to the Kyoto Protocol to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007;

Working towards achieving a significant reduction in energy intensity;

Cooperating for the development and use of civilian nuclear power, in a manner ensuring nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation, in particular its safeguards, within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for those EAS participating countries which are interested.

Work to achieve an EAS-wide aspirational goal of increasing cumulative forest cover in the region by at least 15 million hectares of all types of forests by 2020;

Pooling our experiences, expertise and technology in areas such as urban planning including transportation, green building, water management, urban greenery and urban biodiversity conservation, sanitation and waste management, 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and air, noise, water, and land pollution control;

Source: Singapore Declaration on Climate Change, Energy and the Environment. Image attribution: 13th ASEAN Summit.

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In Hong Kong, a leading supermarket chain has started charging customers an optional 20 Hong Kong cents each for a biodegradable shopping bag. This is in response to the government’s plan to introduce an environmental levy of 50 Hong Kong cents each on plastic shopping bags soon. More on the news from The Straits Times website. And if you’re interested in the proposal on the levy on plastic bags, details are available from the Hong Kong Environmental Protection Department website.

In Japan, more customers agree to the charge on plastic bags than those that oppose, and 60% of customers bring their own bags. Read more from the Japan for Sustainability article below.

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60% of Shoppers Carry Own Shopping Bags, 12% Always Decline Free Plastic Bags

Japan’s Ministry of the Environment released on May 30, 2007 the results of two surveys conducted in March, 2007: one survey on “customers’ utilization of plastic shopping bags and their awareness of the system for promotion of sorted collection and recycling of containers and packaging” and another survey on “retailers’ efforts to reduce the consumption of plastic shopping bags.”

The results show that, during the week before the survey, 85.0 percent of the customers received free plastic shopping bags every time they went shopping and only 11.9 percent did not.

Approximately 60 percent of those surveyed have their own shopping bags, showing that the practice of utilizing reusable shopping bags has become popular to some extent. Regarding the issue of charging for plastic shopping bags, 46.4 percent of the respondents agreed with the idea, outnumbering those who opposed it (28.9%). The price they said they wouldn’t mind paying for plastic shopping bags varied: Five yen (4 US cents) was the most popular (36.0%), followed by one to two yen (0.8-1.6 US cents) (21.5%) and three to four yen (2.4-3.3 US cents) (10.3%). Those who were aware of the revised Containers and Packaging Recycling Law accounted for 59.8 percent of respondents.

The latter survey of retailers confirmed that about 40 percent of retailers have set numerical targets for reducing the number of plastic shopping bags they distribute. Among specific efforts for reducing plastic bag distribution, the most popular was offering services such as giving customers stamps when they bring their own shopping bags. Only 9.4 percent of retailers were charging for plastic shopping bags.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.

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Source: The Straits Times; Environmental Protection Department; Japan for Sustainability. Image attribution: KingOfHiking: (r) 愛, 回家.

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The Eco-Products 2007 - Eco Style Fair will be held in Tokyo from 13th to 15th December. This annual exhibition is Japan’s largest environmental and eco fair, showcasing the latest eco-friendly products, services and technologies. Around 160,000 people are expected to attend this exhibition, which has about 600 companies and organisations participating in 1,200 booths. Check out the Eco-Products website for more details on the exhibition.

To provide a guide for the Eco-Products exhibition, Japan for Sustainability (JFS) introduced the Eco-Products Navigator 2007 blog to give more information on products and companies in this year’s exhibition. The blog also contains information, pictures and movies for past exhibitions. And to help foreign participants, JFS is conducting free English guided tours during the exhibition. More details on the tours at the JFS website.

Those who are interested to attend the exhibition in Japan can drop us an email, maybe we can help to organise a group.

Source: Japan for Sustainability; Eco-Products 2007. Image attribution: Copyright Eco-Products 2007.

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Imagine generating your own electricity at home using natural gas. In Japan, Honda has introduced cogeneration units for homes. These units run on natural gas to generate electricity and also make use of the exhaust heat to provide hot water. The cogeneration unit is highly energy efficient and reduces carbon emissions.

Currently in Singapore, electricity is generated at the power plants and transmitted to homes, leading to some energy loss due to the transmission. If we could generate electricity at our own homes using the cogeneration units, it could reduce those energy loss. But we also have to consider the energy spent to transport natural gas to homes and compare it with the reduction in energy loss to assess whether it is energy efficient to make the switch.

Read more about Honda’s cogeneration units from the Honda website or from the Japan for Sustainability article below. 

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50,000 Honda Residential Cogeneration Units Installed in Japan

At a press conference on July 18, 2007, Mr. Takeo Fukui, president and CEO of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., stated that about 50,000 Honda compact residential-use cogeneration units have been installed in Japan since they were first put on the market in 2003. He also noted that the company started selling the cogenerators in the United States in March 2007. Honda has been stepping up its environmental efforts as one of three strategies for future growth. Promoting the cogeneration unit is part of its commitment to the environment.

Honda cogeneration units run on natural gas and generate electricity for home use while utilizing the exhaust heat from the gas engine to provide hot water. The unit has been marketed through gas utility companies in Japan under the brand name “ECOWILL.” According to data released by Honda the day before the press conference, the total energy efficiency of the unit is as high as 85.5 percent. Installation of the 50,000 ECOWILL units has potentially reduced carbon dioxide emissions by about 42,000 tons per year, equivalent to the amount that would be absorbed by three million trees.

In the U.S., the system is called “Freewatt,” includes the Honda cogeneration unit and exhaust-heat hot-water heater and is being sold by American Honda Motor Co., Inc. and Climate Energy, LLC.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.

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Now you can learn more about the environment and sustainability in Japan! We are pleased to announce that we will be publishing more environmental news and articles from Japan. This is thanks to Japan for Sustainability, who has given us permission to republish their articles in AsiaIsGreen. Japan has always taken the lead in environmental protection and sustainability, and we can learn much from the Japanese. Read more about Japan for Sustainability from their introduction below or check out their website.

About Japan for Sustainability (JFS)

Japan for Sustainability is a non-profit organization. We share information on developments and activities originating in Japan that lead toward sustainability, with the aim of building momentum toward a sustainable path for the world.

Japan for Sustainability (JFS) does the following activities:

• Provides a variety of information on the environment and sustainability, from Japan to the world, via our web site and e-mail magazines.
• Covers not only current developments but also traditional wisdom, craftsmanship and practices of day-to-day life, as well as local activities.
• Works to develop special partnerships with people in Asia, in order to cooperate to find paths toward sustainability in this region.
• Welcomes feedback and comments from overseas and shares them in Japan and with partners in Asia, so that we can improve efforts and activities in this region by learning from each other.
• Creates a vision for a sustainable Japan through discussion among various stakeholders.

JFS Projects

1) Kids’ “Create Your Future” Website

JFS has launched their Kids’ “Create Your Future” Website with an aim to encourage children worldwide to take interest in and gain an understanding of environmental issues, and to think and act independently in response. Through this site, we emphasize the concept of taking a creative approach toward the realization of a more ecological future on our planet unrestrained by conventional ideas, and we aim to introduce innovative ways of thinking to support concrete methods for sustainable living.

2) The JFS Indicator Project

JFS has chosen 20 headline indicators for sustainability based on an analysis of over 200 data sets in several sustainability-related categories. This is the first ever numerical evaluation / trial calculation of national sustainability for Japan, undertaken by citizen volunteers through open discussion and study sessions to achieve a more sustainable Japanese society. The results obtained compared across time periods between 1990 vis-a-vis and a hypothetical perfect score of 100 projected for 2050 which is based on the model-”Japan in 2050, moving closer towards a sustainable society”.

3) Daiwa - JFS Sustainability College

The 21st century is shaping up as the era of the environment. A concern about environmental issues has led to emergence of the idea of sustainability, which is expanding as the most important concept of today. Under the circumstances, JFS opened “Daiwa-JFS Sustainability College” in partnership with Daiwa Securities Group, aiming at boosting awareness and facilitating actions of the young people who will lead the next generation in Japan as well as enhancing sustainability in society as a whole.

Contact JFS

1-13-1-205, Mita, Tama-ku

JP-Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 214-0034/Japan

E-mail: info@japanfs.org

Internet: http://www.japanfs.org

Contact person: Noriko Sakamoto

Note

JFS Uses Green Power for Its Energy Requirements: The Green Power Certification System is a scheme in Japan that offers a new way for companies and organizations to voluntarily engage in energy conservation and environmental protection. Participants earmark their electricity consumption to be supplied from power produced from renewable energy, and do not have to invest directly in equipment and facilities. In return, they receive a Certificate of Green Power that certifies them for embracing the benefits of renewable energy, namely, energy conservation and the reduction of CO2 emissions.

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