Ensuring the Future of Food in Japan

A short video on ensuring the future of food in Japan by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Simple, Effective and Viral.

A Solar City in Japan

This video from Reuters shows a model solar city in Japan, which uses electricity produced from rooftop solar panels.

Moss Greening to Curb Urban Heat Island Effect

Greening projects using moss have been conducted at many sites in Japan in recent years in order to deal with the heat-island effect (abnormal warming of the urban atmosphere due to the heat concentration). In addition to its features of absorbing carbon dioxide (CO2) outputs and lowering the surface temperature of buildings, a moss panel can be easily attached and does not require maintenance efforts. An increasing number of companies are using these panels for greening buildings.

Moss has various benefits: 1) it is easier to grow than grass; 2) it allows quick construction by using handy, light-weight panels; 3) maintenance is easy and watering is not required beyond collecting rainwater; 4) it allows the greening of rooftops, slanting surfaces and wall surfaces; 5) it absorbs large amounts of CO2; and 6) it provides insulation against heat and noise.

Green Alliance, a Japanese non-profit organization, has been promoting moss greening since 2006 by utilizing an exterior insulation greenery panel called “Woolly Moss.” It is a panel using “sunagoke” moss (rhacomitrium canescens) and “haigoke” moss (hypnum plumaeforme), as well as insulation materials made of carbonized corks and mudstones. Fifteen constructions have been performed to date and more are expected in the future. Similarly, another non-profit organization, Moss Green Eco, has been working to revitalize rural mountainous areas by producing moss in degraded lands, fallow fields or unused lands since 2007.

Source credit: Japan for Sustainability.

Asia Environmental News: 24 Oct 08

• Japan launches voluntary CO2 market (Reuters) – Japan recently launched a voluntary carbon market based on companies setting voluntary emission cuts.
• Hong Kong night light pollution under the spotlight (Reuters) – Environmentalists are critical of the unnecessary and wasteful practice of keeping neon signs and buildings brightly lit all night.
• New book on how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability (Straits Times via Wildsingapore) – A new book, Clean, Green And Blue, published by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies gives a detailed look at how Singapore achieved environmental and water sustainability in 40 years.
• China report warns of greenhouse gas leap (Reuters) – Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and other state institutes have concluded that China’s greenhouse gas emission could double or more in two decades.
• Recycling food waste into biogas in Singapore (Business Times via Wildsingapore) - IUT Global Pte Ltd is a Singapore-based company that operates a bio-methanisation plant to convert food waste into biogas and compost.
• Beijing offers cash to curb capital’s pollution (Reuters) – The Beijing government will give companies who stop highly polluting production up to 2.3 million yuan, to stimulate the replacement of high-pollution industries and clear the capital’s poor air.

Asia Environmental News

• China biggest carbon polluter, world levels at record: scientists (Yahoo! News UK) – A recent report by the Global Carbon Project confirms that China has overtaken the United States to become the biggest producer of carbon dioxide and that India is heading for third place. The report also showed that the present concentration of carbon dioxide at 383 ppm is the highest over the last 650,000 years, and developing countries now account for 53% of total carbon emissions.
• Vietnam: Heeding Climate Change Warnings (ENN) – A report by World Vision warned that Vietnam may become one of the nations worst hit by climate change, with sea level rise affecting 5% of the land area, 11% of the population and 7% of agriculture.
• Japan To Subsidize Solar Panels For Your House (TreeHugger) – Japan is introducing a subsidy of about 200,000 yen to households that buy a solar power system, which is about 10% of the cost of a standard solar power system. Japan has set a target of increasing solar power generation by 10 times from current levels by 2020 and 40 times by 2030.

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