reduce
Minimise packaging - use traditional Japanese furoshiki! Make it a priority to buy products that have packaging you can reuse or recycle, or best, none at all! Always carry plastic bags with you or use your own bag so you won't need to accept new plastic bags when you go shopping. (See our useful phrases page to learn how to reject them politely). Get a compost bin for your garden (if you have the space) If you don't have the space, ask a neighbour with a garden! You can reduce burnable garbage - this way as well as create fertiliser for your soil. Organise a commmunity compost bin for your apartment block! Don't buy products with excessive packaging! Try to buy vegies from small shops instead of supermarkets, often they use less plastic wrapping. Minimise paper handouts in class and make reusable resources whenever possible. Minimise computer printouts, check documents carefully to avoid wasteful reprints. Watch the temperature gauge on your heater or air conditioner - if you alter it by a few degrees you can save energy and money. Close doors to rooms not in use to trap air when using your heater or aircon. Save energy - turn items off when not in use. Even taking items like tvs ands stereos off standby can save energy. Make a "no junk mail" sign for your postbox, and actively pursue people who ignore it! Get on your bike, the bus or train to get around. Encourage your teachers and friends to carpool or bike/bus/train to school. Japan has the best rail system in the world after all! Resist the urge to take those free tissues at train stations. Attend to leaking taps. Be conservative with water: use less water when bathing, take [short] showers instead. Try to reuse your bath water in your washing machine or to water your garden or household plants.
reuse
Save those beautiful biscuit tins and boxes omiyage comes in. Use both sides of paper before recycling. Make double sided photocopies where possible. Throw vegetable scraps in a compost bin to make nutritious mulch for your garden. Providing you do not use too much salt when cooking reuse water used for boiling vegies by throwing in your garden or in your potplants (after it has cooled of course!) The paper that photocopying paper is wrapped in is great for wrapping overseas parcels. Save all that excess wrapping that gifts or electric items come in and reuse when wrapping gifts. Use washable, reusable cutlery and not disposable chopsticks, plates etc. Reuse bath water when your do your laundry (scoop up the water and tip in washing machine, a bit arduous granted, but economical). Turn those wretched junk mailouts into beautiful origami creations or use them to wrap garbage in. Make paper machie daruma dolls out of recycled paper. Reuse the colourful plastic packets lollies come in by converting them into reusable, waterproof envelopes! Write the address on a piece of paper (make sure it is large enough to accommodate any stamps the post office may need to add) and tape it to the back of the plastic packet. You can write your (return) address on a smaller piece of paper and tape to the front of the packet (ie the back of the envelope). Reuse envelopes - stick a new label over the old address. Keep an eye on the scrap paper basket in your office (most offices have their paper set aside for recycling) often you will find reusable envelopes here. Some schools have a special tray for used envelopes. Encourage your teachers to do this if they don't. Wash out those used obento boxes and fill them with Japanese goodies (there are plenty around that are small enough) to send home as a souvenir from Japan. The boxes are light and sturdy, perfect for mailing.
recycle
Cans, PET bottles, glass etc have special bins - use them! PET bottles may not always be recycled, so it is best to keep them for personal reuse or better still, not buy them at all! Give old clothes, eyeglasses etc to charities that rely on income generated through secondhand clothes markets. Learn the Japanese art of washi (papermaking) so you can recycle paper yourself. Papermaking can be a fun (if occasionally messy) classroom activity. Advertise in our ecoclassifieds! Visit those flea markets, council recycle stores, and gomi piles on nonburnable day - there are bargains to be had and treasure to be found! Use your imagination - think carefully before throwing anything away.
After experiencing the oil crises of the 1970s, most adults living in industrialized countries understand the importance of saving energy. Yet, while the economic reasons for saving energy seem obvious to most, the ecological ones don't. In fact, so few people know whether or not saving energy or water makes a difference to the environment that you can pretty much assume that the only time they might be conserving it is when they are paying for it out of their own pockets.
Take the typical office or school or your daily workplace. How often do you see people making a conscious effort to save paper, electricity or water? You are probably surrounded by people who don't realize that:
Similarly, saving water isn't just something to do in a drought, when the resource is scarce. Every drop of wasted water is a drop less of a beautiful and winding river, a drop less of a salmon run, a drop more in a dam filling a glorious valley.
Water conservation also reduces the amount of chemicals and energy needed to purify water and treat sewage. It reduces the amount of energy needed to pump water to your home or heat the water once it's there. And since heating water generally requires the second largest amount of energy used in the home, those little drops are actually quite precious.
When you think of what you can do to save the Earth, first consider the importance of small savings. The task of putting our lifestyles into balance with the Earth is no longer overwhelming when broken down into the manageable pieces of influence each of us has in our personal lives. Conservation can be accomplished by simple, cost-effective measures that require little change or significant effort in your daily life. So what are you waiting for? Start simply and simply start!
[Source: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth (1989) The Earthworks Press)
from echo article 1999
Recycling and garbage advice
Start recycling programs? I suggest asking your local yakuba or community association first. At school my attempts have made me the convenient dumping center. God forbid they should use the back of paper themselves! As I see it the need is more for actual reduction of consumption. I cringe daily at the waste of resources at school. I've yet to find a successful way of making people really think about this.
Things you can recycle
Glass items, aluminium and tin cans; Kerbside rubbish (moenai gomi): It's a good idea to check that this is in fact recycled, not all areas have the facilities so it's off to the landfill.
Burnables (moeru gomi)
Please, please, please try to avoid styrene products - unfortunately this is difficult to sayy the least, so please wash them and take them to your local supermarket where there should be a recycle bin for them.
Supermarkets should also have recycle bins for paper trays, milk/juice cartons and frying oil (if not, oil is often collected in smaller villages - ask your supervisor)
Paper
I take mine to the local library, where they send it to a recycling place doing it individually costs money). There are people who go around collecting it in vans - make sure of the destination of the paper, as they often burn it. Ask your supervisor or town association for the nearest recyclable paper collection point.
PET bottle recycling (rare, considering the alacrity with which they are consumed) - contact your town association, better still don't buy them.
Remember to compost!
Some useful addresses:
Chelsea Green Publishing Company (books for sustainable living)
PO Box 428, White River Junction, VT 05001. Tel 800-639-4099
The Ecotourism Society
PO Box 755, North Bennington, VT 0527. Tel 802-447-2121. Fax 802-447-2122. Email: ecomail@ecotourism.org
Consumers Union of Japan (public interest group, publishes Japan resources in English (pollution, hazardous products and waste issues).
3-13-29 Nakameguro, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153.
Laundry detergents and washing up:
Nice ideas are to be found in the AJET Environment Action Guide 1992, available from Ecosig. Alternatively, make your own with recipes from Karen Logan's book Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day the Safe, Non-Toxic Way (see below). Don't buy phosphate or petroleum based soaps or detergents. Eco-friendly detergents can be found at health food stores, some of the larger grocery stores, or ordered through Tengu and/or Global Village.
Personal care
Tom's of Maine; Aubrey's Organics; Glad Rags; Essential Oils available from Tengu
Tom's of Maine; Aubrey's Organics; Keeper's Inc (including baby products); Glad Rags; Miss Apricot Cosmetics; Eco Brush; Essential Oils available from Warabe-mura Wholefoods
Many good drugstores stock items from the Pax Naturon range (shampoo, rinse, body soap, toothpaste).
alternatives to chemical cleaners
Okay, so you are new to Japan and your house is a mess. If you don't want a lot of nasty chemicals invading your space and can't read the kanji on cleaning products at the supermarket maybe you can try making your own cleaning products at home using basic ingredients like salt, baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice. A significant portion of the price you pay for stuff in the supermarket covers packaging and advertising costs so why pay for that, especially if you don't approve of how it is done?
Karen Logan's Clean House, Clean Planet: Clean Your House for Pennies a Day the Safe, Non-Toxic Way is highly recommended. It is available from Tengu. These sites also have very useful information.
(from Environmental Action Guide)
The amount of energy used in the typical household these days is about twice the as much as in 1973 - the year of the first worldwide oil crisis. Although summer is the time of year when the most electricity is used, take the following energy savings tips to heart and cooperate for year-round energy savings.
10 things you can do to save energy in the home
(from Environmental Action Guide)
Why save water?
The answer is: because we are running short of it! According to the Yomiuri Shimbun of February 22, 1996, after two years of low rainfall, the amount of water in eight upstream reservoirs of the Tone River - the main source of water supplied to the Kanto region - dropped to a 32% capacity. Water in three reservoirs in Kanagawa Prefecture also fell to 33% and the prefecture has set up a special task force to prepare for the first water shortages in 29 years. In the Tokai area, water at three upstream reservoirs of the Kiso River dropped below 20% of capacity and Kanagawa Prefecture has already cut the amount of its water supply to neighbouring Tokyo!
Increasing water shortages throughout Japan may be attributed to changes in the world's climate and consumption trends, but are chiefly the result of wasting precious drinking water. It's never too early to start preparing for the next drought, so let's heed the following advice to help save more than 100,000 litres of drinking water a year.
How do we waste so much?
A running faucet uses 12-20 litres every minute it's turned on.
Leaving the tap running while brushing your teeth wastes about 20 litres.
Running the tap while doing the dishes wastes more than 100 litres.
Shaving with the water on uses about 20-25 litres.
Washing your car at home with a hose wastes more than 500 litres.It will also increase the likelihood of washing poisons from oil and brake dust into your vegetable garden! For this reason some countries (like Germany) have prohibited car washing outside of designated car-washing centres.
Each time you flush your toilet you will use 20-25 litres of drinking water (enough to drink for two weeks!)
How can we save it easily?
To begin with, never let the tap run if it isn't really necessary. For example:
if you only wet and rinse your brush when brushing your teeth you can save about 18 litres.
if you fill the sink basin when shaving you can save 35 litres.
if you fill the sink basin when you wash the dishes you can save up to 100 litres.
if you wash your car in a special car wash you can save about 500 litres!
if you place a water-filled plastic bottle, special displacement bag or toilet dam in the tank of your toilet, you can save about 5-8 litres every time you flush your toilet.
By changing your habits based on the above advice, each day you can save:
teeth brushing, 3 time a day: 54 litres
shaving, once a day: 35 litres
washing dishes, once a day: 100 litres
flushing the toilet, eight times a day: 64 litres
Including one car wash per week, these simple changes in your personal habits can save you more than 250 litres per day, 2,500 litres per week, almost 10,000 litres per month and more than 118,000 litres a year! If you tell your family and friends...just imagine the effect it will have!
[Contributed to the Environmental Action Guide by Michael Kneigel, Tottori-ken SEA]
This below is from Friends of the Earth UK and the figures refer to money saved in pounds:
Using less energy doesn't mean shivering in the dark. It means getting the most out of the electricity and gas we consume - through taking steps to cut down on energy waste and being more energy efficient. It can help you cut your fuel bills too! Here's how:
Turn down your thermostat by 1ｰ centigrade, or use 1 hour less heating a day - save on average per year: 31.50 (electric heating) 26.25 (gas heating)
Fit your loft with at least 15 centimetres of glass-fibre or mineral wool and lag all hot water pipes - this could save as much as 70 a year
Put compact fluorescent light bulbs in your three most-used lights - they produce the same light for about a quarter of the energy of ordinary light bulbs and last eight times longer - save 126 over the bulbs' lifetime
Develop better energy habits around the house, such as:
Ideally, energy companies should offer you a loan to make energy efficiency improvements in your home. Demand this from your electricity or gas supplier.
These measures together could save you up to 230!
By Rowan Griffin, (echo, Feb 2000)
Have you ever wanted a sauna, snowboard, guitar or hi-fi for next to nothing? Well, if you go to a recycling centre, you can in Japan! Last week I went snowboarding in Nagano. Now, I have giant feet that scare any Japanese shoe shop owner and if I happen to ask if they stock size 30, the question will send their neck rolling around in embarrassment and their hands producing nervous crosses at me. Maybe I have devil feet or something. Anyway, I couldn't find a pair of snow boots anywhere, until I checked out my local recycling centre and found a pair of UK size 11 (Japan size 30) boots (nearly new) for 2,600 yen! I also found a board with bindings for 2000 yen! So instead of paying out roughly 90000 at my nearest Burton's ski shop, I got the second hand gear for 6% of the shop price.
What else have I bought? I have bought a floor sofa-bed for 2000 yen (very comfy), a quality acoustic guitar for 2000 yen and nice chairs for about 500 yen. There are also decent hi-fis for 5000 yen, a love heart kotatsu for 1,500 yen and even a working electric sauna for 3,500 yen! Imagine having a party with that in your room! So I am sure that in a city near you there is a similar ridiculously cheap recycling centre. I go in there every other week, to check those crazy prices!
But why do they sell things so cheap? I suppose it must be because Japanese people do not like buying second hand goods. We can see this problem at any landfill gomi site. If something is not wanted throw it away. Indeed, those who are willing to look in the gomi for items will only do so at night, because it is seen as an embarrassing. Also many Japanese people are simply unaware of the existence of recycling centres. Even my local international centre did not know there was a giant recycling warehouse two blocks from where they had worked for years, yet I had managed to find it with zero Japanese ability!
So how can we little people change attitudes, get people interested in recycling centres? I would suggest, show them how much money they are wasting! Show them the snowboard which would have cost them a few months savings and tell them how much you paid for it. Start initiatives at school. Tell the students ・they will be amazed! Like everywhere else, people have limited funds so show them how they can recycle and save money at the same time. So many students write in essays about how their dream is to save the world or save paper; well here is a practical way to begin doing this.
Also, if you are one of those late night gomi scavengers, here are some suggestions for making use of discarded things.
Pretty sculptures ・a fun winter activity under the kotatsu!
Sofas/chairs ・if they are old or scratched they can be varnished, or you can always put a furry blanket over them. Or you could always paint them cool psychedelic colours!
Blankets ・they are everywhere and very useful rugs, sofa throws, bed sheets. Just wash them!
Broken crockery ・make mosaics using card and glue.
Bikes ・take pliers to cut the lock. Often the only thing wrong with the bike is a puncture so, buy a puncture repair kit and a pump (or better still, look for one in the gomi).
Electronics ・take care. They are usually O.K. but don't pick them up if its raining. Switch off the electricity from the main switch before testing the item.
Happy recycling!
There are many sites on the net which offers tips to reuse, recycle and be conservative with household resources. This is a taste of AboutCom’s Frugal living site.
Ways to Reuse: Principles and Practices
Save yourself time and money by thinking of ways you can make "reuse" part of your life. Use your imagination and creativity to come up with ideas for reuse.
Buy Quality
Purchase durable goods rather than disposable items. The cost may be higher initially, but in the long run you can save money.
Read consumer magazines and contact consumer organizations before making a major purchase. By being informed you will make a long-lasting choice.
Buy good quality clothing that will last. When styles change, you can alter the clothing instead of discarding it.
Rent
Rent seldom-used items, such as tools or partyware.
Consider renting a tool or major appliance before buying it in order to determine whether you do in fact need it and what options you will use.
Use It Again
Consider buying used items.
Save and reuse household items - string, plastic and glass containers, gift wrap and shopping bags. Consider giving items you cannot use to others.
Repair and Share
Instead of throwing it out, fix it up! Repair broken toys, furniture, and appliances to extend their useful life.
Get the longest warranty with the best repair service possible.
Share or purchase jointly those large, expensive items you use only once in a while with neighbours and friends.
Donate
Donate items of good quality to charities and organizations that can reuse or resell them.
Refill
Refill your refillable bottles and other containers. The same container can be used more than once for many things - laundry detergent, shampoo, soda pop.
Dismantle
Dismantle objects into individual components for recycling or reuse.
Few actions save money and resources and reduce waste and pollution so much as reusing things - everything possible! Start with these easy and simple tips:
Reuse Household Items from A to Z (abridged)
Bath Mats
Use a worn out bath mat that has lost its non-skid backing to make a floor mop: fold the mat (fluffy side out) to fit your mop handle and slip it into place. The mop can be washed in the washing machine after use.
Belts
Make a cat or dog collar with a discarded belt or one bought at a thrift sale. Cut to size and add a metal ring to the buckle to attach identification and licence tags.
Chipped coffee mugs
Use a chipped or cracked coffee mug to make small windowsill-size planters.
Put an old mug near your phone to hold pens and pencils for taking messages.
Christmas trees
Buy a potted live tree instead of a cut tree for Christmas. Try using it for a number of years before planting it permanently outside.
Coffee filters
Buy a reusable metal or cloth coffee filter instead of using paper filters.
Corks
Run your dull razor blade through a cork to get a few more shaves out of it.
Attach a cork to boat keys so they will float if they end up overboard.
Eyeglasses
Donate old eyeglasses to one of the organizations listed under "Charities and Service Organizations" in the Resource Directory: Operation Eyesight Universal and Medical Missions Group International.
Glass jars
Give gifts of candies, cookies, or jam in decorated jars.
Store bulk grains, cereals, baking supplies, or spices in used jars.
Greeting cards
Use last year's Christmas cards to make Christmas gift tags and paper chains.
Make your own birthday and greeting cards by covering old cards with new pictures or photographs.
Reuse an especially nice or funny card by sending it back and forth to different people.
Junk mail
Reuse junk mail flyers and leaflets for art projects such as origami, collage or papier-mache. But better yet, eliminate junk mail by having your name removed from direct marketing mailing lists.
Lunch kits and containers
Pack your lunch in reusable containers and carry them in a reusable fabric bag or plastic lunch kit.
Use a reusable mug at work, not a styrofoam or paper cup.
Mesh bags
Fasten a large mesh bag over a gutter spout to keep leaves out.
Convert a large mesh bag into a shopping bag (you can soak off the label in warm water first if you wish).
Use a small mesh bag to make a pot scrubber and soap-saver: fold the bag into a square the size of your kitchen soap dish, and fasten with one stitch in the middle.
Use a small mesh bag to hold baby bottle nipples and caps for washing in the dishwasher.
Put suet for the birds in a small mesh bag and hang the "feeder" from a tree branch outside your window.
Packing cardboard
Try reusing the packing cardboard that comes with many new products. Use it to protect delicate items sent through the mail or to make birthday cards.
Paper towel alternatives
Use rags or sponges for clean-up instead of paper towels.
Plastic trays
Use plastic trays in place of paper plates for picnics.
Put trays under baked goods you give as gifts or under plants to catch drips.
Polystyrene packing chips
Reuse packing chips for mailing parcels.
Return packing chips to the supplier for reuse.
Find out if a local pottery or electronics store is looking for chips to reuse.
Substitute air-popped popcorn for polystyrene packing chips.
Scrap paper
Cut up pieces of paper already used on one side and keep them in a box by the phone.
Write out a grocery list on an old envelope and put redeemable coupons inside.
Cover the address on an old envelope and use the envelope again.
Shopping bags
Take a canvas shopping bag or plastic carrier bags when you go shopping.
Store reused and reusable bags in your car or your purse so they are always available.
Soap chips
Make a soapy scrubber. Place small bits of leftover soap into a square of nylon netting, fold the netting so there are several layers around the soap, then tuck in all the edges with heavy thread. Use for scrubbing collar stains or cleaning hands after gardening or painting.
check out http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/
