Giving Tohoku Children Opportunities to Enjoy the Sea

Copyright 2018 Satoumi Farm All Rights Reserved.

Tohoku Fukko Nikki (Tohoku Reconstruction Diary) is a weekly feature in the Tokyo Shimbun newspaper with stories about reconstruction efforts in communities devastated by the earthquake and tsunami that stuck Japan in March 2011. The articles are written by the JSK Yui-Yui Project, an initiative by the non-profit JFSK Empowering Women Empowering Society to support disaster survivors. Here is an article by Hiromi Asanuma from the July 11, 2017 issue of the paper, the efforts to bring smiles to children affected by the earthquake.

The predecessor of "Satoumi Farm" in Minami Sanriku, Miyagi Prefecture was a volunteer group started in Kawasaki after the 2011 disaster. As I wanted to take part in activities that were more deeply rooted in the devastated areas, we registered the organization as a general incorporated association in 2012. While working as a nursery teacher in Kawasaki on weekdays, as executive secretary of the organization I have been commuting to Minami-Sanriku every three months for the past five years to participate in volunteer activities.

Around one year after the earthquake, when I was helping local fishermen and children's events on weekends, I noticed trucks going back and forth carrying rubble, but children were nowhere to be seen. I wondered where the children played every day. When I asked a local, the reply was, "They are either playing in temporary parking lots or travelling 40 minutes to nearby towns so they can play safely." I saw the harsh reality of the town being far from creating an environment where children can lead a pleasant life.

As we carried out activities hoping that "bringing smiles to the children will help bring smiles to the adults as well," we received many donations from individuals and companies and created a park in 2013. We later opened a tourist-oriented sheep farm. We fed the sheep seaweed scraps and started studying how to market a mutton brand. We are also developing wool products and aiming to create a space where families can spend a relaxing day together at the farm.

One of our ongoing activities these past five years is providing kayaking lessons. We started our lessons in September 2012 as a way for children who had frightening experiences with the tsunami to recall happier memories of playing in the sea. Some parents were in tears, saying that "It was the first time my child swam in the sea since the earthquake," and "I never expected to see my child smile so much when playing in the sea."

Hiromi Asanuma
Secretary General
Satoumi Farm

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Aims for Zero Emissions during Olympic Ceremonies by Using Carbon Credits

Image by Agência Brasil Some Rights Reserved.

The Bureau of Environment of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced on October 23, 2017, that it would make "Tokyo Carbon-Free for four days in 2020." The plan is to make Japan's capital city free of carbon dioxide emissions using carbon offsets for the four days on which the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are held.

Specifically, Tokyo will encourage target facilities of the Cap-and-Trade Program (total emission reduction obligation and emission trading scheme) that came into effect in April 2010 to donate CO2 credits (excess reduction credits) acquired through energy conservation efforts. Carbon credits will offset the approximately 720,000 tons of carbon dioxide expected to be emitted over the four days on which the ceremonies will be held.

The Tokyo Cap-and-Trade Program is the first such program to be adopted in Japan, and requires approximately 1,300 facilities which consume large amounts of energy to reduce CO2 emissions. The characterizing feature of this urban program is the inclusion of office buildings. In fiscal 2015, the facilities achieved a reduction in emissions of 26% from the base year, and total retention of CO2 credits amounts to approximately 10 million tons.

By making Tokyo carbon-free for four days, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government takes a step forward in achieving sustainability, an important theme of the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.