Japan for Sustainability (JFS), “a non-profit communication platform to disseminate environmental information from Japan to the world,” is trying to make something good come out of the Great Eastern Japan Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011. The organization is sponsoring a Learning Journey in Tohoku which aims to offer students from both Tohoku and other parts of the [...]
Archive for the ‘Japan’ Category
“Learning Journey in Tohoku” Applications Accepted Until May 20th (JST)
May 16th, 2012 
Justin Manger Japan Shuts Last Nuclear Plant
May 5th, 2012 Justin Manger One of three reactors at Tomari nuclear plant in Hokkaido is going off line for maintenance checks this weekend. Once that reactor is switched off, the country will be free of atomic power for the first time since 1966. This marks a remarkable change in electricity production for Japan. Before last year’s earthquake and tsunami, [...]
An Unusual Two For One: Controlling Weeds While Generating Energy
April 16th, 2012 Justin Manger Working with Coretec Inc., a manufacturer that specializes in energy-saving machinery and systems, Fuji Electric announced last December that they had come up with a weed-control mat that is now getting attention as a possible new application for photovoltaic power. Municipalities in Japan occasionally use weed-control mats over soil to keep unused or sloped areas [...]
Japan’s 2010 CO2 Emissions Down By 12.3% Compared to 1990
March 23rd, 2012 Justin Manger That’s the good news. 20 years of efficiency gains, technological improvements, and policy tweaks have reduced the amount of CO2 produced by Japanese industries. What’s interesting is that emissions are actually up since 2009. Now, with the nuclear industry nearly shut down nation-wide (2 of 54 plants are in operation) and imports of oil, coal, [...]
Posted in Behavior, Business, Japan, Justin Manger, News, Policy, Sustainability 
Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Energy Conservation, Environment 
No Comments »Geothermal Air-Conditioning Systems for Japanese “Combini”
March 19th, 2012 Justin Manger Seven-Eleven is the largest of the combini (convenience store) chains that can be found on nearly every block in large cities around Japan. Selling everything from juice and rice balls to beer and fish, underwear and band-aids, niku-man (meat stuffed steamed dumplings) and adult magazines, the combini is a uniquely Japanese experience. They are also [...]
Creative Localization of Solar Power at Japanese Oyster Farms
March 2nd, 2012 Justin Manger Big companies that operate worldwide use product localization to cater to the tastes and preferences of the various countries in which they conduct business. At the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta you can taste soda from around the world and discover how some variations are much sweeter than others. In Japan, there is no Diet Coke, [...]
Top Fuel Efficient Electric Vehicle on EPA’s List? i-MieEV
February 28th, 2012 Justin Manger The what? Mitsubishi might have chosen a name that is a little easier to remember; that aside, I guess they are hoping the efficiency of the car makes it memorable. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s 2012 Fuel Economy Guide, North American-spec i-MiEV an all-electric vehicle (EV) produced by Mitsubishi Motors North America [...]
Posted in Business, Clean Technology, Energy Efficiency, Green Products, Japan, Justin Manger, News, Transportation Tags: Battery, Cars, Electric Vehicles, Green Technology No Comments »Japan Shifting to LED Lighting
February 21st, 2012 Justin Manger Coca-cola and train networks. Two seemingly disparate items, one a U.S. invention and the other a technology whose management has been perfected by the Japanese, have at least one thing now in common: LEDs. The energy savings are huge. For Coca-cola, the change is related to its vending machines. Back in September of 2011, [...]
China Bans Airlines from Paying European Union Carbon Tax
February 17th, 2012 Chris DeArmond At its outset in 2005, the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) was designed to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced by factories, power plants, and other energy-intensive installations. At the beginning of this year, however, ETS began imposing the cap-and-trade system on all airlines with flights departing from or arriving at EU [...]
Posted in China, Economics, Featured Posts, Japan, News, President Obama, Transportation Tags: Brazil, Carbon Dioxide, Chris DeArmond, Congress No Comments »Japan Has World’s Highest Plastic Bottle Recycling Rate; Puts the U.S. to Shame
February 15th, 2012 Justin Manger Quick, off the top of your head what percentage of plastic bottles do you think the U.S. collects for recycling? 50%? Nah, Europe doesn’t even reach that, coming in at 48.3%. For the U.S., try more like 30% (29.1% to be exact), according to a report released by the Council for PET Bottle Recycling. Japan, on [...]
Posted in Behavior, Green Economy, Japan, Justin Manger, News, Policy, Recylcing, Sustainability Tags: Environment, Plastic No Comments »
