Prof. Koyu Furusawa, Dept of Socio-Economic Networking,

Faculty of Economics at Kokugakuin University, Tokyo, JAPAN

Thoughts on Environmental Protection,

Cultural Values and Sustainable Development

--- Socio-cultural Ecological Perspective from Japan ---

“ Mottainai ” means 3 R ideas and attitude of respect for

resources

3Rs : Reduce, Reuse,

Recycle

Characteristics of the Civilization

Human being has been spreading all over the

world

Spreading of Crops all over the World

Climate change and the origin of

agriculture

Sustainability and Ecological Footprint

• The Ecological Footprint is a resource management tool that

measures how much land and water area a human population

requires to produce the resources it consumes and to absorb its

wastes under prevailing technology.

• Today, humanity's Ecological Footprint is over 23% larger than

what the planet can regenerate. In other words, it now takes more

than one year and two months for the Earth to regenerate what

we use in a single year.

• Sustainability is a simple idea. It is based on the recognition that

when resources are consumed faster than they are produced or

renewed, the resource is depleted and eventually used up. In a

sustainable world, society's demand on nature is in balance with

nature's capacity to meet that demand.

Three characteristics of modern civilization

"

• Rapid growth and expansion; this development pattern

has a tendency of logistical rapid growth and enlargement.

• Global inequity and large gap; it has been creating a big

gap within human beings.

• Linier maximization; it has been based on mono-cultural

and narrow value.

Three dimensions of Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is seeking for the harmonious balance among

Economical development, Environmental adjustment and Social justice.

Modern Production & Consumption Pattern

Socio-economic System

Production Consumption

INPUT

Environmental

Impact

Resourcedepletion

OUTPU

T

Material Flow of Japan: input, output and stock

About 800

million tons

were imported

annually

Almost 20% of

the world annual

shipment

carriages flew

into Japan

About 100

million tons

were exported

About 300

million tons

waste were

created

Polluted Japan and Waste Problem

Different Development Pattern on

Production System: in case of agriculture

Linier maximization model;

It has been based on mono-culture, exploitation,

reductionism and narrow value system.

This development pattern has tendency of logistical

rapid growth and expansion.

Multiple function and coexistence model;

It has been based on multi culture, holistic approach

and harmonious way of living.

This development pattern has tendency of gradual

growth and strengthening of mutual relationship.

Nitrogen Cycle in Agro-ecosystem

<Animals, Plants> <N2;atomsphere>

<Food Crop>

-- ------------------------------------- ----------------- ----

/////////////////////////////////// fertilizer nutriment //////

<humus, compost, manure> (micro organism)

３ Types on International Agricultural Systems

Farmers of Forty Centuries; Permanent

agriculture in China, Korea and Japan

"Farmers of Forty Centuries; Permanent

agriculture in China, Korea and Japan"

written by F.H. King 1911, republished by

Rodale Press in 1973.

Agriculture can be cultivated continuously

and sustainable for thousands years.

“An Agricultural Testament”, by

Sir Albert Howard, published in

1940.

It focused on the management of

soil fertility learned from

traditional agriculture in India.

Ecological resource management with

agriculture before modern age in Japan

Before modern age, like Edoera basic humane activities are based on ecological system and very harmonious way of living with nature; such as housing, cooking and eating, evacuating and collecting compost, that were very related to agriculture and surrounding nature, like Sato-

Yama.

Recycling society in Edo (old Tokyo)

Rice

Zero Emission Model by UN university

3Rs : Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Comprehensive sustainable approach;

micro to macro(1) Products and production process level; such as LCA

approach, eco-labeling evaluation, eco-design approach, etc.

(2) Person and family level: Green Consumerism (consumer action for the environment), etc.

(3) Enterprise and business level: Eco-products, design and

Green Business, etc.(4) Industrial organization and relation level: Zero-emission

(no waste) model and Eco-industrial complex, etc.

(5) Regional planning and national level: Eco-city, Sustainable community, Bio-regionalism and to create strong environmental law and regulation system, SEEA; System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (green GDP as a nickname), etc.

(6) International level: International treaty, agreement, organizational activities (from NGO level to UN level), international cooperation and aid (ODA), etc.

Organic Agricultural Movement in the World

Organic Agriculture (IFOAM) and Fair Trade

is growing and getting together

Social Accountability in Sustainable

Agriculture (SASA) was a collaborative

project of FLO, SAI, SAN and IFOAM,

four main social and environmental

verification systems in sustainable

agriculture.

http://www.isealalliance.org/sasa/

15th World Congress of IFOAM;

International Federation of

Organic Agricultural Movement,

In Adelaide in Australia, 2005

Fair Trade focus on the fair share of the production

cost

ABORIGINAL WISDOM

• These people (aborigines) believe everything

exists on the planet for a reason. Everything

has a purpose. There are no freaks, misfits, or

accidents. There are only misunderstandings

and mysteries not yet revealed to mortal man.：from MUTANT MESSAGE DOWN UNDER by Marlo Morgan

・ They have unique sense, perspective and

idea on this world, nature-human relationship.

・ Recently they have been thieved their

intellectual property such as medical

plants by multi national corporations.

PARMACULTURE; Theory and Practice

Food Forest Farm in Adelaide, Australia

Food Forest Farm in Adelaide, Australia

Agro-forestry :multipurpose, providing a range of benefits

Agro-forestry focuses on the wide range of working trees grown on farms and in rural

landscapes. Among these are fertilizer trees for land regeneration, soil health and food

security; fruit trees for nutrition; fodder trees that improve smallholder livestock

production; timber and fuel wood trees for shelter and energy; medicinal trees to combat

disease; and trees that produce gums, resins or latex products. Many of these trees are

multipurpose, providing a range of benefits.

Paradigm Wars in this World on Food

'Food Wars' argues that two conflicting

paradigms (one developing food around

business integrating the `life sciences',

the other around `ecology') - - - - - -

are now battling to replace the dominant

industrial-productionist model of the

20th century, both grappling to attract

investment and to win the moral, social

and political debate over the appropriate

use of biology

and food technology.

- - - - ‘Food Politics’ and ‘Food

Paradigm’

What kind of Food Paradigm ?

Fast Food Nation

by Eric Schlosser

Slow Food movement

With food so central to daily life, it naturally follows that what we eat has a profound effect on our surroundings as well ---- the rural landscape of the countryside, the duration of tradition and the biodiversity of the earth; the strong connections between plate and planet.

Fast Food

What kind of LOHAS World ?

LOHAS is Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability and describes a $226.8 billion U.S. marketplace for goods and services that appeal to consumers who value health, the environment, social justice, personal development and sustainable living.

These consumers are variously referred to as Cultural Creatives or LOHAS Consumers and represent a sizable group in this country: approximately 30 percent of adults, or 63 million consumers

Sustainable Economy: Green products & Environmental management,

Healthy Living: Organic, nutritional Food & Natural care products,

Alternative Healthcare: Health and wellness solutions, homeopathy, etc.

Personal Development: Mind, body and spiritual products ,

Ecological Lifestyles: Environmentally friendly appliance Eco-tourism

What kind of

Organic World ?

Phil Howard, post doctoral researcher from

The Center for Agroecology & Sustainable

Food Systems reveals

The giant corporate players

in the organic marketplace:

It graphs organic brand

acquisitions and

introductions

by 13 of the world's largest

food and beverage

companies.

CSA (Community supported agriculture )

& Farmers Markets(direct marketing) in US

Farmers markets:

Direct marketing of farm

products through farmers

markets continues to be an

important sales outlet for

agricultural producers

nationwide.

Farmers markets, now an

integral part in the urban/farm

linkage, have continued to rise

in popularity, mostly due to the

growing consumer interest in

obtaining fresh products directly

from the farm.

Community supported agriculture (CSA)

is a new idea in farming, one that has been

gaining momentum since its introduction

to the United States from Europe in the

mid-1980s.

The CSA concept originated in the 1960s

in Switzerland and Japan, where consumers

interested in safe food and farmers seeking

stable markets for their crops joined

together in economic partnerships.

Today, CSA farms in the

U.S., known as CSAs,

currently number

more than 400.

The lifestyle of consumers were changed

The lifestyle of the consumers within the

co-operative relationship could be

changed.

Even if each organic product costs a little

bit higher, overall lifestyle tends to be

easier and the total cost of food

expenditure could decrease.

This is because if your healthy diet suits

natural conditions and seasons, you

need not buy anything extra, such as

products out of season, junk food,

over processed food, too much meat

and so on.

Better methods of recipes for eco-

efficient cooking, the total household

expenditure may even be cheaper

than business as usual.

There is much more communication

between producer and consumer and

various values are shared in it.

"The Diet for the Earth" campaign

"The Diet for the Earth" campaign

intended to save energy and resources

through ecological life style, eco-

friendly menus and cooking style.

If people take eco-diets, it can fill nearly

double fold of stomachs as now in the

world.

The consumption pattern is a key to the

question whether organic agriculture

can provide enough food for all the

peoples in the world

ATJ; Grass-root Alternative trading

ATJ, a grass-root trading company,

was established through joint capital

investment of consumers' cooperatives,

trading groups of organic products and

citizen's groups, based on the activities

of an NGO, Japan Committee for Negros

Campaign (JCNC).

ATJ was launched in 1987, when JCNC

and other groups started to import

Mascobado sugar and then

Banana from the Negros Island

in the Philippines.

Alter Trade Japan, (ATJ)

1989 Alter Trade Japan, Inc (ATJ) was founded.

Import of the Balangon

Bananas developed rapidly

through consumers' cooperatives

and groups engaged in direct

buying farm products from

producers.

NGOs’ international exchange program on Sustainable

Development & Agriculture in Asia and Japan

JVC (Japan International Volunteer Center)

has been promoting various projects such as

sustainable agriculture, water, forest, education,

peace building, and emergency relief. Cambodia,

Viet Nam, Laos, Thailand, South Africa, central

east area, etc.

JVC Thailand activities:Self-sustainable rural community project

through organic agriculture and local

community market (Khon Kaen)

International NGO Cooperation through

Organic Agriculture and Direct-marketing（１）

Another OpportunitiesHomton Banana (organic) :

Alternative Coop trade

between Thai and Japan

Organic Fair Trade

by Green NET

OTOP :

One village One product

socio-economic sectors

There is a limit to resolve the modern age problems by top-down regulation and business based on market economy.

Only through the active involvement of citizens based on the partnership, and through active involvement of people in voluntary and cooperative actions in many areas of society,

can we resolve the problems smoothly and effectively.

Social strategic approach for

sustainability

(A)Technological innovation: Technological pollution control, ecological design and planning of industrial product and processes, recycling technology, eco-efficient technology, mitigation technology, environmental management technique; such as LCA, environmental accounting and audit, etc.

(B) Legal regulation: Environmental law and regulation such as prohibition, permission, penalty, restrictive control, etc.

(C)Economic method of control: Economical incentive and disincentive; such as subsidy, charge and eco-labeling, environmental tax, usage of market mechanism; such as emission trading system and environment swap, etc.

(D) Socio-cultural adaptation: Environmental and social ethics, cultural value system, social capital and capability, cooperative life-style, education, religion, media and advertisement, etc.

Thank you for your attention.

Please visit my web-site, more information there.

http://kgi.tokyo.jp/fur/kaleido.html