One of the eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is ensuring environmental sustainability. Within this, the UN advocates strengthening the Kyoto Protocol, bolstering clean technology transfer mechanisms, bringing all countries under a stronger multilateral framework of emission reduction, and increasing aid for developing countries to adapt to climate change.

Biogas tanks in Kuzumaki Town

Since the 1960s, Japanese agriculture has seen heavy use of agrochemicals, which has led to health problems and land degradation.

In addition, there has been great dependency on fossil fuels, contributing to global warming.

Since 1996, the inhabitants of Ogawa Town, in Saitama Prefecture just outside Tokyo, have been promoting activities to utilize solar, wind and water power under a scheme called foodo, which means ‘climate’ in Japanese.

Community volunteers have built a biogas tank that produces both clean, high-quality organic fertilizer, and methane, which can be used for generating electricity and hot water.

volunteers construct biogas facilities in Ogawa Town

People are encouraged to join in the scheme by being given vouchers for kitchen waste, which is used in the biogas production, that can be used to buy vegetables cultivated with the organic fertilizer.

This is a sustainable system that produces organic food and reduces the use of fossil fuels.

With an aging population and young people leaving to seek work in cities, Kuzumaki Town in Iwate Prefecture once faced a bleak future.

In the 1980s, the town was approached to become the site of an industrial waste dump in return for tax receipts, but the citizens refused and launched an initiative to regenerate the town.

Focusing on the natural resources to hand, the inhabitants developed a now-famous wine industry based around wild grapes, high-quality milk production, CO2 sequestration through forestry, and clean energy generation based on wind power, and wood and livestock biomass.

A view of Kuzumaki with cows
and wind power generators

In 2000, a solar power system was installed in Kuzumaki Junior High School, providing 25% of its electricity needs, and an old people’s home is heated by wood chips from the forests and powered by solar panels.

The town has become an education center for sustainability, both for numerous domestic and overseas visitors, and has won many awards for its programs in sustainability.

Importantly, young people now see a future in the area and employment has markedly increased.

These popular products have helped regenerate
the economy while sustaining the environment