宮城教育大学環境教育研究紀要 第１巻

General Reporton

A P E C Symposium on Environmental Education towards Sustainable Cities
Asia Pacific Environmental Education Youth Forum
Morihiro AOKI＊, Takaaki KOGANEZAWA＊＊ and Kazuyuki MIKAMI＊
PrefaceThe

APEC (Asia

Pacific Economic Cooperation) Symposium on Environmental Education towards

Sustainable Cities" was held at the Sendai International Center on September 20 and 21, 1998. Thissymposium was planned and organized by the Environment Agency of Japan and the City of Sendai. Prior to
the APEC Symposium, Japanese and foreign university students here in Sendai took part in a forum, theAsia Pacific Environmental Education Youth Forum," which was held as one of the supplementary eventsof the above symposium.

Among participants of the symposium were Drs.

Aoki, Mikami, andKoganezawa of the Environmental Education Center of Miyagi University of Education. They also took partin the forum as key coordinators. There is no doubt that the symposium and forum can be a great step
towards our deep understanding of important issues and problems about environmental education. This
volume contains (a) a paper read by Dr. Aoki as alead presentation" at the Round Table Discussion, (b)review papers of the youth forum by Drs. Mikami and Koganezawa, and (c) the minutes of the youth forum.
(All the details of the symposium and forum are now on a web page, the address of which is on the final pageof this volume.)

Lead Presentation ： The Configuration of Environmental Education and Approaches toEstablishing a Recycling ―Oriented Society
Examining the current status of environmental education and stating the points to be noticed when
considering a natural resource circulation ― based society as the countermeasure for urban life
environmental problems.
There is probably no one who would deny that environmental education is both necessary and beneficial.
In fact, it seems almost as if environmental education has a social correctness that cannot be argued against.
Just as democracy and pacifism are norms of 20th century society, we may be able to say thatenvironmentalism" was born as a new social norm at the turn of the 21st century. We hear the slogan
environmentally friendly" rising in a grand chorus everywhere: at schools, in local communities, even inindustry and the distribution market. There is so much noise being made that we seem to be in the middle ofsomething of a boom in caring about the environment. However, while we understand the importance of theissue in principle, when trying to come up with a decisive solution we simply face the dilemma between theideal and the reality and have yet to carry out any effective action.
One important point about environmental education is that，whether the setting for it is school, home orcommunity，different approaches should be taken in accordance with the age and stage of personal――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――――* Environmental Education Center,Miyagi University of Education, **Social Studies Education,Miyagi University of Education‑85‑

development. Rather than trying to confront people abruptly with environmental problems and nature
conservation, it is more important to first try to create an appreciation at the more fundamental level of
ecosystems and the global environment in general in which human society is based, and present the issues
in the context of the broad relationship between the three elements of human beings,other forms of life, andthe earth. In the case of very young children, the early approach should call their attention to a part ofnature with which they are already familiar ― insects, flowers, and grass ―and lead them through therelationships between these to an understanding of more complex natural systems such as forests. The
common pitfall is to immediately present children with a list of problems the world currently faces, such as
global warming and acid rain, which involve a complex web of global issues. This abrupt approach results ina one―sided style of teaching that reverts to the old emphasis on knowledge acquisition, becoming nothing
more than a shift from the former

true"/ false"―type of lesson to a

goodies"/ baddies" one and notenvironmental education.
We receive wonderful reports from every corner of Japan about actions children are involved in, such assorting garbage into cans, PET bottles and other material. We certainly have immense admiration for theteachers'splendid efforts in guiding these children. Yet, even while appreciating the efforts being made byschools and communities, these reports also leave me with a sense of futility.

It is certainly true thatgovernment and industry are working on the problems, but I cannot help having the somewhat radical viewthat the children and local authorities are being left to clean up the results of insufficient action on the partof government and industry.

To make matters worse, even though environmental education should be

provided at every stage of personal development, it comes to a standstill in our schools at the junior high andsenior high school level where it is met with cold indifference by educators who, at least in my opinion, will
not allocate time for things such as environmental education because they have to prepare their students forthe battle to pass entrance examinations.
Now, while becoming a resource recycling―oriented society sounds quite simple, how effectively can wesolve environmental problems by these efforts? It is true that attracting students' attention to resource
recycling is not all there is to environmental education．It is merely one of many goals. At the same time,
Nature is not infinite. The Earth is a closed system, one in which a finite inventory of materials circulates inthe environment of the earth's surface. We must understand that in this circulation system we call the Earth,large cities，concentrations of human population, pursuing intensively the human activities of production,
consumption and disposal in order to maintain city life，enjoy a privileged existence.

The balances thatexisted at various levels in the natural system have been ruined by the development of modern industrial
technology in the cities and the continued expansion of those cities as production bases through the intensive
consumption of energy resources. Even though we sing the praises of reducing the burden on theenvironment, of living harmoniously with nature, of having an amenable relationship with nature，we mustremain conscious of the fact that maintaining the city function is in itself a stress on the naturalenvironment.
We human beings are sometimes too egotistic and pursue technological and economic efficiency too much.
These attitudes cause environmental problems which need solution far beyond our scientific ability.

We

must now shift our production activities to forms which operate on low―material and low―energy input.
At the same time, we citizens must also change our attitudes to consumption. While much has been said,
for instance, about the dangers of soft drinks, the reality is that we still see soft―drink vending machines
everywhere, and there is a vast variety of drinks sold in aluminum cans, steel cans, PET bottles and so on.
‑86‑Do we really need such a huge variety of soft drinks?

The fact is that sales competition is driven by purelycommercial motives, luring consumers to buy more drinks than they really need. The result is a hugeamount of garbage. The beverages business is, after all, a profitable one, and that means that it has been
allowed to expand with virtually no controls over it. In effect, the industry is consuming mineral resources
with no regard for the consequences, and an enormous amount of taxpayers'money is spent on treating thewaste it generates.Whether the cans are steel or aluminum, a huge amount of effort and energy goes into
excavating the rock, extracting the mineral, and processing the metal of which they are made.

Consumers

need to be educated in these basic facts.
Of all the environmental problems arising from city life, the most serious is the problem of industrial anddomestic waste.

We may develop state―of―the―art treatment facilities, but until people's attitude to

generating garbage has changed there will be no fundamental solutions. It has become natural for the
average citizen to sort the paper out of their household garbage and put it out for collection separately.
Surprisingly, however, at the incineration plant the two are burnt together: dry garbage, consisting ofnothing but paper, is mixed in with kitchen garbage with dirty water dripping from it，amost unpleasantsight. It does not seem right for the paper we discarded so carefully to be treated like that. But, I suppose,
this is a result of technological innovation: in modern incineration systems thepaper is deliberately

moistened with the liquid from the garbage. It seems to me an obvious waste of energy. I wonder if I am theonly one who finds this development none too convincing．
Eliminate Household Garbage." When I saw that slogan in the newspaper,

I could not help exclaiming,

What a fraud!" Where does most of the household garbage come from?

Most of it comes from thesupermarkets and other shops. A home produces as much dry garbage, mostly paper and plastic, as it buys
products. When you think about it, we are actually paying our own money to buy that garbage and support
the package manufacturers, who in effect specialize in producing garbage. While we are trying to introduce
the concept of a recycling―oriented society through efforts such as sorting household garbage, the garbage
itself is being mass―produced with the usual mindless fixation on economic efficiency.
Although we talk about moving to a resource recycling―oriented society as if it were a simple matter,urban environmental problems are deeply rooted in the fact that in order to maintain city life and keepindustry going, we rely on intensive agriculture for raw materials and food.

This is the cause of ourenvironmental problems. If, then, we want our cities to have a low environmental impact, merely working on
matters such as recycling and re―use，which can occur only at the very last stage of the cycle of production,
consumption and disposal，is not the direction to take.

We should be looking to establish a principle that

constrains anything that generates garbage from being released in the market.
So long as we continue to approach city building by constructing concrete jungles, so long as populations
continue to be concentrated in cities，the path to solving all our environmental problems will be much too
long. We need to find an appropriate size and structure for our cities that takes full account of environmental
assessments.Governments should begin to consider reducing pressure on the environment, so that cities willfunction, as early as when transportation routes, the arteries of production, for new developments are being
planned. Regulations to reduce our impact on the environment should be put in place at that level. This
will take some time to achieve, but I believe that it is necessary to educate citizens now so that they canadjust their lifestyles to comply with the shift when it does take place.
Environmental education should, therefore, especially in the schools, be more than a mere campaign. Itshould be a well―designed course of basic teaching materials with the issues presented on a sound scientific‑87‑basis. I believe, furthermore, that the current school curriculum should be further examined and brought up
to date where necessary.（Written by Morihiro Aoki）

Review One: The Asia Pacific Environmental Education Youth ForumIn this forum, we focused particularly on summarizing the area in which environmental education plays
an important role and on matters that require attention to clarify the actual situation of environmental
education.
First, the students drew attention to

Coexistence with Nature". Participants gained knowledge about theself―cleansing functions that the natural ecosystem has through the fieldwork at Gamo Tidelands. Then ata sewage treatment plant that artificially purifies water, the students realized, through comparing with thetidelands, that the human socio―economic system is responsible for the destruction of the natural ecosystem.
They also became conscious of the needs to purposely adjust the imbalance.
Secondly, the forum brainstormed about what the circulation ―based society ought to be.

Althoughparticipants only had a concept of the waste issue through visitation to the incineration plant, they came toperceive the problem as an individual one.

The large amount of waste they encountered made them feel

responsible for the results of human activity. In addition, they brought up the question regarding our present
way of manufacturing and consuming.
The last thing we addressed is the community planning that aims at coexistence with nature and thecirculation―based society.

Through the workshop with the Ashinokuchi Elementary School pupils, they

reaffirmed the importance of concrete discussion with regards to environment and life in each local
community.
Participants themselves became more interested in the new aspects of environmental issues through theaforementioned activities. They then demonstrated their opinions at the Environmental Youth Conference
which was held the next day. They comprehended that if they actually experience environmental issues orthey view our daily life from different perspectives, their conceptual knowledge ofenvironmental problems"

will be seen from their own point of view.
Foreign participants showed that they came to know the characteristics of environmental issues in theirown country as well as in Japan, and they realized that circumstances of economic development differ fromeach country and each one is facing different problems.
After that, the participants debated on the future of environmental education, considering the way of its
concept and implementation.

Participants put forward the necessity to recognize that our artificial

environment changes itself in the course of manufacture, distribution and consumption. They also came tothe conclusion that training at home, as well as in schools, in the local community and the mass media, willplay a significant role in activating environmental education.

In addition, they advanced the need forenvironmental education to be done according to each generation.
Listening to this discussion, I became sure that we should regard environmental education from various
points of view and this is the first step for implementing environmental education.
（WrittenbyTakaaki

Koganezawa）

Review Two: The Asia Pacific Environmental Education Youth Forum
Participants of the Forum already had an interest in environmental education and shared a common
awareness that the cycle of mass production, consumption, and disposal must be stopped because of its‑88‑

enormous impact on the environment. While marveling at the latest facilities and the scale of the plant, they
saw the amount of money and energy poured into treatment, which made them reconsider the current stateof urban environment. Although the debates in Youth Conference on Environmental Education tended tofocus on the mass disposal problem, participants developed a common awareness that the actions of each
citizen are important. Students from various Asian nations reported on the current environmental problems
in their countries: the fact that these nations have no choice but to depend on felling trees for fuel and the
problems of desertification, population growth, and concentration of population in cities. Participants
listened with grave concern to their presentations.
The Conference showed how little understanding adults have toward environmental problems and thelack of opportunity for adults to undergo environmental education. Furthermore, it demonstrated theimportance of people developing more environment―friendly habits in everyday living from childhood
towards sustainable cities. Also, older children must learn about the circulation of matter on Earth andunderstand the whole flow of production, distribution, consumption, and disposal in developing soundenvironmental ethics. It was also pointed out that they must learn to interact with the beauty of nature andfirst develop a love for the Earth.
Since human beings must realize that they cannot live without depending on the Earth's resources andother forms of life, education should focus on the fact that environmental problems can ultimately be solved
not by denying science, the bastion of civilization, but by human effort, including progress in Eco―technology and others. Children should not be encouraged to deny their existence through overemphasis on
the myopic egotism of human beings in the pursuit for greater convenience. It is also important to teachthem that impact on the environment can be reduced by individual efforts and regional cooperation. One
important aspect that was not discussed extensively in the Conference was the need in environmental
education to build abilities to foresee potential environmental problems that are likely to occur in the future.
（WrittenbyKazuyuki

Mikami）

Appendix ：The Minutes o f the

Asia Pacific Youth Conference" Part O n e ：Presentations

Japanese Student A ： I think the point is that each of us should be more aware of the fundamental bases ofenvironmental issues and to start building our own initiative to address these issues. Let me talk about mypersonal experience. I was so interested in environmental issues that I decided to major in an environmental
education course at my university.

However, few researchers or seniors are doing research on the area ofenvironmental matters, and few classes on environmental issues are provided at my university.

With thisbackground, my peers and I are motivated to take concrete action on environment; we try to interact withother university students through the Internet. We also visited other universities to find some efficient way
on how to deal with garbage on the campus.

For example one university associated with a garbage

collecting company collects used paper from the campus, and the company recycles it into toilet paper for theuniversity buildings. Following these examples, we've just now started collecting PET bottles on the campus,
and we hope to create other activities as well. In this way, I strongly feel that it is necessary for each of us totake voluntary actions and to develop support for environmental issues.
Japanese Student B：I went to Thailand recently to carry out a research about vegetation. I was very

fascinated with the beautiful landscape and marine blue shallows. However, as I came to the residential area,such touching sights completely disappeared, and a dirty scene came to my sight. A strong stench coming‑89‑

from the kitchen garbage spread throughout the area. I felt very sad to know the garbage from our advanced
conveniences seriously contaminates our beautiful nature and landscape.
like aI thought human beings are justcancer of nature," that is, unsuitable for our ecosystem and destroying our surroundings. Then I evenwondered

what an evil we are" andwhat do we human beings exist for." I think environmental education

should be regarded as the most important key to be more concerned with the problem of how our daily
activities such as trashing garbage affects nature.
Japanese Student C：When we consider the environmental issues, we only think about waste. However I

think that we cannot understand the whole issue without thinking about the manufacturing processes of
products. Taking the case of manufacturing an aluminum can for juice, to refine bauxite produces five times
as much industrial waste as aluminum. Then, the waste is treated in foreign countries. Therefore, we needto perceive environmental issues from these two basic facts of both manufacturing and distribution.
South Korean Student A：I'd like to talk about theenvironment of water" andEco―technology." Weshould not be allowed to use more than 0.01 of all the earth has. My personal opinion is that we should be far
more careful about the use of such scarce, limited water. I think the main cause is sewage. The secondary
cause is farming and stockbreeding.

Farmers in China, Japan and South Korea use a relatively large

amount of nitrogenous fertilizers compared with other Asian countries. Japan uses 5,000 tons of nitrogenous
fertilizers. Of course, there must be other causes for the contamination of water.
Speaking of ideas to make water use environmentally friendly, for example, we can save 7,200l of waterand 6.4kw of electricity, if we reduce the number of washing times of clothes from three times to twice.
Another thing I would like to talk about iscoexistence with both

Eco―technology."

natural ecosystem" and theEco― technology means a peacefulartificial ecosystem." So, Eco―technology may makeit possible that organisms and human products can circulate by themselves, and we humans live with nature
altogether.

This is the goal of

Eco―technology."

In my opinion, environmental issues could not be solved only by the efforts of the scientists andenvironment―related people. I think that it is essential to promote our own awareness of environmental
problems.

In South Korea, there is very little discussion aboutcircumstances are so terrible.
environment.

Eco ― technology."

Our living

The fact is we are living under such terrible circumstances and polluted

These days, we Korean people are seriously discussing the environmental problems of

pigpens and hormone―disrupting substances.
South Korean Student B ：I feel that the environment problems that we are experiencing in South Korea arequite similar with these in Japan. Let me talk about the waste issue and its solution in Korea.
manufacturing viewpoint, there's a campaign called

From theZero Emission." Zero Emission aims to reduce thewaste at the stage of manufacturing. In support with waste reduction, we avoid over―wrapping of goods.
We are also using wrapping materials that are environment―friendly.
people who dispose of their garbage carelessly.
improve the present situation. This is theamong environmentalists.
solution.

On the other hand, there are still

It is necessary for the consumers to exert extra efforts todilemma of modern society" which causes disappointments

After three years of preparation, the Korean government came up with a

They started a national campaign called,

Charge for Waste."supermarkets remove goods from their packaging and boxes when purchasing.
‑90‑

As a result, consumers ofThere are various aspects of the waste problem, such as consumption," distribution," manufacturing,"
waste," anddumping." I am sure that environmental education will play an important role in raising ourenvironmental awareness.
Chinese Student A ： In China, the issue of population is the most serious one related to environmental
issues. The population of China overall has exceeded 1.2 billions. Although the government adopted aOne

Child Policy," this policy works well only in urban cities. This is a determinant of all other problems such as
the fact that these billions of people consume a large quantity of energy.
Factory effluents are also another one of the matters.

Some particular mills use drainage processing

machines but others don't.
In addition, I personally believe that environmental education in developing countries is essential.

Weshould exert efforts in raising environmental awareness of people in developing countries.
Chinese Student B：In my hometown, in Inner Mongolia, there used to be a lot of beautiful prairies andforests since the Genghis Khan Period of the 12th century. Some of them are still present today, but others
are now impure.
For example, in Baotou City, one of the most important heavy industry cities in China，has caused much
environmental pollution such as deforestation, desertification, and destruction of vegetation.
One more thing comes from Japanese society.

I read an article stating thatJapanese Wooden

Chopsticks Rob Chinese Forests." People in Japan use a huge amount of disposable wooden chopsticks. I
think the Japanese should consider where that wood comes from.
Lastly, I have been thinking on how can we save the environment of my hometown. After going back to
China,

I'll do my best in promoting environmental education.

Student from Myanmar ： There are many environmental problems that Myanmar is facing today. One ofthem is poverty. Because of poverty, education is not the basic concern of the society in my country. In thisregard, the students are not environmentally aware.

With this background, environmental issues are not acourse for discussion among the Myanmar people. People especially the young are not conscious of what
deforestation may yield in the future.
Taiwanese Student ： One of the most serious problems in Taiwan is,

I think, mass consumption.

Thesituation of economic growth in Taiwan is very similar to that of Japan about 20 years ago. People recklessly
keep consuming many products.

They are not seriously much concerned about recycling.

I think thepresent situation of consumers' attitudes is quite worrisome.

Part Two ：Discussion
Japanese Student C： I think we must realize that our daily activities such as dumping garbage without any
classification cause a lot of trouble at the incineration plants.
South Korean Student A ： Talking about incineration, I'd like to address the issue of dioxin.

In myunderstanding, it is difficult for dioxin to be chemically broken down，and it would be accumulated at thehigher level. Although it is said that dioxin doesn't cause serious problems, I am afraid that it might be‑91‑

dangerous in a decade or two.
Chinese Student B ： I suppose that it's very important for us to reduce the amount of waste. As one
example, people in France do not use any shopping bags because they bring baskets from their home. This
would reduce the manufacturing of plastic products，particularly plastic bags.
Japanese Student D ： It's necessary to take action against environmental issues, personally, ethically.
However, I think legal regulations or taxation are also necessary because I understand that environmental
pollution from enterprises and factories has been decreased due to the fact that they've been controlled bylaw or taxation.
Japanese Student B ： Admittedly, I realize the importance of such legal regulations and taxation. But I
think, first of all, we should do our best in educating about the effect of our actions on our environment, andif it's not effective, we could establish some laws and taxation as a secondary measure.
Japanese Student C ： I think it is wrong way to regard ethics and laws as opposite ones.
Japanese Student E ：Let me take an example.

Germany has advanced the area of environmental

education. They start environmental education from an early age as training. Therefore, not only pupils but
also parents as well are becoming more aware of their surrounding environment, ethically, or even naturally.
Japanese Student F ： Now, how can we be kind to our environment? I think tobehave kindly to ourenvironment is the same as we behave to people. I mean, we can't be kind to people whom we don't like. So
we at first should come to like the earth, nature and understand our surrounding environment.
Japanese Student G ： Relating to his opinion, I think if people like their surroundings, they naturally
become careful about the environment.

I know surfers are involved in activities to save the sea because

they like the ocean. Mountain climbers are doing the same kind of thing in mountains.
Japanese Student H ： I wonder if we are sort of forcing children to do things we want them to do byadvising or supporting them. Instead of that, I think we should encourage the children to join us in theplanning and implementation of our activities.
Japanese Student C ： I think that environmental education should not be implemented on a pro and con
type basis alone，but it should be carried out thinking of the reason why it is positive or negative.
Chinese Student A ： It is important that we raise the environmental awareness of not only developed
countries but also developing countries.
South Korean Student B ： We should start by making people aware of the waste and stench created by the
Minami―Gamo―Sewage Treatment Plant and the Kuzuoka Incineration Center that we visited yesterday.

‑92‑

Japanese Student A ： I think we should teach as many people as we can about our beautiful nature andshow the dark side of the results of our human activities. Then, we should teach what we can do and what
we cannot do now.
（EditedbyAnd, I would like to teach it from different perspectives.

T.Koganezawa，K.Mikami）# Reference Provision of Information on APEC and Youth Forum through the Internet
Detailed information on the aforementioned events is now being provided all over the world from the website of the Environmental Education Center, M.U.E. This web page consists not only of
but also of

Text" information

Streaming Video" as well, which was recorded during the Asia Pacific Youth Conference on

Environmental Education. Allowing for viewers overseas, the streaming video is produced with English
interpretation. The address of the web site is as follows. We look forward to your visits.
Thank you.
Environmental Education Center, Miyagi University of Education
http://www.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/lab/env/project/apec/index-e.html‑93‑http://www.miyakyo-u.ac.jp/lab/env/project/apec/index-e.html‑94‑