Figure 3-3-19 Comparison of Each Country's Food Mileages of Imported Foods

Source : Tetsuya NAKATA “Food mileage—and its Influence on the Environment” (Nippon Hyoron-sha Co., Ltd., 2007)

Figure3-3-20 Imported Food Products and Average Mileage of Each Country

Source : Tetsuya NAKATA “Food mileage — and its Influence on the Environment” (Nippon Hyoron-sha Co., Ltd., 2007)

consumption site is, the more the global burden will be with more energy required. According to a provisional estimate by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries in 2000, Japan's total food mileage is exceptional in the world (Figure3-3-19). Japan's imported food volume was at the level of 70 to 80% of those volumes in each western country excluding France, considering the total imported volume. However, considering the average mileage, each western country remains at the level of 20 to 40% of Japan's average mileage. That means that Japan's food imports are imported from quite long distances, compared to other countries, in addition to their large quantity (Figure3-3-20).

The trend of four typical item’s food mileage among Japan’s major fresh vegetables is shown in the Figure3-3-21. If all four items were to be replaced with domestic products, $ CO_{2} $ that arises from overseas transportation would be reduced by 3,000 tons.

## B Energy supply with locally produced wood biomass

Wood biomass is expected to be increasingly used as a renewable energy. Here, we will calculate the reduction effect of greenhouse gases hypothetically, in the case that about 2.4 million tons, equivalent to about 40% of about 6 million tons of domestic unused biomass (leftover at saw mills, lumber at construction sites and forest leftovers) as of 2005, were used. If 2.4 million tons of unused biomass were used as fuel by processing it into wood pellets, the volume is equivalent to 1.14 million $ k\ell $ in kerosene. Since the amount of annual kerosene consumption is about 5.65 million $ k\ell $ (2007), in about 6.1 million households in Hokkaido and Tohoku region, if this were to be replaced by wood pellets, the volume would be equivalent to about 20% of the kerosene stoves used in households. Since the calculation is based on the allocation of Hokkaido and Tohoku region, where kerosene consumptions are heavy, if wood pellet becomes widely used in these regions, energy is considered to be able to be replaced in many households. Comparing the initial and operational costs between pellet stoves and kerosene stoves (Table3-3-7), pellet stoves contribute to reduce greenhouse gases, while measures such as reducing the cost through dissemination are considered to be necessary.

## C Approaches to make the most of regional lives

(a) Regional invigoration brought about by Oriental storks In September 2005, artificially bred storks were experimentally released in Toyooka city, Hyogo prefecture. It was the first time in 34 years to experimentally release storks after the death of the last wild stork in Japan in 1971. This was the first attempt in Japan to release a wild animal, once extinct in the wild, back in the wild. Toyooka city had formulated the “Toyooka City Sustainable Strategy for Environment and Economy” in March 2005, before the experimental release. The strategy aimed at developing the environment along with economy, symbolizing a stork, is composed of the following five pillars: the “Promoting Local produce, Local consumption,” “Promoting the Organic agriculture,” “Developing the Stork tourism,” “Accumulating environmental and economical companies” and “Promoting Eco-energy.”