# Section 2. Initiatives Started for Creating a Sustainable Society

### 1. Creating Our Society in Cooperation with the Elderly People

In Tsuyama City, Okayama Prefecture, the forest owning municipal government is working with a volunteer group “Kikori-no-kai” (i.e., woodcutters’ association) mainly consisting of retired elderly people in order to revitalize rundown satoyama areas. Together with environmental education programs for local elementary school pupils and their parents, they also hold nature observation sessions, charcoal burning workshops using thinned wood, outdoor experience workshops for inoculating fungi, and tree-planting workshops.

As a result of these efforts, elderly people improve their health and have more meaningful lives. In addition, these efforts have had positive impacts on the environment including the return of orchid species and certain insects (such as dragonflies).

Charcoal burning workshop by “Kikori-no-kai”

### 2. Transferring Environment-related Skills

The SCE · Net (Senior Chemical Engineers Network), which mainly consists of retired technical staff, has set up a database of retired veteran engineers' work experiences, and provides guidance and advice corporate clients on required subjects such as wastewater treatment and ISO14001 certification. They also give university extension lectures on their environment-related experiences and techniques (such as PRTR system) for audiences (mainly in their 30s or 40s), prepare teaching material from these lectures, and endeavor to transfer their valuable experiences and skills to the general public.

### 3. Environmental Conservation Efforts in Satochi-satoyama

In Higashiomi Area (Shiga Prefecture), wild boars, monkeys, deer, and some other wildlife threaten to cause serious damage. The Agricultural Extension Center coordinated a project team to systematically address this threat of damage by wildlife. Their efforts include traditional approaches, such as capturing animals or preventing their access, as well as more comprehensive countermeasures by the local community. These include systematic removal of pre-harvest farm crops which encourage wildlife onto agricultural land, the setting up buffer zones between humans and wildlife in order to prevent access to farmland, and pasturing farm animals. These efforts are yielding very positive results, and have significantly reduced damage by wildlife.

Fence to prevent intrusion by monkeys or wild boars (Installing “Oumi Enraku/Shishi Dome Kun” fence)

### 4. Creating Sustainable and Pleasant Urban Space

European nations, which already have mature societies, started projects to create sustainable cities much earlier than Japan.

In Denmark, a nation with advanced social-welfare system, the capital Copenhagen has pushed ahead with policy initiatives based on the concept of normalization, and creates family-friendly local communities as well as has made it the most environmental city in Europe. To be more specific, the city regards the 5 suburban train lines (S-Bahn) as 5 human fingers, and intends to form its urban area along these S-Bahn routes, while intensifying restrictions on land use in other locations as well as provide large green areas and introduce district heat supply systems by creating compact local communities. This approach is called the “Finger Plan.” As a result, Copenhagen successfully keeps large green areas close to urban areas, which have a positive impact on the environment.