Learning through experience ?
Environment-friendly lifestyle on the YU-Campus in Ube
大学キャパスの経験から身につける環境にやさしいライフスタイル
工学研究科修士課程１年 Kerstin Hoppenhaus
In its most recent White Paper on the "Quality of the Environment
in Japan" covering the fiscal year 1994 the Environment Agency of Japan
(EAJ) draws special attention to the burdens placed on the environment by
modern lifestyles and to the resulting necessity to search for and establish
environ-ment-friendly alternatives."...contemporary Japanese lifestyles
involve the consumption of large quantities of materials and energy taken
from the natural environment and the return of large quantities of waste
water, waste gases, and refuse back to the natural environment. These large-scale
consumption and disposal processes place a heavy burden on the environment
that supports our existence." (EAJ p.57)
Although the recognition of environmental problems in Japan has been increasing,
it "does not alwaysbring about changes in behavior, however, and it
cannot yet be said that the trend of adopting environment-friendly lifestyles
has deeply penetrated Japanese society as a whole." (EAJ p.113f).
This is illustrated for example by a survey of Gallup International published
in 1992. It shows that the share of consumers who try to avoid using products
with negative effects on the environment is 83% in Switzerland, 81% in Germany
and 77% in Canada, but only 40% in Japan (fig.1; EAJ p.92).
The White Paper further states that many people in Japan "do not wish
to spend the time or effortneeded to help protect the environment..."
(EAJ p.119).
The Environment Agency proposes several ways out of this situation towards
the establishment of an environment-friendly lifestyle. Among other things,
the White Paper outlines historical aspects of the relationship between
man and environment in Japan and extracts the following "virtues"
from these observations (EAJ p.128ff):a holistic understanding of the natural
environment based on experience and observationa harmonious coexistence
with the environmenta cooperation of all community members
Based on these and other observations, the Discussion Group on the Environment
and Culture initiated by the Environment Agency formulated in its report
in 1991 the following guidelines for realizing environmental ethics (EAJ
p.135): to strive to act in accordance with the natural principles underlying
the limits and the subtleties of the environment to strengthen the ties
between the environment and people to share the environment among diverse
life forms In the Basic Environment Law of 1993 these aims were incorporated
in a legal framework with thefollowing fundamental environmental preservation
objectives (EAJ p.139): enjoyment and future success of environmental blessings
the creation of a society that can ensure sustainable development with minimal
environmental loads the active promotion of global environment conservation
through international cooperation. The White Paper also repeatedly stresses
the importance of individual behavior in order to achieve these goals (e.g.
EAJ p.114, p.130).
In this context, institutions like the technical faculty in Ube play
an extremely important role, because they are training the future planners,
managers and administrators who will have to transform these rather general
government requirements into concrete action. Students graduating from the
Depart-ment of Civil Engineering in particular, but those from other departments
as well, are very likely to be confronted with decisions concerning resource
cycles, sustainable urban and landscape planning, citizen information and
education, etc. in order to achieve the goals set by the government. They
willbe the ones responsible for the construction of a society that is able
to (re-)create a sustainable life-style and - ultimately - to ensure its
own survival.
Therefore, the education and training of these students deserves particular
attention to enable them to successfully fulfill their future tasks. The
most important factor to ensure an adequate training is, of course, a carefully
designed study program, that creates a sound basis of knowledge. This seems
to be well taken care of in Ube with the recently established Kansei Design
Department, and, of course, the Department of Civil Engineer-ing. Another,
probably almost equally important factor however, is the quality of the
learning- and living-environment of the future planners, since it is a well-known
fact that our living- and learning-environ-ment shapes our perceptions through
experience and therefore determines our further decisions. Inother words,
it will be much more difficult (or even impossible) to teach natural principles
andmechanisms in an environment that doesn't allow for the experience of
such principles to people who might have never experienced these principles
before, too.
Furthermore, an environment-friendly campus could also become an important
role model for others,showing that an alternative lifestyle is possible.
>From history we know that environment-friendly lifestyles were possible.
According to the Environment Agency, this was mainly due to the application
of the three "virtues" mentioned above, so it might be helpful
to see, if students can learn these virtues from experiences on the campus
in Ube.
1. Holistic understanding of the natural environment based on experience
and observation
自然共生 − 常盤公園とキャンパスを連携させ、みどりの教育研究エリアを実現させる。
"...we should be adopting more comprehensive perspectives on the environment
by recognizing the ... complex interactions ... of ecosystems that include
such diverse elements as humans, other organisms, mountains, rivers, and
oceans..." (EAJ p.128).
To acquire such comprehensive perspectives will be much easier in a (learning-)
environment that ispart of or at least closely linked to the complex interactions
of ecosystems. This would give studentsthe opportunity to personally experience
these interactions as a whole, aspects in their academic studies.Being situated
at the northern rim of Ube-city and "just across the road" from
Tokiwa-Park, the YU-Campus certainly finds itself in a privileged area of
Ube where one would However, there is no connection between the campus and
the park, although, given the park's history as a former coal mining site,
it could serve as a very close example to demonstrate the transformation
of a landscape towards a more environment-friendly lifestyle. The proximity
of the park also seems to strongly suggest an extension of the park area
into the university grounds and the creation of an "educational park"
that links the city with the forests and the rural landscapes further north.
2. Harmonious coexistence with the environment
循環 − 自動車通学を控え、駐車場のスペースを芝生の空間とする。そしてせめて弁当ガラのデポジット回収を。
To exist in harmony with the environment means to use its resources, but
without disturbing or even destroying the resource cycles that run the system,
i.e. to respect "the limited capabilities of natural recycling and
cleansing mechanisms" (EAJ p.129).
This is not the place to treat this matter extensively. I will only pick
out two aspects that struck me particularly "un-harmonious" on
Ube-Campus: issues related to CO2-emissions (and therefore to the greenhouse-effect)
and solid waste disposal. As mentioned above, the campus is not only somewhat
cut off from nature, but also from the city-center, resulting in a great
number of cars on the campus, leading to large parking areas (with impacts
on the water household) and, obviously, to an unnecessary high consumption
of gasoline.
Limiting parking area and therefore forcing alternative solutions (instead
of a half-hearted permit-system that effectively stops no-one from using
the car), increasing the number of bike-shelters, negotiating an extension
of public transport services and a different (i.e. more "natural")
design of the remaining parking areas could be steps towards a harmonious
coexistence under this aspect.Generally, an increase of "green"
by the planting of trees, lawns and - eventually - "green roofs"
would also provide further capacities for CO2-fixation. It would also be
a great improvement concerning all sorts of emissions to stop burning university
wastes in the campus' incinerator, regularly producing thick clouds of thick
exhaust, no matter how "harmless" the substances may be, just
for being a role model for students and neighboring citizens who still consider
backyard-burning as adequate way of waste disposal.
Avoiding waste in the first place, of course, is an even better option
and it could be relatively easy in some cases, if the matter would only
be given some consideration. For example, the amount of garbage resulting
from the daily consumption of boxed lunches (bento) could be easily reduced
or even avoided by providing durable dishes and chopsticks and introducing
a deposit system, since customers consume these goods on a very regular
basis.
3. Cooperation of all members of the community
参加 − 市の都市計画担当者や大学事務局だけではなく、学生がもっと積極的にキャンパスのアメニティに取り組むこと
Of course, the establishment of an environment-friendly lifestyle demands
the initiative and consider-ation of city planners and university administration.
However, one would also expect the students to develop some activity, since
it is mainly their interests that are concerned, instead of passively con-suming
(or even enduring) their education. They should demand (and be granted)
responsibility for their learning environment, to encourage new or experimental
approaches towards the environment-friendly design of their campus and to
give them the opportunity to experience methods to overcome obstacles and
to achieve and environment-friendly lifestyle.
To summarize, the situation concerning the environment-friendliness of
the YU-Campus in Ube is not particularly encouraging at the moment (i.e.
learning environment-friendly lifestyle by experience is rather difficult),
but there is a lot of potential and it would need only comparatively little
effort to sub-stantially improve this situation.
Source:ENVIRONMENT AGENCY OF JAPAN (1996) Quality of the Environment in Japan 1994. Tokyo, 792 p.
工学部本館屋上から常盤公園を望む