Session 2-3 Mr. Toshiaki Kobayashi, Department of Water Work and Environment, Iida City
| Session 2-3 |
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| Energy Conservation Classes to Change Local Communities Mr. Toshiaki Kobayashi, Department of Water Work and Environment, Iida City |
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'Environmental & Cultural City' and 'Mutosu'
In 1995, Iida City, Nagano Prefecture, established its 'Basic Framework',
adopting as its future vision the goal of being an 'Environmental and Cultural
City: with Beautiful Nature and Brilliant People'. As a concrete instrument
to implement this idea, '21' Iida Environment Plan' was also developed.
This was our starting-point, as citizens of the Earth, and from there we
began a proactive community-building process that brings all activities,
from daily life to industrial operations, into harmony with nature.
Iida City has two things to take pride in. First, it came fourth in the 'Environmental Capital Contest' jointly organized by 10 Japanese NGOs. The second is the Apple-Tree Avenue. After the original trees were burnt down in a fire in 1947, students from the local junior high school planted 40 apple trees to make a new start. Even now, junior high school students take charge of looking after the trees.
To express the basic concept behind our community-building, we chose the word 'Mutosu'. This functions like an auxiliary verb in Japanese language, and is used when you reveal the strength of your will. It is a rather archaic but dignified expression, which means 'to be moving into action.' We picked it up as a key word for a slogan, 'we will make our own city with our own hands.' This is the fundamental concept supporting a variety of activities. We would like to think of it as a sort of DNA for 'Iidanians' (citizens of Iida City) which encourages them to participate in policy-making, and to take their own initiatives.
Solar Power Generation by Citizens
Iida City identified the utilization of new energy sources as a target
listed in the Basic Framework, and established a 'New Energy Vision' in
March 1996. On top of the existing subsidy for solar power generation,
an interest-free loan system was introduced by the city. Every year, solar
power generators are installed in about 100 buildings with subsidies, and
now 1.63% of the total housing here generates solar power, which has given
the city the status of the most 'solar' municipality in Japan. We would
like to promote this further and reach 30% in 2010. In 2004, the support
system will be changed, and the city will provide 30,000 yen per 1kW for
each generator at the time of installation (up to 100,000 yen per case).
A budget of 20 million yen per year has been secured for this purpose.
The average house with a solar power generator can produce 3.4kW. Approximately
2,000kW from solar power is used in the city.
Iida City also has set up the target that by 2010, it will reduce the total greenhouse gas emissions by 10% from 1990. 5% will be covered by energy conservation, and the rest by conversion to new energy sources. Technological progress in the equipment for natural energy use, and also citizens' growing awareness, make it possible to promote and propagate the new energy policy in society. A wooden-pellet factory has been established in the city, which will encourage more people to use pellet-stoves and firewood-stoves. Other new natural energy sources like wind power have been also considered to use.
In February 2004, an NPO called 'Sunny Progress in Southern Shinshu' was
founded to promote power generation by citizens. It is expected to give
significant support to the city's policy of promoting diverse new energy
sources.
Environmental Management System, Iida Style
As a means to become an 'Environmental & Cultural City', Iida City
obtained ISO 14001 certificate in January 2000. However, after three years,
rather than renewing our status through an auditing organization, we became
the first Japanese local authority to adopt our own audit system and made
an 'Individually-Adapted Declaration'. Last January, the first anniversary
of the introduction of this new system, we had an external audit to review
its operation. The conditions for the 'Declaration' are in fact much stricter
than those for an audited registration. The standards of transparency,
objectivity and accountability of the system are higher. One example to
show this is the 'mutual internal audit' system: representatives from local
companies and municipalities, who are all outsiders, join in conducting
an internal audit of the city, and the representatives of the city do the
same to them. In fiscal year 2003, a total of 106 mutual internal auditors
conducted the audit of the city's operational systems.
The 'Community Study Group for an Environmental ISO' (consisting of business establishments of 26 corporations and their 7,000 employees) has created an auditing system called 'Southern Shinshuu EMS21'. The main policy here is that the audit should be free of charge, and that the audit should be implemented based on voluntary support by the Study Group and commitment of companies. Currently 160 business establishments are working on the development of an environmental management system, and 44 of them have obtained the authorization. If the standard of ISO is imagined as 100%, the EMS21 could be 10%. But we will continue to make efforts to spread it throughout the community by raising the standard to 20% or by increasing the number of participating organizations. EMS21 has been steadily propagated among local shops, services and schools.
Expansion of Environmental Management by Universal Participation
Iida City cannot possibly achieve its target, to become an 'Environmental & Cultural City' through its administrators alone. It is possible only when private companies, citizens and administration work together. An employee is, at the same time, a citizen. Especially in small companies, this reality is more visible. We would like to adopt and use the environmental management system which is most suitable to us, and through this 'home-made' system, we hope to spread the implementation, and to raise citizens' awareness concerning the environment. Our ultimate target is that more and more citizens will take initiatives to implement their own activities, and that the whole community will think it only natural to support these activities.
