Declaring an 'ecolife' in Sapporo

Sapporo is actively engaging its citizens in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through ‘ecolife’ declarations.

The focus on emissions from local residents was a result of analysis that determined that the majority of the city’s greenhouse gas emissions came from activities from the transportation, services and household sectors. In fact, these emissions account for 90% of the city’s total emissions.

 The Sapporo set a target to encourage 100,000 citizens – equivalent to about 15 percent of the city’s population – to make ‘ecolife’ declarations. In joining the program, people have declared their commitment to take on more than five energy-saving actions out of a list of 20 proposed by the city. Some of the actions include switching off lights, and lowering the thermostat. They are also welcome to set their own targets.

After making ‘ecolife’ declarations, citizens use an environmental accounting sheet to calculate how many points they can gain by reducing their emissions. This is then calculated for a whole year’s worth of greenhouse gas reduction activities.

Currently 127,628 citizens in Sapporo have signed ‘ecolife’ declarations.

More and more cities are facing the need to mitigate climate change while already adapting to the changes brought about by climate change. ICLEI’s Cities for Climate Protection® (CCP) Campaign is an innovative international campaign that helps local government and their communities to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and their impact on the environment. And now, the CCP Campaign is launching the Adaptation Initiative, building capacity for climate change impacts at the local level. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/ccp.

Sapporo is one of 21 local governments in Japan that are currently Members of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability. For more information on ICLEI and its activities in Japan, please visit www.iclei.org/japan.

Source: “Sapporo’s initiatives toward green lifestyles”, Japan for Sustainability, 27 April 2007.