Citizens of Kawasaki engaged in climate change efforts

In the 1990’s as a result of high pollution levels and citizen protests, the city of Kawasaki (Japan) established guidelines that would support and promote civic action.

As a result, one citizens subcommittee, the Kawasaki Action Plan Promotion Committee for Global Environmental Conservation, was established to focus on the challenge of global warming.

The Committee promoted concrete projects in green consumption, solar power, and energy savings.  The projects included the following:

• a campaign to bring one’s own shopping bags, in cooperation with local shopping streets;
• a ‘My Bag’ competition to promote local shopping streets;
• dissemination of environmental household accounts focusing on saving electricity bills; and
• the Save Energy Challenge 500, where individuals sign up to save energy.

ICLEI’s Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Campaign promotes a participatory, long-term, strategic planning process that supports local governance by identifying local sustainability priorities and mobilizing local governments and their citizens to implement long-term action plans that address these sustainable priorities. Using the LA21 approach of participatory sustainable development planning, ICLEI aims to assist local authorities to move beyond general sustainable development planning and to apply this approach in tackling areas of priority concern. For more information, please visit www.iclei.org/la21.

Kawasaki 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:  “Civil Activities & Environmental Education, City of Kawasaki.