Conversations with Green Changemakers in Japan

Azby Brown is originally from the US but has lived in Japan since 1985.  He is a leading authority on Japanese architecture, design, and environmentalism, and the author of several books amongst which Just Enough: Lessons in living green from traditional Japan which was published in 2010. On top of that, since the Fukushima disaster, Azby has been lead researcher for Safecast, a highly successful global volunteer-based citizen-science organization devoted to developing new technology platforms for crowdsourced environmental monitoring.   We will talk about his story and how he got interested in the topic of circular society in Edo times. We will also discuss which learnings from that period we could reapply in our modern society. You can find the summary of the discussion on Mottainai Transition website [https://mottainai-transition.com/inspirations/?v=24d22e03afb2]. Don't hesitate to check Azby's books [https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/192015.Azby_Brown]. Feel free to get in touch with us to share your thoughts or suggest a guest: contact@mottainai-transition.com [%20contact@mottainai-transition.com] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod

Mona is a strategic communications consultant. Born between German and Japanese parents, she spent most of her life in England, before moving to Japan in 2016. She founded No Plastic Japan in 2018 to raise awareness around our consumption habits and the waste it creates – one of its main activities is the replacement of plastic straws with stainless steel ones for individuals and businesses. In collaboration with a variety of stakeholders, Mona works on different communications and sustainability challenges. In this episode, we talk about her story, how she started No Plastic Japan and how she got involved in the creation of the zero waste store Nue by Totoya. She will also give us some tips on how to have a plastic-free and more generally waste free lifestyle in Japan. You can find the summary of the discussion on Mottainai Transition website [https://mottainai-transition.com/inspirations/?v=24d22e03afb2]. Don't hesitate to get in touch with Mona on her website No Plastic Japan [https://noplasticjapan.com]. Feel free to get in touch with us to share your thoughts or suggest a guest: contact@mottainai-transition.com [%20contact@mottainai-transition.com] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod

Chuck Kayser is originally from the US and has been living in Japan for over 20 years, mostly in Kyoto. He started growing vegetables in the mountains of Shiga 12 years ago and what began as a hobby quickly turned into a passion. He established Midori Farm a few years ago to sell vegetables, host volunteers and run tours and events. On top of that, he co-founded Seeds of Sustainability Kyoto in 2017 to host events in Kyoto city. Through Midori Farm and Seeds of Sustainability, Chuck hopes to give people the opportunity to learn more about living sustainably, experience nature and appreciate the importance of small, local, organic agriculture. In this episode, we talk about his story and how he started Midori Farm. Chuck is also telling us more about organic farming in Japan. You can find the summary of the discussion on Mottainai Transition website [https://mottainai-transition.com/inspirations/?v=24d22e03afb2]. If you are in Kyoto area, don't hesitate to order vegetables from Midori Farm, come to volunteer on the farm or join one of their events! https://www.midorifarm.net Feel free to get in touch with us to share your thoughts or suggest a guest: contact@mottainai-transition.com [%20contact@mottainai-transition.com] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod

Ian Shimizu is the founder of weMORI, an app that aims to make protecting and restoring forests fun, easy and accessible for all. In this episode, he will tell us more about his story and how he came about starting weMORI. We will also talk about deforestation and how our consumption habits have an impact on it. weMORI is doing a kickstarter campaign [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1065560538/wemori-an-app-to-regenerate-the-earth-0] at the moment to raise money to build the app. Don't hesitate to support them and plant trees! You can find the summary of the discussion on Mottainai Transition website [https://mottainai-transition.com/inspirations/?v=24d22e03afb2] as well as more tips on how to avoid contributing to deforestation while living in Japan. Feel free to get in touch with us to share your thoughts or suggest a guest: contact@mottainai-transition.com [%20contact@mottainai-transition.com] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod

Robin Lewis, is half Japanese, half English and has many years’ experience working with inter-governmental organisations, social enterprises and NGOs. One day in 2018, while visiting Okinawa, he noticed first hand the impact of plastic pollution and decided to do something to address this issue. That is how the idea of mymizu [https://www.mymizu.co/home-en] was born. On top of being mymizu Co-founder, he is also the Co-founder & Director of Social Innovation Japan [https://www.socialinnovationjapan.com] - a platform for social good focusing on the UN Sustainable Development Goals - and is a Consultant at the World Bank (Climate Change Group). In this episode, he is telling us more about his story, how they created the mymizu [https://www.mymizu.co/home-en] movement, bringing some fun into fighting single-use plastic, and how we can help reduce plastic waste in Japan. You can find the summary of the discussion on Mottainai Transition website [https://mottainai-transition.com/inspirations/?v=24d22e03afb2] as well as more tips on how to reduce single-use plastic waste in Japan. Feel free to get in touch with us to share your thoughts or suggest a guest: contact@mottainai-transition.com [%20contact@mottainai-transition.com] Music: Too Cool by Kevin MacLeod