掲載日：2016年11月1日

FY2016 Global Environmental Workshop Held

The International Center for Environmental Technology Transfer, ICETT, organized a fiscal year 2016 Global Environmental Workshop, commissioned by the City of Yokkaichi. ICETT would like to express its gratitude to all the parties involved in the workshop, including lecturers, company engineers, and volunteers, for the cordial support and cooperation.

 

 

　(1) Duration

　August 1 to 8, 2016

 　(2) Participants

Four high school students from Tianjin in China, supervised by one adult

Four high school students from Long Beach in the United States, led by one adult

Four high school students from Yokkaichi in Japan 

(3) Summary

The title of the eight-day workshop was “To Create a Society with a Comfortable Living Environment – Let’s keep our air and water fresh and clean for life on earth!” 

• At Yokkaichi Pollution and Environmental Museum for Future Awareness, the participants considered the significance of “To Create a Society with a Comfortable Living Environment” by learning about the history and damage of the Yokkaichi pollution and various measures and countermeasures to improve the environment.
• The participants visited the Yokkaichi City Clean Center. They heard about efforts by the city and saw this latest eco-friendly waste disposal facility, which had just been established in this fiscal year.
• At a local company factory, the participants learned about air and water pollution control measures taken by the company.
• An exchange program with local Kaisei High School was conducted for the first time in this workshop. The participants deepened exchanges with students from Kaisei High School, while taking part in the activities to learn about the environment, planned by those attending the school.

 

　

　

　Besides these training activities, the workshop also included opportunities to experience the Japanese culture and traditions and take an eco-tour outside Yokkaichi.

• At a “kabuse-cha” café, the participants learned about “kabuse-cha”, or mild green tea, grown in Yokkaichi, and had discussions with a local kabuse-cha farming family.
• The participants learned about the history of “Hinaga Uchiwa”, or Hinaga Fans, one of the traditional craft products in Yokkaichi. They each made a unique fan for themselves, using their own design ideas.
• The participants went to the Akame 48 Falls in Nabari, a habitat for the giant salamander, registered as Natural Monument of Japan. They learned about how important it is to protect clean and fresh air and water for life, while listening to an explanation about the giant salamander.
• At Iga-ryu Ninja Museum in Iga, the participants learned about the Japanese history and culture through Ninja. They all liked the Ninja show very much with Japanese and English explanations.

　

 

 At the end of the week-long workshop, the teenagers in two groups presented the current environmental situation and problems of each of their cities and their ideas and views on what they can do to protect the future of the Earth.

They not only learned about various matters concerning environmental protection but also deepened their consideration of environmental issues from a global viewpoint.

 

 

These participants are highly expected to continue their exchanges with each other and play an active role as a friendship bridge and as young members of the future generation in the coming years, while contributing to improving the environmental conditions of Yokkaichi and its two sister cities, Tianjin and Long Beach.

ICETT would like to express its gratitude to all the parties who cooperated in the program. (Kana Mizutani)