One of the biggest challenges facing Japan's trash reduction program is convenience item packaging. From vending machines to convenience stores, one can purchase a variety of food and beverages   During our final days in Tokyo, I enjoyed light dinners from the hotel convenience shop that featured packaged sushi, rice dishes, salads, and yogurt.  A helpful store clerk assisted me in finding gluten-free foods from the variety of hot and cold ready-to-eat meals.  The downside to the ease of eating a to-go meal is the packaging and what to do with the one-use plastic containers.  The hotel may have had recycling containers or housekeeping may have sorted the trash.  I was not able to find out exactly what became of the packaging materials or how to dispose of them besides the trash can.

Vending machines are ubiquitous.  We saw vending machines near the parking lot at the Diet building, at roadside rest areas, and along city streets and arcades.  From hot coffee in a can to cold fruit drinks, water and soda, there was a vending machine for every type of beverage.  We were surprised to see Kirin machines since Kirin is a brand name associated with beer in the United States.  However in Japan Kirin makes all types nonalcoholic beverages in recyclable bottles and cans. It was a challenge to figure out how to use some of the machines.  I was so stunned by one coffee machine that I forgot to push the record button on my camcorder.  The vending machine not only produced a perfect cup of hot coffee with cream and sugar, but also played a video and music during the brewing and dispensing process.  

The hotels in which we stayed practiced conservation methods similar to chain hotels in the United States with regard to not changing the sheets everyday.  One idea that should be adopted from the Japanese is the use of large refillable soap, shampoo and conditioner bottles in the guest room lavatories.  It's a personal pet peeve that so many tiny little bottles of these amenities are wasted in American hotels along with bars of barely used soap.  When I commented to our group guide about what a great idea the larger dispensers were, she quickly made sure I understood that they were not to be packed in my suitcase upon check-out.  I reassured her that I understood they were to be left for the next  guest. I hope that was a little humor on her part. 

I confess that I did not adapt well to the traditional Japanese-style toilet and learned to ask for the Western toilet. The biggest surprise was the built-in seat warmer.  The second surprise, the bidet wand and air dryer. At least the toilet at the hotel did not play music as did one at a home decorating store.

Short distance travel by foot and bicycle was far more noticeable in Japan than in the United States.  At one point Matsuyma City began to feel like Amsterdam.  As a pedestrian I was fair game for trams and bicycles  Traffic in Tokyo was intimidating.

The cost of gasoline in Tokyo was a little over $4.00 a gallon. That alone can encourage conservation.  It was common to see compact hybrid cars and biodiesel trucks.  Larger American-style cars seemed out of place.  Small motorbikes were everywhere. Having signed an agreement not to ride or operate a motorbike while in Japan, I did not try out this form of transportation. 

As in many large U.S. cities, public transportation systems are well developed in Japan and used by millions of commuters on a daily basis.  Rail travel as a means of long-distance travel was more comparable to Europe than to the United States.  It was relatively easy to travel by train from Tokyo to anywhere on Honshu. 

What stuck out in all the attention to conservation was the use of electricity for lighting after dark.  Tokyo was transformed into a neon jewel box after sunset.  It was intriguing to see a city more brightly lit than New York City.  It's something about which I would love to learn more.

Environmental concerns were expressed during many discussions with Japanese students, educators, and scientists.  In the 1970's I worked as a summer research laboratory intern at a large multinational consumer products company.  One of the projects was the development of a detergent that would clean clothing and meet the strict Japanese waste water standards.  Early industrial waste disasters had taught the Japanese lessons in the need for environmental stewardship.   The need to conserve resources, reduce waste, and reuse or recycle materials became critical with the growing affluence of the boom period of the 1990's.  It is not a surprise that the Japanese government looked to the "Environmental Best Boy" policies of the Dutch and other European countries to develop protocols and policies that are worth study by other industrialized nations.  The beautiful city of Kyoto was a fitting location for the global summit that produced the Kyoto Accords.

Perhaps the time has come for the United States to begin think of itself as an island and to emulate the habits of personal responsibility that we observed in Japan.  Personal choices can make the difference.  By using a travel mug instead of the styrofoam cup from the local chain coffee shop, I will decrease the school trash by 5 pounds each year (0.05 oz. X 185 days).  I already use an insulated lunch bag in place of brown paper bag. That saves paper and trash at the same time.  To further reduce my contribution to the school trash, I will rinse out my yogurt cup and bring it home for recycling through our borough's co-mingling curbside pick-up recycling program.  Instead of using a plastic zip-lock bag for vegetables or fruit, I will use a resealable plastic container.  I can bring home the peels for our compost pile. Those small changes in habits makes my morning coffee and lunch bag a little more sustainable. While it could be argued that I should make my own yogurt and pack it in a reusable container, going that green will take a little bit longer.  

To quote Laura-san, "We need to be concerned about the environment."  I have included additional resources below including an interesting middle school lesson plan developed by a fellow American educator.  As I plan for future science lessons, I will be working to integrate some of the strategies I observed in Japanese schools into our own school culture and our Living in Our Ocean of Air project.  Please check back for updates.