Summer Workshop
A Sustainable Perspective
ｑ In order to realize such equality and create a sustainable society we need to think about the sustainability of nature, society and of the individual.
First off is the sustainability of nature. Humans are able to survive because we are able to use natural resources. The sustainability of nature requires that things remain within the natural cycle. However, due to the effects of global warming, substances such as water and carbon dioxide, which have fit into nature's cycle, are no longer being taken care of by nature's cycle. Biodiversity is also related to sustainability. Biodiversity is a word that was introduced in the 1970's. It means that the interactions of many types of living organisms support one another. The reason the landscape is different in Shiozawa and Niigata City is because the living organisms in each place are different. Being rich in biodiversity is also an important part of sustainability.
Next, let me talk about sustainability of society. The smallest social unit is a family. However, even family ties have weakened. Culture that fosters deep connections within families and communities is weakening.
We also must think of the sustainability of individuals. People are becoming weaker and weaker mentally. I was surprised by the phrase "my transparent existence." The youth who said this killed an infant. He must have been so removed from relationships with other people and living creatures that he felt no accomplishment in living and had no self-affirmation. I've been told that a lot of youths can relate to this "transparency." People live within relationships to a myriad of people and living creatures. When people are unable to realize this, we experience physical and mental un-sustainability.
Sustainable Development is...
Again we must think about these three problems related with equality and sustainability. Sustainable development is said to be creating a society in which individuals thrive and in which people, community, and nature endure. Countries and international organizations all over the world are moving into action to realize such a future. Eleven years ago at the Earth Summit in Brazil a plan was drafted to actualize sustainable development worldwide. The recent summit in South Africa was a meeting to evaluate the progress of this plan. Over the past 10 years, expectations were high that sustainable development and activities for sustainable societies would progress. Unfortunately, the situation has worsened. To what extent we can achieve sustainable individuals, societies and nature has been the biggest challenge for us. It is also today's theme: environmental education and community development.
Actualizing Sustainable Development:
Aim of Environmental Education
Today, the world has become ever so small. Food is imported from across the globe and one can see the world via the Internet. On the flip side, many other connections have been lost. In the past, foods we consumed were obtained within eyesight. Connections with people were very close. One was able to see the immediate cause and effect of one's actions. Today we are unable to see both cause and effect and grow further from them. As a result, I think many problems are emerging. Today interpersonal relationships and relationships with nature are severed. Environmental education is reconnecting this severance and recovering connections with a future.
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