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Fix it, Reuse it, Recycle it
Mr. Nakase sits in his recycled car seat in front of his tire table. A customer works on his car behind the glass. 99.10.14/ Temperature: 10C/ Weather: Partly cloudy/ Wind Direction: NW
Start: Izari River, Eniwa City /Latitude:42 53 05 N /Longitude: 141 34 32 E
Destination: Sapporo/ Latitude: 43 00 04 N / Longitude: 141 25 47 E
Distance Traveled: 18 kmWhat to do with used cars? I have seen endless stacks of abandoned cars along the539 kilometers to Sapporo. Today I found a possible answer.I got my first case of 'city-shock' this morning as I approached Sapporo, the largest city in Hokkaido.
After covering hundreds of kilometers of continuous country roads having to stop for the cross walks was a strange nostalgic feeling. Natural and wind barrier forests that accompanied me most of the way here are no more. Large discount shops and parking lots, gas stations, pachinko parlors clad in chains of small light bulbs (Japanese pinball), and people surrounded me.
On most of this journey there have been few people to be found; today there were kids out playing dodgeball and soccer, middle and high school students in their school uniforms, and several people were out walking on the sidewalks. Passing this lively section of town, I continued on to a more industrial region with concrete, steel, and vending machine factories.
A large truck (the kind that have been blowing me backward for kilometers) pulled out from a narrow driveway. The truck bed was full of naked car frames-no windows or side mirrors, nothing. "I'm taking them to the steel factory to be melted down," said the truck driver. My friend in Hidaka (see Wisdom report #026) isn't the only one recycling steel.
Continuing down the road, I noticed a sign that read, "Recycle Parts Shop." Mr. Nakase, managing director of a company making new attempts at sales and purchasing, repairing, and recycling of automobiles and their parts, spent some time explaining their operations.
"We recycle used cars and car parts," said Mr. Nakase, sitting on a chair made out of an old car seat. Endless rows of cars fill the large lots of the large facility. Most of the cars have been collected for free. They would have otherwise been thrown away.
"Our customers get to choose what parts they would like from the lot of cars. Then they remove the part from an old car and replace that of their own car." Once the cars are stripped of all usable parts, they get crated off to the steel factory where they will be melted down into raw steel again,"explained Mr. Nakase.
Car lot and treasure chest to customers at the Recycle Parts Shop. In addition to reusing and recycling cars and parts, Mr. Nakase takes care of other automobile wastes. Oil is drained and sent to a treatment facility; engine coolant is recycled and used to heat the floor of the facilities; and chloroflorocarbons are sent out to a specialized company which breaks down the harmful gas.
While providing extensive reuse and recycling options for customers, the shop also provides a unique way of education customers about recycling and repairing. "By having our customers actually remove, replace, and repair their own cars, we hope to raise their environmental awareness. Going through the actual process lets people know the importance of recycling," commented Mr.Nakase. "I think customers find a great sense satisfaction in doing this themselves."
Since the company got its start in April of this year, the need for such service has sky rocketed. "On the weekends, we sometimes have up to 500 customers working on their cars."
"We live in age now that if we don't think about the environment, we can't sustain our living. People need to think about what may come next. Making people excited about environmental protection will be important in the future. We are working towards this."
Similar to my recycling friend in Hidaka, Mr. Nakase is not only thinking about the reuse and recycling of materials. He also includes repairs, which seems to be an appealing way to spread his environmental message.
Thus far I have looked closely at the lifestyles of those in the countryside in Japan. There has been a lot to learn. Approaching the city today, I thought it might be difficult to discover clever innovations in city life. This has not been true. I am learning that the more you look, the more there is to be found. What kind of clever innovations are there in your communities?
I look forward to seeing what other discoveries Sapporo has in store.
Greg
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