via Cyber Media Blog

I admit that Japan is really ahead on all technology. The latest mobile phones in Japan have a solar panel charge. In future, once you change your mobile phone, you won’t need an extra accessory for your phone as it will just be a waste. Also, the phone is water proof. You can go hiking or camping without worrying about getting it wet or having the batteries die. And if that’s not enough, you can even read manga or ebook from it, so there’s no wasted paper!! Wow….

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

via www.solar-part.com

One of the goals I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was a teenager is to have solar panels in my own house because I can save money by not having to pay energy bills and at the same time I can help save the environment.

I wanted to have them at my parents’ house when I was living with them in Japan, but unfortunately it was not possible. There are several reasons: there is snow during winter and even more cloudy and rainy days in summer. And the whole year round, the sun is much weaker in Sapporo (42.5 north latitude, almost the same as Seattle) than in Los Angeles. So you see, we just don’t have enough sun to get energy.

My friend’s family, however, has set up solar panels in their house in Hawaii. I’ve heard that you can sell the extra energy to the energy companies nearby or even sell it to the neighborhoods. That means you can save money on paying energy bills and even make extra bucks for it! Why don’t you set up your own panels?

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

via Time.com

More and more people have flat screen TVs nowadays. My parents in Japan have recently purchased a brand new flat screen TV because the previous TV finally decided to shut down. (I think the TV was 13 to 15 years old)!

When we were on the phone the other day, my mother explained that when she turned on the old TV, it came on all in black and took a while to warm up and show the pictures. She added, “Well, I was still able to hear because the audio was fine, but I sometimes wondered what they were talking about when they said, ‘take a look at this delicious dish!’”

It’s good to make any kind of electrical things last as long as possible because that means you are taking good care of it and won’t waste it. On the other hand, the older these things get, the more power they use.

Take a look at this article about a new technology on flat TV screen that uses much less energy and even has a sensor that automatically turns off the TV when there is no motion around it. It’s amazing.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara
 

via Ko Sasaki for The New York Times

When I was living in Japan, the only separation for trash was newspapers/magazines in one bin and any other kind of “trash” in another. There was also a small trash bin for kitchen waste that went into my mother’s little vegetable garden as fertilizer.

About five or six years ago when I went back to Japan, there were four trash bins at my parents’ house. They were for burnable garbage, unburnable garbage, cans/plastic bottles, and newspapers/magazines. Now even more bins have been added, such as the bin for the lid of plastic bottles. In some other cities, there are 10 categories of trash separation.

For more information, read this interesting article: How Do Japanese Dump Trash?

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

via www.renewable-energy-news.info

Being born and raised in Japan, I find it sad to have to post this bad news, but it’s necessary for me to do so. 

A recent study has found mercury contamination in at least one fish out of a few hundred. That means all of us fish eaters consume at least a small amount of mercury into our bodies; unfortunately, there is no exception. Mercury pollution comes through the air and water from many industries.

We all are slowly accumulating mercury into our bodies. And once we hit a certain level of mercury consumption, we could develop diseases such as Minamata disease.

That’s why I’ve become more and more of an activist of eco-consciousness as time goes by - because I’ve been learning about what is going on in our modern society. Eco-consciousness is not only for the Earth but also for our bodies. It’s a chain of life.

For more information, visit here -> Mercury Contamination Found in All Fish Tested Throughout 291 U.S. Freshwater Streams.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

via Official An Inconvenient Truth

Has anyone seen the documentary film that is based on the campaign of Al Gore, Former Vice President, to make the issue of global warming a recognized problem? I have. One of my friends told me that I REALLY should go and watch it because it’s a good film. I had no idea what this film was about and he didn’t tell me. But I went to see it anyway, bringing some of my friends.

WOW, I was so impressed by how well the film was made, how much the Earth has been threatened by our actions, and by Al Gore himself, who’s been deeply involved in this issue and has been trying to make us become more aware of it.

I strongly recommend watching this film, An Inconvenient Truth.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

via treepeople.com

How many people know about the LA-based non-profit organization called Tree People? I’ve been living in Los Angeles for a decade but unfortunately never heard of it until a few years ago when I started noticing that Christina, the CEO of YogaHub, was receiving mail from them. Although I was curious about who they were, I never bothered to check or follow up.

Then when I lost my grandmother early this year, I received my first mail from them. Christina had kindly donated a tree in my grandmother’s name to this organization and the letter was notification that they had planted a tree for her. What a gracious and wonderful way to honor my grandmother.

I’ve heard that you can even check where the tree is, so once my parents come here for a visit, I’m hoping to take them to see my grandmother’s tree somewhere in LA.

For more about this organization, please visit here --> Tree People.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

The elementary and junior high schools I attended provided lunch for their students. We used reusable metal plates, cups and utensils. At high school, we had to bring our own lunch or buy snacks such as sandwiches. I usually brought my own lunchbox for a very simple reason – so that I could eat what I wanted!! Haha.

When I was at kindergarten, my mother cooked for me every day and put the food in a cute small lunchbox. Lunch time was always our favorite time, especially because we knew that it was made by our mother, who put all her love into that small box.

Why don’t you try using the Eco-Friendly lunchbox for your kids?

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

In Japan, we use wooden chopsticks - Hashi - at all restaurants, except Italian ones. But - yes, of course, we also use spoons and forks!

When I went back to Japan last year, it was during a “My Hashi” boom. Some of my family and relatives gave me my own “My Hashi” wrapped up with a luncheon mat. According to my bother, whenever you brought your “My Hashi” to any restaurants, you’d get a discount. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to try it while I was there. But what a great idea - not only were we saving wooden chopsticks, we were also saving napkins by using the luncheon mat. The way it worked was that, after each meal, you would place the tips of the chopsticks that you used in a small pocket located on the corner of the luncheon mat, wrap the rest of the chopsticks with it, and put it back in the bag so that the used chopsticks wouldn’t fall into your bag and mess everything up!

I thought it was a simple but brilliant idea!!

Here is more information about Japan’s “My Hashi” Boom.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara

I see a lot of yogis who carry Giam Yoga Mats on the street. Giam is a well-known company specializing in yoga products at reasonable prices. But these products also tend to go into a dumpster quickly.

I much prefer buying Manduka products because they last longer, even though they’re more expensive. I’ve had my Manduka eKo mat for a year now. It’s still in good shape and provides me with all the stability I need.

Check out some tips of what is eco-friendly yoga mat.

Contributor: Madoka Kasahara