Support Indigenous Ainu of Japan and Maori of New Zealand in cultural exchange

Exchange Program participants with Matarahi Skipper at his Maori Workshop in Ainumosir Hokkaido

In less than two months time, seven Ainu youth from all over Japan, will become the first of hopefully many groups of Ainu, to participate in an intensive 5-week-long exchange with the Maori of Aotearoa New Zealand through the Aotearoa-Ainumsor Exchange Program (AAEP). Their mission- to learn experientially from the initiatives of Maori people to maintain their cultural traditions while shaping modern society. Proposed by Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell, these future Ainu leaders will engage in fieldwork program in several fields:

• Maori language education
• Maori media
• Maori tourism industry
• Maori policy
• Maori policy-making

They will also join in on important Maori events and celebrations including the annual Ratana Celebration, Waitangi Day, and the Maori Cultural Festival. The program participants were selected after a rigorous application process which included essay writing and interviews, and a solid commitment to a sharing what they learn in their communities upon return to Japan.

The Ainu and Maori, while separated by miles of ocean, share many similarities in their history, culture, and efforts to revitalize their rights, culture, and position in (now) mainstream societies. However, despite years of struggle and determination, the Ainu have only just gained recognition as an indigenous people by the Japan government; up until 2008, they were referred to as "former aboriginals." According to AAEP,

Due to anxiety about deeply rooted discrimination which pervades society, or the inability for people to discover meaning in being Ainu, there are still many people who have yet to assert their Ainu identity. According to a Hokkaido Prefecture survey there are about 24,000 Ainu people, however in reality there are several times more Ainu people than that figure leads us to believe. Out of the 5,000 to 10,000 Ainu people living in the Tokyo metropolitan area alone, only around 100 of them are active as Ainu.

The Maori have been successful in regaining their rights as indigenous people since 1970s. They have long maintained a strong presence in politics, run Maori language radio and TV programs/stations, have pioneered a groundbreaking approach for language education called Kōhanga Reo (language nests), and have their own universities. The Maori tourist industry is flourishing and as the years pass, education about Maori history and culture is being incorporated into mainstream education, creating a more cohesive New Zealand society. AAEP hopes to build a generation of Ainu leaders that are proud of their identity as Ainu who will work to create a Japan that is more accepting of diversity.

Maya Sekine (pictured below) is the youngest participant in the group:

Irankarapte. Ku-rehe anakune Sekine Maya ne (My name is Maya Sekine).  What I would like to learn in Aotearoa is the similarities and differences between Ainu people and people in Aotearoa. I would also like to learn about Maori language and cultures. When I come back here, I would like to do my best to utilize what I learned in Aotearoa. Suy unukar an ro (See you later.)

Hirofumi Kibata (pictured above far left) hopes this experience will open him to a new world "not only for himself, not only for Ainu and Maori, but so that everyone can see the world from a new perspective." You can read more messages from the participants at the Aotearoa-Ainumosir Exchange Program (AAEP) blog.

Once the participants reach Aotearoa, several organizations, including the Advancement of Maori Opportunity, will cover transportation, most meals, and accommodation.  Over the past 9 months, AAEP has raised enough money to cover most of the airplane tickets, but funds are still needed for several more tickets for interpreters and the AAEP chair, insurance, daily expenses, reports and information exchange sessions in Japan, and maintenance of the program for future exchanges.

Maya Sekine, from Nibutani, is a heritage learner of the Ainu language.  

In order to raise these funds, AAEP has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign. Already, in two days, they have received 35% of their goal of $10,000. With your help, they can reach their goal or even surpass it. A successful Indiegogo campaign encourages a crowd of people to support it, not only with monetary donations, but by spreading the word through social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, and Google+. The more people talking and donating to the campaign, even in small amounts, the more momentum the campaign gains, which brings even more people to the project.

Become a part of the movement to bring resurgence to the Ainu culture and Ainu society in Japan! In exchange for contributions, you can receive an Ainu jaw harp, an original program T-shirt or unique woodblock print designed by Ainu artist Koji Yuuki, head of the Ainu Art Project.

                         

Watch the video below to find out more, or click here to watch it directly on the campaign site!

"No Nukes Live 2012" brings playfulness, seriousness to Tokyo stage

                                                     Event headliner, the Inoue Ohana band

Musicians have long been known for offering some of the most cutting-edge and creative social critique around the globe, and Japan is no exception—particularly with regard to post-3.11 nuclear issues.  

This past Sunday, November 25^th, a No Nukes live event was held at Shin Sekai ("New World"), a small basement club in Tokyo’s Nishi-Azabu district, taking up the tradition of other local event series that have combined music with commentary on nuclear issues, including No Nukes More Hearts and Atomic Café.

The event was organized and headlined by the fantastically upbeat Inoue Ohana band, which features both Hawaiian and reggae tunes. The night’s lineup also featured many additional artists, including slack key guitarist Kamoku Takahashi, folk singer Yara Tomonobu, hula dancer Miho Ogura, and the legendary Rankin’ Taxi, whose video “You Can’t See It and You Can’t Smell It”(referring of course to radiation) went viral in the weeks following the Fukushima nuclear disaster.

The evening was billed as a “party”, and—capturing the spirit of the evening— the ever rabble-rousing Rankin’ Taxi followed up his performance of a song regarding the dangers of the precariously placed fuel rods at Fukushima Daiichi plant’s reactor #4 (whose video I had technical problems uploading—will try again shortly!) by commenting—in his trademark quirky and yet serious style— “Well, we shouldn’t really be having fun at a time like this, but hey, let’s have ourselves some fun!”

Each of the evening’s artists took time to reference the dangers of the nuclear power industry. Guest speaker Umi Hagitani, a social activist for numerous causes including nuclear issues, gave an illuminating overview of the workings of the nuclear industries and anti-nuclear activism in both Japan and the USA, where she has spent most of the past decade.

To summarize the highlights of Umi’s talk, she emphasized that we must consider nuclear issues as a whole, taking into account its various aspects, including uranium mining and testing, and the effects on (often indigenous) communities; as well as the interconnections between nuclear power, weapons, and testing, which are often overlooked in both countries. She pointed out that the mainstream media in the U.S. suppressed the voices speaking out against Three-Mile Accident in 1979, and that the government began almost immediately thereafter to promote the construction of nuclear power plants in other regions of the country—resulting in continuing environmental and health damage, along with citizen unawareness regarding what was actually taking place. She pointed in particular to the nuclear facility in Hanford, WA—profiled in filmmaker Hitomi Kamanaka’s “Hibakusha”—where radiation dating back to the early 1940’s has penetrated all the way down into the water table, causing numerous cancers (that were denied by the government as having any connection with the plant).

Umi pointed out the borderless nature of damage from the Fukushima nuclear accident, explaining that cesium is now showing up in Pacific herring in Alaska, which indicates that internal radiation exposure is something not limited to Fukushima or to Japan alone. She also asserted that lying governments and complicit media are a shared feature of both the United States and Japan, explaining that since 3-.11, anti-nuclear activists from the two countries have been working together to expose the way that the nuclear industry has been working to pollute the land where we live, while companies meanwhile continue profiting from decontamination efforts, and governments attempt to quash any citizen movements that speak out against negative effects such as rising illnesses and human experimentation.

“I recently watched ‘Women of Fukushima’, where one of the speakers said that if people in Tokyo did not begin speaking out about low-dose radiation exposure suffered by Fukushima citizens, their situation would never change,” Umi explained. “Given our privilege living in urban areas with access to all sorts of technologies, we need to raise our voices against these unjust systems by continuing to advocate for Fukushima citizens’ right to relocation, to support Fukushima citizen radiation efforts, and to educate ourselves regarding nuclear-related matters,” she said.

An interview with Umi in English may be downloaded from the website of the Nuclear Hotseat, and more information about her work is available at No Nukes Asia Actions.

--Kimberly Hughes

Mangetsu Matsuri (Full Moon Festival) for Earth, Life, & Peace: Nago, Okinawa, Nov. 24, 2012

Full Moon Festival 2009, Henoko, Okinawa

Greetings from Okinawa!

Yes, it is the time of the year again for Mangetsu Matsuri (Full Moon Festival) in Okinawa.

A grassroots music festival to celebrate, Earth, Life and Peace, the Mangetsu Matsuri now enters its 14th year. This year's Mangetsu Matsuri will be held on November 24 Saturday at Oura Wansaka Park, Nago, Okinawa.

Just like in the previous years, the Mangetsu Matsuri Organizing Committee is inviting you to send your message (please keep it less than 100 words) to the festival. Email address:yhidekiy@gmail.com

Your message will be translated into Japanese and both the original message and the translation will be posted on a bulletin board at the festival.

Please join us to make this year's Mangetsu Matsuri most exciting and memorable ever by sending your message!


Hideki Yoshikawa
Save the Dugong Campaign Center
Citizens' Network for Biodiversity in Okinawa

Stances of Japanese political parties on nuclear power

The following newspaper clipping taken from the Chunichi Shinbun that also appeared in the Tokyo Shinbun on November 16, 2012 extrapolates party policies based on party manifestos and the stances/statements of their leaders. However, be forewarned- it should not be taken for granted that these are the actual policies of the parties.

For instance, the clipping makes it seem as though the Minshuto is promoting denuclearization, while they have not made any statement in their manifesto to that effect. Governmental decisions by the current Minshuto-led administration have also led to the resumption of construction of the Ohma and Higashidori nuclear power plants in Aomori Prefecture and reactor 3 of the Shimane plant in Matsue City, Shimane Prefecture. 

"Nuclear power policies of each of the Japanese political parties (derived from campaign pledges and stances of party leaders)- translation of heading"

*Translation of chart- commentary and related links in italics. See here for more analysis in Japanese.
 

Minshuto (Democratic Party of Japan/DPJ)-promptly realize the elimination of nuclear power; encourage the introduction of renewable energies to take place of nuclear power ("On Sept. 14, the Noda administration pledged to abandon nuclear power by the 2030s and to build no new reactors in that time, but industry minister Yukio Edano said Sept. 15 the government would authorize the completion of the three reactors currently being built"- see Asahi Shinbun")

Jiminto (Liberal Democratic Party of Japan/LDP)- with safety as a number one guiding principal, decide which plants should be restarted; conclusions to be made about all reactors within 3 years; within ten years conceptualize a new framework for the stable supply of energy.

Kokumin no seikatsu ga daiichi (People's Lives First) - make a dramatic shift of energy policy and permanently halt the use of all nuclear reactors over the next decade (This stance is supported and made clear in their party policies- Toward "Zero Nuclear Power Generation" to Protect People's Life!)

Komeito (New Komeito)- reject all new construction (of nuclear power plants); decommission two-thirds of existing plants by 2030 and decommission all plants in 40 years.

Kyosanto (Communist Party of Japan)- promptly realize a zero-nuclear power Japan; call for a repeal of all restart policies; stop the export of nuclear power (see nuclear export article- Washington Post)

Minna no To (Your Party)- separate power production and supply and liberalize retail energy markets; promote the introduction of renewable energies; allow the elimination of costly and unsafe nuclear power from the markets by natural selection (Although seemingly anti-nuclear, this party once considered making an alliance with the Japan Restoration Party which is pro-nuclear, and is now seeking to find "synergies" with it )

Shamintou (Social Democratic Party/SDP)- realize a nuclear-free Japan by 2020, 100% natural energy by 2050 (natural energy definition, the SDP was pro-denuclearization prior to the nuclear accidents in Fukushima: see article here in Japanese)

Nihon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party)-abolish all current plants by 2030; continue the export of nuclear power (Japan Restoration Party, headed by Osaka mayor Hashimoto, and former Tokyo Govenor Ishihara's party- the Sunrise Party to merge)

Kokumin Shin To (The People's New Party)- make denuclearization a future aim, and promote the research of new forms of energy that are appropriate for a nation founded on education and science/technology

Shin to Daichi - Shinminshu (New Party Daichi/Earth- New Democrats)- "Return to the earth, learn from the earth. We are against nuclear power" -statement by party leader Suzuki Muneo (Suzuki Muneo is well-known for his 2001 statement that Japan is “one state, one language, one nation,” although later his party pledged to protect the indigenous rights of the Ainu people: see footnote 16 in Mark Winchester's for more details and more sources "On the Dawn of a New Ainu Policy")

Taiyo no To (Sunshine Party)- "It is reckless to decide whether it (nuclear energy) is right or wrong without discussing how much energy we need""It would be foolish to give up on all of the technological systems we have developed." Party leader Ishihara Shintaro (This party was formed when former Tokyo mayor Ishihara broke with LDP. This party has been dissolved, and the five lawmakers in this party have merged with the ten in the Japan Restoration Party.)

Genzei Nippon (Tax Cut Japan)- promote technological development for renewable energies by getting rid of nuclear power; take advantage of a nuclear-free Japan for sitting industries

Midori no To (Greens Japan)- "It is an embarrassment internationally and historically that Japan has restarted nuclear reactors even though the accident (reactors at Fukushima) is ongoing. We should eliminate nuclear power, which has undermined the livelihoods of Japanese citizens" (Greens Japan has made denuclearization a core part of their campaign and includes statements declaring its anti-nuclear policy on its campaign signs. See photo below)

Shinto Kaikaku (New Renaissance Party)-  "At a bare-minimum, we must further strengthen safety regulations of nuclear power plants while at the same time stop being wasteful in our use of energy" - Party Leader Masuzoe Yoichi

Shinto Nippon (New Party Japan)- party leader Tanaka Yasuo participates in anti-nuclear demos in front of prime minister's residence in Tokyo (This party only has one member- Tanaka Yasuo)

Sign reads: Towards the elimination of nuclear power: LDP = X (does not support elimination), DPJ = △　(unclear of position), Greens Japan = ◎ (no more nuclear power). It is possible to eliminate nuclear power!- Greens Japan

- Posted and translated by Jen Teeter.

Great Chain of Nonviolence: Writers Oe, Murakami, Lianke, & Civic Leaders from Japan, Okinawa, South Korea, Taiwan, & China call for end to nationalistic aggression

(Nobel laureate & Article 9 defender Kenzaburo Oe voices support for 
Japanese civic group's call to "Stop the vicious cycle of territorial dispute!”. 
Photograph: The Hankyoreh)

Responding to the political and media circus over unresolved (since the Pacific War)  territorial disputes between Japan, China and South Korea, Japanese writers, journalists, scholars, and civil society leaders held a press conference on Sept. 28, 2012 in Tokyo to publicize their call on Japan to "recognize, reflect on, and sincerely articulate its historical issues" in East Asia.  The group, supported by Nobel laureate Kenzaburo Oe, jointly signed a civic statement: "Stop the vicious cycle of territorial dispute!”.

Jeong Nam-ku, Tokyo correspondent of The Hankyoreh detailed the event:

They included Atsushi Okamoto, former editor-in-chief of the leading Japanese progressive journal Sekai (The World); attorney Masatoshi Uchida, a longtime figure in lawsuits claiming compensation for issues in South Korean-Japanese history; former Asahi Shimbun Seoul bureau chief Koh Odagawa; and Ken Takada, an activist with the Citizens' Association Against Revision of the Constitution. Around 800 citizens signed the appeal, including children's writer Kayoko Ikeda, military critics Tetsuo Maeda, former Nagasaki mayor Hitoshi Motoshima, and Oe.

The statement urged the Japanese public "not to forget that the backdrop for the current territorial frictions is modern Japan's history of invading Asian countries."

The participants gave a number of suggestions for reducing friction, including enacting norms of behavior to deter such conflicts in East Asia, setting up forums for dialogue and discussions toward joint development of local resources, and establishing a framework for private dialogue linking South Korea, China, Japan, Taiwan, and Okinawa.

On the same day, Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami published a column in the Asahi Shimbun expressing concern that the violent nationalism stirred by the territorial conflict was destroying East Asian cultural bridges: "We cannot block the path for souls to cross national borders."

In response to Oe's & Murakami's public statements, Chinese novelist Yan Lianke penned a call for reason and peace, published at The New York Times on Oct. 5:

Again and again, I pray in these dark nights: Please, no more guns and drums. All wars are disastrous. The bloodstains of the Sino-Japanese war during World War II remain vivid even today in our collective memory.

The day after, on Oct. 6, the East Asia Citizens Forum, comprised of representatives from South Korea, China, Taiwan, Okinawa, and Japan, held a forum in Taiwan and issued a statement, “Facing history, resolving disputes, working towards peace in East Asia”  in conjunction with a petition calling for peaceful relations, starting at the grassroots level, between citizens of East Asian countries, despite recurrent belligerent nationalism at the government level.   Park Min-hee, correspondent for the South Korean progressive newspaper, The Hankyoreh, reported:

The campaign is being led by Professor Chen Guang Sheng of Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Taiwan at the helm, Prof. Lee Dae-hoon of Sungkonghoe University (NGO studies, member of Democratic Professor Association International Solidarity Committee), Atsushi Okamoto, former editor in chief of Sekai magazine of Japan, Nohira Shinsaku, representative of Peace Boat, Prof. Wakabayashi Jiyo of Japan’s Okinawa University, Prof. Wang Xiaoming of Shanghai University, and Prof. Han Jialing of Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.In an email interview with the Hankyoreh on Oct. 24, Prof. Chen said, “I hope the solidarity and signature campaign in East Asia can ease tensions in the region and act as a chance to inform the people that the government is not the only group that has power to make decisions concerning this issue. There are other opinions in civilian society.” He went on to say, “I hope this campaign will pave the way for other experiences and sentiments within East Asia to be exchanged and understood, and lay the groundwork for future common understanding.”
...Prof. Lee Dae-hoon [of of Sungkonghoe University in South Korea], who participated in the forum said, “The campaign is focused on the goal of uniting East Asian civil society and preventing territorial disputes from escalating while resolving the situation in a non-militaristic and peaceful way. We must not allow territorial disputes to be used to satisfy imperialistic power or agression.” He added, “The campaign was started with intellectuals at the center, but we will gather citizens’ signatures in the next few months. Based on citizens’ opinions, we will lead activities to seek and propose solutions on these territorial conflicts.

Japanese writers & civil society leaders again call for a

calm, diplomatic response to territorial disputes 

at Oct. 18, 2012  rally in Tokyo. Photo: Asahi Shimbun)

The Japanese civic group followed their Sept. 28 press conference with  a demonstration rally in front of the No. 2 Lower House members' office building in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Oct. 18, covered by Hatsumoto Hosokawa for Asahi:

Pointing out that "territorial issues rock nationalism in any country" and that "action on one side leads to action from the other," the group's Internet statement urged people to "reflect upon history" and called for resolution "through peaceful dialogue."

This snowballing of dialogue between citizen groups and the public is a form of collective grassroots empowerment that peace studies scholar Johan Galtung calls the "great chain of nonviolence".

Okinawan Democracy

Okinawan opposition to US MV-22 Osprey aircraft testing and flight training.

(Photo: Naofumi Nakato)

Neconote Flea Market for Tohoku Vol. 1 ねこのてフリーマーケット for 東北 Vol.1 @Kyoto 京都 Oct. 21

Neconote Team at Charity Event in Shiga December 2011

We are still a long way from recovery in Tohoku. At Neconote we believe that every contribution counts! Building upon previous and ongoing Kansai-based efforts to support revitilization in the disaster areas, we hope to continue with that momentum with the bi-annual Neconote Flea Market for Disaster Recovery. All funds will be contributed to local organizations in Tohoku (More details below). Hope to see you on the 21st!

震災直後に比べれば、ずいぶん復興に近づいてはいますが、まだまだ深刻な状況です。特に、漁業関係を始めとした仕事の復旧が困難を極めています。何故かと言うと、国へ申請したものの、許可が下りていない為です。

そこで、阿部水産さんや亀七さんの様に、何か商品を売って復興に繋げようとしている方々がたくさんいます。少しでも力になれればと思って通販の可能な商品を揃えてフリーマーケットを催します。ご協力頂ければ助かります。

10月２１日(日）10時から16時
Sunday, October 21 10am-4pm

場所は三条京阪の近くの東山いきいき市民活動センター
Higashiyama Ikiki Shinimkatsudo Center
〒605-0018
京都市東山区花見小路通古門前上る巽町４５０番地
Location: 3-5 minute walk from Sanjo Keihan Station. Map at link below:
http://hitomachi-kyoto.genki365.net/gnkk14/mypage/index.php?gid=G0000799

Items for sale!　フリーマーケットで販売する商品は！！！

1. 古着や本
We will have used books and very good quality used clothes for sale.

2.「コミュニティカフェ・かめ七」さんが作っているタオルもあります。石巻・中央商店街の「かめ七呉服店」さんから、「コミかめ」ニュースや石巻イベント情報など発信していきます.
Kame comi towels (info below) for purchase. They support the work of a cafe in Ishinomaki in spreading news and information throughout the city and region through community events and a community newspaper.

かわいいでしょう？

http://ishinomaki2.com/comikame/　（日本語 Japanese)
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100003720554240　（日本語 Japanese)
http://neco-no-te.blogspot.jp/2012/08/enishi-cd-donations-1-purchased-towels.html
http://ishinomaki2.com/comikame/　（日本語と英語 Japanese and English)


3. 阿部水産の海苔
Seaweed products from an Ishinomaki producer whose factory was destroyed

4. 気仙沼タコアトリエ生まれの「小原木タコちゃん」。
Takochan made by a group in Kessenuma
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/koharagi_takochan/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/小原木タコちゃん/312809398765515

5. フクシマと日本のエネルギーの将来に関する私たちの本「Fresh Currents (新たな潮流)」の本
Kyoto Journal/Heian-Kyo Media publication, "Fresh Currents," on Fukushima and renewable energy alternatives.
http://www.freshcurrents.org/
https://www.facebook.com/FreshCurrents
http://www.kyotojournal.org/

売り上げはそれぞれのお店に全額寄付します。
※主に宮城県石巻市の復興に使わせていただきます。

All proceeds will go to the three local Tohoku organizations noted above. We focus on supporting local organizations in the disaster area and making sure that we never forget what has happened and is still taking place in Tohoku.

Performance/Talks

So far we have
1. Folk, traditional and popular song artist Felicity Greenland
http://lookingathouses.blogspot.jp/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Singing-Around-the-Table-歌声喫茶/202790364542?fref=ts

2. Eric Johnston (Japan Times) to talk about Fresh Currents and shifting from a nuclear past to a renewable future
3. 3 unlikely characters- Honami, Jen and Tokuda- one guitar, two vocalists：）
4. LOOKING FOR MORE! Contact us if you are interested in lending your artistic talents to support Tohoku!

If you'd like to collaborate in some way, do contact us! We are all about linking up!

contact: ねこのて neconotekansai@gmail.com
Jennifer Teeter- 英語・日本語　English/Japanese
Tokuda Hiroyuki- 日本語 Japanese
http://neco-no-te.blogspot.jp/ (英語・日本語 English/Japanese)

Download this flyer here

グリーンハート・プロジェクト 寄付キャンペーン Greenheart Indiegogo Crowd funding Campaign （until Nov. 1st / 11月1日まで）

(English Below）
もし、環境に一切負荷を与えず、しかも、これまで好条件の市場や漁場へのアクセスが不可能だった数多くの 人々が活用できる、海上輸送手段があったとしたら？

そして、燃料を消費するのではなく、電力を創りだす船があったとしたら？

私達はそんな船を形にしようとしている、東京生まれの、国際的NPO団体です。

プロジェクトの主旨

環境汚染物質を排出せず、燃料を消費せず、港湾施設の整っていない発展途上国の海岸線へのアクセスを可能 にし、しかも長期航海に耐えうる船があったなら―

そのようなアイデアから始まったこのプロジェクトは、これまで数年の時間をかけてリサーチを行い、専門家の 意見をもとに計画を進めてきました。そしてこのような船は、大型船舶によって世界市場を動かす大企業で はなく、周りを海に囲まれた環境にありながら、安価で便利な輸送手段をもたない貧しい地域に暮らす何億もの 人々にとって、切実に必要とされていることを実感してきました。健全な市場 に出て適切な価格で取引を行うことができる―それだけで、彼らの暮らしは大きく変わるのです。


グリーンハート号の特徴

＊燃料を使用しない―これが意味するのは、燃料費がかからない、CO²やその他の有毒物質を排出しない、といっ たことだけでなく、燃料補給のための停泊も必要としません。地域ごとの適切な人件費、費用はそれだけなのです。 ＊メンテナンスが容易―燃料エンジンに依存していないため、メンテナンスの回数もより少なく、費用も抑えられます


＊活動範囲の多様化―分刻みに消費される燃料の心配がないため、より柔軟な活動を可能にします。

・なぜ小型なのか？

現在の太陽光発電パネルは環境にやさしく、高効率ですが、出力に限りがあります。船の主な動 力は風ですから、このサイズの船に必要な補助電力と、生活に必 要な電力（電灯や冷蔵庫、海水の濾過）が発電できる大きさでいいのです。


・活動地域のインフラ整備を最小限に抑えることも重要

＊船体を浅く設計することで、浅瀬や川岸への停泊を可能に
＊船尾をロールオン・ロールオフ式にして、さまざまな種類の船荷を運んだりエコツーリズムの要素 を加えたりできる
＊クレーン式マストの採用により、港湾設備が全くない場所、低い橋の下でも活動が可能に
＊どのような積荷にも対応可能なため、麻袋からコンテナまで積むことができる

また私たちは、船の耐性や修理面、操作のしやすさなども踏まえて設計に取り組んでいます。どれほど偉大な 志や決意があっても、自分達で操作できなければ意味が無いからです。


プロジェクトへの支援

目標とする資金は＄120,000 (寄付サイト）

＊サイトは英語ですので、このＰＤＦで日本でどうやって寄付できるか、書いています！

私たちは皆さんからの支援によって、船の建設費用を集めています。この支援は ただ募金するだけでなく、その金額によって特典がつきます。特典には、 船に名前を記載したり、実際に特定距離を一緒に航海したり、もちろん クルーとして航海に参加するというものも含まれています。すでに名 乗りを上げてくれている企業からの支援金に皆さんからのサポートが加わることにより、誰にでも操作で きる最新技術を搭載した、丈夫な船を完成させることができるのです。


まず、最初の一隻を製造するところから始まります。

初めの一隻は　小さい一歩　に思えるかもしれませんが、それは何千もの人々の暮らしに、影響を及ぼ すかもしれません。その一隻はやがて何十、何百、何千隻もの船の、世界で最初の一隻になるのです。

処女航海は様々な環境や条件に対するテスト航行となり、実用的で 多様な活動をしながら世界をめぐる、６万マイルの距離を予定しています。

寄付サイト　http://www.indiegogo.com/greenheart
ホームページ　http://www.greenheartproject.org

We all know that we need to live more sustainably. However, when be purhcase products from the stores, or even try to build an eco-house, we are forced to depend on transportation services that pollute. When we buy fair trade products, the producers still do not have full control over how their products get delivered. For these, and many other reasons, Greenheart is making small-scale solar- and wind-powered ships to shake up the shipping industry.

Greenheart is making completely fuel-free, sail- and solar-poweredsmall ship specially designed to provide marginalized coastal communities around the world with an affordable means of sustainable marinetransport.

The driving features of the designs are:

1. Cheap to build, maintain, & operate
2. Easy, basic, and tested technologies Zero-emissions, low stress on theenvironment
3. A sailing mast that doubles as a cargo crane
4. Shallow and tough enough to service beachesand unimproved ports

Who Benefits?

• World shipping is making efforts to movetowards cleaner vessels. Present technology limits truly clean (zero-emission) ships toabout Greenheart’s size. We are helping to push those limits upwards.
• Small-scale, no range limits nor fuel costsmake this an appropriate development tool –giving struggling coastal communitiesaround the world profitable access to globalmarkets. A leapfrog technology for marginalized economies.
• People everywhere are inspired by simple clean and elegant solutions that promise abetter future. Greenheart’s maiden voyages will accentuate positive publicity and innovative thinking.

For more information, visit Greenheart's campaign site which will be running until November 1st and help them reach their ambitious goal of $120,000!

In exchange for donatiosn, Greenheart will send you a $10 or $20 voucher to buy any goods at the retailers listed below. There are no restrictions on what you buy with the vouchers, all they ask is you try to shop as locally as possible.

• $25 Perk - On top of other gifts you get a $10 Shopping voucher
• $50 & $75 Perk - Add a $20 Shopping voucher

 The vouchers will be sent out at the end of the campaign in November, in time for the holidays.

North America

Global Exchange [2 stores in San Francisco, Wash. D.C., Virginia] http:www.globalexchange.org

Haiti Projects [Boston + Online Shop] http://haitiprojects.org

Traditions Café and World Folk Art [Olympia, Washington] http://www.traditionsfairtrade.com

Europe

Rapanui Clothing (UK) [Isle of Wight Shop + Online Shop] http://www.rapanuiclothing.com

Tres Hombres [Netherlands – Rum and Madeira ] http://www.svtreshombres.com

You can also receive an all natural bamboo speaker for your iphone, or ship your own items on the world's first fuel-free cargo ship, or get on the boat yourself!

Check out the campaign site at: http://www.indiegogo.com/greenheart
Homepage http://www.greenheartproject.org

Message from Okinawa to the World: "Life is Precious"

Nuchi du Takara ("Life is precious") banner 

Takae, an eco-village in the rainforest of Yanbaru, northern Okinawa

Photo: Ken Miyagi 

Support Brazillian Music and Dance in Japan Oct 6- Capoeira Zoador Academy

Capoeira Kids at Asakusa Samba Carnival 2012

Capoeira Zoador, a long supporter of Brazilian music and dance in Japan, is holding a fundraiser to keep their operations going. Their children's academy will have a bake sale, which will be followed by a cartwheel-a-thon, and a live samba and bossa nova mixer.

Drop by the studio and show your support!

Saturday October 6th 2012 

Capoeira Zoador Academy Kids Bake Sale!
Who: Capoeira Zoador Kids
When: 10:00-15:00
Where: In front of Capoeira Zoador Academy Magome
What: Yummy Goodies donated by Capoeira Zoador Kids Moms and Dads
Cartwheel-A-Thon
Who: Anybody Welcome When: 13:00-Finished
Where: Capoeira Zoador Academy Magome
Live Samba and Bossa Nova Mixer
Who: Special Guest from Rio de Janeiro “Robson Amaral”
When: 17:00-21:00
Where: Capoeira Zoador Academy Magome
What: Kids Yummy Bake Sale Goodies, Imported Beer and drinks
Live Music, Special Performances!
No Door Charge! 

For donations or more information, visit http://capoeira.jp/free/fundraiser/