Amazing Buddha Sculpture Made from Dead Bugs

Inhabitat has quite an eye for fascinating and beautiful green design, and this find has a bit of the bizarre in it as well: a Buddha statue that appears to be made from jewels, but is actually comprised of 20,000 dead bugs.

The statue, located in a community hall in the Gumma prefecture of Japan, took over 6 years to create. Check out this video:

From Inhabitat:

Inamura Yoneiji, a 89-year-old local of the area, created the statue in tribute to the souls of the insects, most of which are beetles. Talking about the statue, Yoneiji says “For children in the years immediately after World War II, Japan was poor and there was little entertainment available, aside from catching bugs. However, every bug would eventually die after being caught. By making a statue of a Buddha from their dead bodies, perhaps their souls can rest in peace.” And how much more peaceful could a statue of Buddha get, with the bodies of bugs extended into a new life to pay homage to Buddha.

It really is surprisingly beautiful, with so many bugs in various sizes and colors shimmering in the light, held together with small pins. Pretty amazing stuff.

Link [Inhabitat]

Bono Helps Tokyo Turn Landfill into a Forest

Tokyo is in the process of turning a former garbage-covered artificial island into a vast new “Sea Forest”, an 88,000-square-meter park connected to the city center by a road tunnel. Architect Tadao Ando devised the project as a way to aid in Tokyo’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics. The transformation has been underway since 2007 and is expected to be ongoing until 2016.

Rock-star-slash-activist Bono is among those who have planted trees at the site, along with Nobel laureates and a Japanese astronaut.

From AFP, via Google:

The mega city of Tokyo, the world’s largest with 36 million people, long ago ran out of space for the mountains of rubbish it was producing and had used millions of tonnes since the 1970s as landfill to create the artificial island.

Looking down at the 88-hectare (217-acre) wasteland of garbage and dirt, fenced in and criss-crossed by bulldozer tracks, Ando instead imagined an oasis of natural beauty on the edge of the Japanese capital.

“I wanted to convert the landfill space into a forest,” the renowned architect told AFP. “Japan in the past was covered in forests. But because we have burnt so much, these forests have started to diminish.”

Ando said he wants to send a strong environmental message with the “Umi-no-Mori,” or “Sea Forest”, landfill project — for a return to nature and to boost efforts to counter global warming.

See, Bono’s not so full of crap after all. Yeah yeah yeah!

Link [Google AFP]

Japanese Group Uses ‘Toilet Poems’ to Save Paper

“Love the toilet”. Would seeing that message above the roll of toilet paper in a public bathroom make you use less paper? Kooky as it is, a Japanese group campaigning to save toilet paper as part of the country’s fight against global warming believes that ‘toilet poems’ can inspire conservation.

According to a study done by research center Japanese Toilet Labo, they might be right. The study showed that putting a ‘toilet poem’ at the eye level of the person seated in the restroom stall cut toilet paper use by up to 20%. The poems say things like “That paper will only meet you for a minute” and “Fold the paper over and over and over again”.

From Reuters:

“We asked ourselves what we could do for the environment in the toilet?” said Ryusuke Nagahara of the Japan Toilet Labo. “The answer is to save toilet paper and save water.”

Toilet paper use in Japan has been increasing in recent years, according to an industry body, possibly because of a rise in the number of public toilets, where people tend to use more paper.

“It’s because it’s free,” said an official at the Kikaisuki Washi Rengokai. “At home, people are more inclined to scrimp.”

I suppose what makes this work 20% of the time is simply the reminder not to mindlessly tear off way more sheets than you really need. Some people really do use unbelievably excessive amounts of toilet paper – I know this because I used to work in a small office with just a handful of women and as a group we went through astonishing amounts of toilet paper. It really is wasteful.

Japan Toilet Labo hopes to get their poems up in 1,000 public bathrooms across the country. Hey, if it works even a fraction of the time, why not? Everyone else will at least get a giggle.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: AllFunnyPictures.com

Japan Will Monitor Greenhouse Gases from Space

Japan will begin monitoring greenhouse gases around the world via satellite starting later this month. Officials hope that the data collected will help combat climate change, particularly as the satellite gathers info for developing countries that are not currently tracking their own emissions.

From Yahoo News:

The Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT), to be launched on January 21, will enable scientists to calculate the density of carbon dioxide and methane from 56,000 locations on the Earth’s surface, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.

The coverage compares with just 282 land-based observation sites as of last October, said Takashi Hamazaki, manager of the 35 billion yen ($372.9 million) JAXA project.

Equipped with two sensors, GOSAT will track infrared rays from the Earth, which will help calculate the densities of the two greenhouse gases, because they absorb the rays at certain wavelengths.

The satellite will also pick up any sign of clouds, enabling it to process data only when the sky is clear.

GOSAT, set to be in orbit for five years, will collect data once a month, with preliminary data from the satellite expected to be ready for researchers in April or May.

This new greenhouse gas tracking program is part of an attempt by Japan to meet its 2008-2012 target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions and becoming more vocal in global talks about climate change. Japanese officials hope GOSAT’s data will will be reflected in a report by a UN panel of scientists due out in 2014.

It’s important to get an idea of the amounts of CO2 and other greenhouse gases being emitted by poor countries that aren’t currently paying much attention to such things, so this satellite project could be very big for the fight against global warming. It’s always encouraging to see more nations around the world dedicating themselves to taking this task seriously.

Link [Yahoo News]
Photo credit: NASA

Japan Harnesses Energy from Commuters’ Footsteps

Two of Tokyo’s biggest train stations have begun experimenting with harnessing the energy generated by the footsteps of millions of commuters who pass through each and every day. Special floor tiles installed in front of the ticket turnstiles trigger a small vibration that can be stored as energy every time a passenger steps on them.

From The Telegraph:

Multiplied many times over by the 400,000 people who use Tokyo Station on an average day, according to East Japan Railway, and there is sufficient energy to light up electronic signboards.

“We are just testing the system at the moment to examine its full potential,” said Takuya Ikeba, a spokesman for JR East, adding that the tiles are constructed of layers of rubber sheeting, to absorb the vibrations, and ceramic.

Deeply dependent on imported fuel to power its industries, Japanese companies are at the forefront of research into clean and reuseable energy sources.

The “Power Generation Floor” at Shibuya Station on the other side of Tokyo can generate an even more significant amount of power considering that 2.4 million people pass through it each day. The power generated by the tiles, made by Soundpower Corp., can be stored in capacitors and channeled to the areas of the station in need of power, including the lighting system and ticket gates.

It’s awesome to see this technology get tested on a large scale. It only makes sense to harvest clean, emissions-free energy however we can, and with the millions of people that pass over busy stations like this all over the world, it really has potential to do a lot of good.

Link [The Telegraph]

Japanese Government Urges Citizens to Eat Locally

Did you know that Japan only produces 40% of the food it consumes? That is the lowest percentage among developed nations and puts the island nation at considerable risk amid a global food shortage. That’s why Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries is getting serious about encouraging citizens to buy and grow their food locally. And as far as government messaging goes, this video is pretty darn cool:

Iceless ‘Ice Skating’ Rink in Japan Saves Water & Energy

Ice skating is one of the most beloved winter activities, and it has a certain romance to it. Bundling up in scarves and hats, holding hands with someone while you circle the rink, sipping hot cocoa to warm up in between – who can resist it? But, indoor ice skating rinks in particular use an awful lot of water when making ice, and it takes a lot of electricity to keep it frozen. One ‘ice skating’ rink in Japan solved that problem by replacing ice with resin panels.

From Green Packs, via EcoFriend:

Toyama prefecture is located in northern Japan. It gets cold there in the winter, but not really cold enough to freeze a lake or a pond. Not to worry, Japan has an answer to those who still want to go skating. There’s a skating made out of resin, plastic. It’s 300-square-meters square and billed as environmentally friendly.

The rink uses some 80 pieces of plastic glued together and skaters can frolic about as if they were on ice. Speed is slower because of greater friction and I don’t suppose your hands get cold when you fall down. Ah, and no worrying about going through the ice and into the drink either.

Interesting idea, though it does take away most of the atmosphere of ice skating. But, plastic? Is that really the best approach? If they had used recycled plastic, it would be far more eco-friendly.

Of course, the more eco-friendly option is to ice skate on naturally frozen bodies of water that have been deemed safe by local authorities. Outdoor ice skating rinks in areas where the cold weather keeps the water frozen are generally okay, too.

Link [Green Packs] + [Eco Friend]

Japanese Train Station Parking Lot Packed Full of Bikes

This is pure awesome – and we need a lot more of this in the U.S.  It’s a bicycle parking lot outside a train station in Japan, a country where this is quite a common sight.  Imagine if Americans were as gung-ho about riding bikes everywhere as the Japanese, the Chinese or the Dutch – we’d all be so much healthier and happier, and our country would be a hell of a lot cleaner.

It would be hard to remember where you parked, though.  “Remember, kids – GOOFY D!”

Link [Flickr] via [Digg]

Japan Uses Recycled Leftovers as Animal Feed

Japan has gotten resourceful with their animal feed: they’re putting the country’s huge amounts of food waste to work. The country disposes of approximately 20,000 tons of food every year, which decomposed in landfills, filling the air with the greenhouse gas methane. In 2001, the Japanese government put laws into effect that led to a new kind of recycling industry – one where those food scraps are either turned into animal feed and fertilizer, or allowed to decompose in special facilities that harness the methane to power industrial plants.

From Reuters:

Food recyclers often use leftovers from convenience stores and restaurants where strict health laws mean unsold items must be thrown out at the end of the day.

“They don’t take disposed food from households as they are not in good conditions,” said Miwa.

Japan imports about 75 percent of its feedstocks from abroad. It is the world’s biggest corn importer to feed animals.

But recent price hikes due to high corn and soy meal prices, the main ingredients in animal feed, has made recycled feed more popular. Although it still accounts for only 1 percent of feedstocks in Japan, or about 150,000 tonnes in 2006, double the volume of 2003. In Japan, companies such as food manufacturers, retailers and restaurants produce some 11 million tonnes of food waste a year. They are responsible for disposing the waste, often paying hefty fees to have it carted away and dumped.

It sounds as if the animals are being carefully monitored to avoid any health issues that may result from this process, and the recyclers are careful to remove inedible items from the food waste before it’s recycled.

Getting smart about waste, trash, food and greenhouse gases: we need to see a lot more of this sort of thing going forward.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: REUTERS/Yuriko Nakao

Japanese Hybrid Engineer Died from Too Much Work

The Japanese labor bureau has ruled that the cause of death of one of Toyota’s top car engineers was too much work. The engineer, who had been working on hybrid technology, had been under severe pressure while developing the hybrid version of the Toyota Camry. The 45-year-old man had been getting 80 hours of overtime per month in the months leading up to his death.

From The Huffington Post:

He regularly worked nights and weekends, was frequently sent abroad and was grappling with shipping a model for the pivotal North American International Auto Show in Detroit when he died of ischemic heart disease in January 2006. The man’s daughter found his body at their home the day before he was to leave for the United States.

The ruling was handed down June 30 and will allow his family to collect benefits from his work insurance, Mizuno said.

In Japan, death from overwork is common enough to have its own word: karoshi. Working extremely long hours isn’t outside the norm there.

So, be grateful. Many bothans (I mean, Japanese engineers) died to bring us this information (er, hybrid technology).

Link [The Huffington Post]

Namba Parks: Awesome Green Architecture in Japan

Does this look like the future, or what? One of the major drawbacks to living in an urban area, in my opinion, is the lack of sufficient green space. I find all the concrete and asphalt depressing – I need nature. Architecture that incorporates green space into the design can be a big draw to get people into urban centers and putting a stop to suburban sprawl. I would love to see more buildings like this worldwide.

The details from MetaEfficient:

In a city with few green spaces, Namba Parks is a welcome swath of green for the inhabitants of Osaka. Check out this full size photo of this amazing piece of architecture. The complex stands where Osaka’s baseball stadium used to be until 2003, and consists of a 30-floor skyscraper, Parks Tower, and a shopping mall with eight floors of terraced gardens. The sloping park connects to the street, welcoming passers-by to enjoy its groves of trees, clusters of rocks, cliffs, lawn, streams, waterfalls, ponds and outdoor terraces.

Link [MetaEfficient]
Photo credit: Flickr user A Posh Sentinel

Bored Japanese Guy + Recycled Chopsticks = Awesome Green Canoe

Shuhei Ogawara, a city hall forestry employee in Fukushima, Japan must have looked around the lunchroom in dismay at all the wasted-single use wooden chopsticks discarded so callously after poking through rice and picking up sashimi.

And then, inspiration struck. Why not build a canoe out of all those chopsticks? What would have been a weird, sort of random idea for most of us came as second nature to Ogawara who also happened to be a canoe-maker (go figure). So anyway, he saved up a boat-load (hahaha!) of chopsticks and built him a canoe. We commend him for his recycling efforts but even more so for his awesome waste of time and extra potentially toxic polyester resin needed to glue all those little sticks together. Where is anime porn when a man needs it?

Link [pinktentacle]