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Nikkei Ecology

October 2004 Issue

Cover Story 1

Exhortation toward “new environmental education,” which can fundamentally change employees’ awareness

Environmental intelligence is a necessity in the new era

Interview: Naotake Okubo, president of Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.

Train more “environmental leaders”

Change the consciousness of the employees by involving their family members

Environmental education and consciousness-reform activities can benefit the main business

Cover Story 2

The definition of industrial waste is now questioned, while court decisions are continuously reversed in “wood chips” and “construction sludge” cases

Technology Frontline

Products
[Automobile catalyst early activation system] The new system detects ions in the ignition chamber to control ignition timing

Trend
[Membrane filtration treatment for wastewater] Lower frequency for changing membrane filters realizes lower costs and enhances purification functions at the same time

Elements
[Organic transistor] A new display circuit uses no silicon transistor

Technological people
[Hiroshi Kume of National Institute for Environmental Studies]
Applying nanotechnology to environmental techniques

“ Honor students” in recycling
[Hard polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes] Three-layered pipes bring forth a new recycling system


Technology news clips


Learn about environmental laws

Easy-to-understand Environmental Law
[Law concerning promotion of environmentally-aware activities]
Encourages companies to disclose basic information and raise the level of environmental management

Environmental Laws Q & A
Isn’t the level of new energy use required for electric power companies by the “RSP Law” set too low?

This Month’s Environmental Law
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry laid down a draft guideline for “waste and recycling governance”

Shoichi Kondo’s Report from the Diet
The illegal dumping of industrial waste is treated as a major issue

Trend and News

Measures against global warming
Ministries request budget for the “second step” measure against global warming; the Ministry of the Environment’s request includes budget for emissions trade and environmental taxation reform

Eco-marketing
Sales experiments by Japan Advertising Agencies Association (JAAA) prove that effective expression in the storefront can improve eco-product sales

Nuclear power generation
Issei Nishikawa, the governor of Fukui Prefecture: “The accident at the nuclear power station in Mihama was preventable, were it not for the structural problems in safety and management”

PCB waste
The nation’s first experimental operation of PCB waste treatment will start in the City of Kitakyushu with an aim to establish a wide-area collection and treatment system

Abnormal weather phenomena
The heat waves and heavy rains hit Japan this summer, and the cause is found in the rise of sea surface temperature off the Philippines

CSR Frontline
The Ministry of the Environment will launch a research committee for corporate social responsibility (CSR); other ministries also make active discussions on the matter

London, a candidate for the 2012 Olympic Games, aims at sustainable development

ECO interview
Junko Nakanishi, director of the Research Center for Chemical Risk Management, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology: “Environmental risks can be quantitatively measured”


ECO Column

Kankan Gakugaku (Active Argument over Environmental Issues)
Keiko Yanagisawa, life scientist and science writer

Takuro Morinaga’s ECO Lifestyle
Greece: the secret of longevity can be found in the people’s diet, while the country is harshly criticized by environmental groups during the Games

Fieldwork Japan
Solar panels are installed on houses in a concentrated area to test the grid functions


Report

Vice-Rector Itaru Yasui’s “Eco Michelin”
“ Musenmai,” the rice which requires no rinsing before cooking

Achieve the Top Sales with Eco Products!
Shiga Bank: Eco Clean Fund and Eco Plus CDs

Inside-Out

[One of the nation’s largest-scale scandals of illegal dumping of industrial waste] The costs of the over-compartmentalized bureaucracy in the prefectural and city governments amount for 10 billion yen in restoration work

WorldWatch Institute
Meat-eating diet is a serious hazard for the environment; sustainable meat production is unattainable

ECO Seminar

New Trend of ISO
[Main points in the revision to ISO14001 - Part 2] The revised version lists products and procurement as targets for environmental management

New Environmental Study
[How to understand PRTR - Part 2] Measures by corporations and governments show certain progress, while awareness of the public needs to be raised

Quick Guide to Environmental Key Words
Green procurement

Learn from Environmental Reports of Companies Overseas
Chiquita Brands International, Inc. (U.S.A.)

World Trend

From U.K.
Environmental measures start in the transportation sector, while the airline industry lays their hope on emissions trading

From U.S.A.
Nuclear power generation can emit higher level of CO₂ than thermal power generation, depending on the quality of uranium ore

From Germany
Switching of automobile fuel to hydrogen at this point would not contribute to reduction of CO₂

From China
The ESCO businesses in China are led by the government while the electricity shortage raises incentive for energy-saving

Nikkei BP EcoManagement Forum

[ECO graph] Round-table talk on environmental management: “energy-saving and resource-saving in corporate management”