Kaikaku lean process is implemented to identify and reduce wasteful energy use. …
… “Japan went from clean to polluted back to clean and is in many ways a benchmark in environmental and green kaizen as well.” …
Via Gemba Panta Rei Blog: Energy Savings.
NYK's (Nippon Yusen Kaisha) Yamatai will have a unique method to reduce CO2 ... by injecting air bubble at the bottom of the hull. This reduces drag between the hull and sea water. The result is lower CO2 emissions.
" ... first vessel engaged in overseas transport to make use of a permanently installed air-lubrication system using an air-blower ... generate bubbles ... to the vessel bottom ... expected to result in 10 percent less CO2 emissions from the vessel."
Mitsubishi seeks to integrate solar, wind, and other renewable power sources into its production facilities through smart grid technology that will manage the reliability and stability of the energy supply. Some of the production facilities will deploy solar photovoltaic systems in conjunction with rechargeable batteries to enable power usage when the sun is down. …
… “project to build facilities within the company’s production sites in Japan for experiments designed to establish advanced smart grid technologies. The project will contribute to the company’s efforts to support the adoption of sustainable power supplies worldwide.
Mitsubishi Electric will build experimental facilities at the company’s three Japanese domestic production sites located in Amagasaki, Wakayama and Ofuna. ” …
Via Mitsubishi Electric: Smart Grid Technology Investments (PDF).
... "Those include toughened environmental building standards, cash incentives for residents to install solar panels and a plan for greening the city, including planting half a million trees and converting a 217-acre landfill in Tokyo Bay into a wooded sea forest park. " ...
Via University of Arizona: Tokyo Eco-Friendly Goal
... "The University of Tokyo is rated by the Global University Ranking organization and others as one the leading universities and research institutions in Asia, and it is the leading solar-energy research institution in Japan. " ...Via Arizona State University: Solar energy technology research
Continue reading "Arizona Tokyo Solar Research Partnership" »
Japan's Matsushita ... "will claim first place in the race to put commercial home fuel cells on the market ... "
" ... can optimally provide 70 percent of the energy needs for a 1,280 square foot house with four people ... can reduce energy consumption by 22 percent and CO2 emissions by 12 percent as compared to all other power sources ... ".
" ... cogeneration home fuel cell hooks up to the city’s natural gas lines, extracting hydrogen from the gas ... hydrogen is combined with oxygen through a series of polyelectrolyte membranes, a process that creates electricity, heat, and water ... home fuel cell produces between 500 watts and a 1 kilowatt of electricity and captures the heat to warm a tank of water, used for showers, dishes etc."
" ... a contribution to Japan’s goals of reducing global CO2 emissions 50 percent by 2050." " ... fuel cells require a great deal of energy; for example, this unit contains more than 2,000 components. Whether the production of the units negates the energy and CO2 savings gained by customers is unclear."
Check out this video ...
Via: Mother Nature Network LINK
My family and I had Thanksgiving dinner at Longwood Gardens (Kennett Sq, Pa) - a beautiful garden that is getting more into being GREEN and their impact on the planet. As I was eating leftovers I noticed that the plastic container was not the #1, #2 or #5 that I expected ... but #7 (inside a recycling triangle) PLA and was marked as composable.
"PLA stands for polylactic acid, or Polylactide, ... produced by NatureWorks LLC. ... made from lactic acid. Lactic acid is made from dextrose by fermentation. Dextrose is made from starch and starch is made from carbon dioxide and water."
"Ingeo™ biopolymer is the world's first and only performance plastic made from 100% annually renewable resources. Corn-based Ingeo™ biopolymer ... Clear and strong like petroleum-based plastic, yet Ingeo™ biopolymer can be commercially composted."
The label shows the container comes from NatureWorks and is composable. I will see if it decompooses in my mulch pile (may take a while as it is probably inactive in the winter ...)
Look for a future post on my success with composting this ...
Via: NatureWorks LINK
Corn based plastics are finding their way into more everyday items. Samsung is making a cellphone, the W510, that is made with corn based plastic ...
Read on for more >>>
"W510 is Samsung's first mobile phone with 'bio-plastic' made from natural m
aterial extracted from corns. ... Moreover, ...Samsung did not use any heavy metals, such as Lead, Mercury, and Cadmium, and applied water-soluble coating. "
"Samsung F268 ... does not contain BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardant) or PVC. ... has an alarm function to encourage users to unplug their charger when the devices are fully charged. ...also is following the Energy Star requirements as well,
"...W510 for the Korean market and F268 for the Chinese market will be launched in June"
Continue reading "Samsung - Environmentally Friendly Cell Phone" »
"The Solar Ark, a unique, ark-shaped, solar photovoltaic power generation facility, offers activities to cultivate a better appreciation of solar power generation, and thereby of both ecology and science. ... is located in Gifu Prefecture, ... of Japan ..." 
" ... at the center of the Solar Ark is the Solar Lab, a museum of solar energy and one of the more unusual museums in the world. ..."
"Since the Solar Ark was created, we have accumulated data on the power-generating performance of the photovoltaic system. At the photovoltaic conference in Europe, the thesis we delivered analyzing that data received an excellent response ..."
Via: Solar Ark Link
Using more sustainable or recyclable materials is one of the next stet PC and laptop makers can do to help make 
their products more friendly ...
"Fujitsu plans to demonstrate a laptop PC with a case manufactured from wood ... The laptop, which is only a prototype, uses cedar wood for the case and also makes use of bio-plastics for parts. ..."
" ... laptop PC carries the names of Fujitsu and Monacca, a Japanese design team that specialises in wooden products ..."
" ... In 2002 it began working ... to produce a bio-plastic and the result of that project can now be seen on Japanese computer store shelves. Fujitsu's Biblo NX95 laptop has a 30 percent bio-plastic case"
Via: PCAdvisor.com Link
... "Mitsuhiko Yamashita, Nissan's executive vice president for research and development, said advances in lithium-ion battery technology will dramatically boost the operating range of electric vehicles, potentially broadening their appeal. " ...Via Wall Street Journal: New Lithium Batteries
" ... Japan will urge citizens to carry their own chopsticks ... and go shopping with their own bags instead of using plastic ones, in a bid to more than halve the garbage it produces."
"Japan aims to reduce the total amount of garbage — produced by both industries and individuals — by 60 percent of the fiscal 2000 level to 25.3 million tons by fiscal 2015 under the plan posted on the ministry's Web site."
Via: Time.Com Link
