The SUN Project conducts research activities aimed at restoring nature within urban areas and enhancing regional resilience and adaptability. As part of this research, since spring of this year, a three-year biodiversity survey has been carried out to examine the roles that water channels and Japanese gardens within Kanazawa City play in supporting biodiversity.
With the first half of this year’s survey completed across various gardens, including spring, summer, and early autumn investigations, OUIK held an interim report meeting on October 20th. Approximately 20 participants—including Kanazawa City officials, garden owners, and experts—were invited to discuss preliminary findings.
In Kanazawa City, where rich natural environments and historic cultural assets coexist, gardens serve as vital green infrastructure symbolizing the harmony between the city’s social and natural systems. However, due to multiple factors such as population decline, some gardens face challenges in maintenance and management. Consequently, there is a risk that the natural benefits they provide—such as supporting biodiversity, fostering human-nature connections, and contributing to climate change mitigation—may diminish. To explore sustainable ways to manage these gardens in the future, we are first assessing which species currently inhabit them.
Through our surveys, we have identified various rare species, invasive species, and other organisms living within the gardens. Some of these species are thought to have entered the gardens via water channels or surrounding forests. During the meeting, participants exchanged ideas on how to coordinate maintenance and management efforts involving gardens and water systems, as well as strategies to address the threats posed by invasive species while protecting rare species. This year, surveys will continue into November and the winter season. Once all surveys for the year are completed, we plan to compile and analyze the results to better understand the current state of biodiversity within the gardens.
In order to promote sustainable development as laid out by the United Nations, as well as the associated 17 goals, it is important to measure the degree of attainment of those goals and to monitor the progress achieved in our region. On October 16, an IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 meeting was held for the purpose of generating ideas for an SDG attainment index. Twenty-five citizens of Kanazawa participated in the meeting.
As outlined above, when we draw up a plan to execute SDGs based on regional circumstances and proceed with a project based on that plan, it is important to measure the results (output) and effect (outcome). In this workshop, we held a discussion with community members about the Kanazawa of the future and possible indices for measuring SDG attainment.
Six topics were set for the discussion. Five of these were taken from “Kanazawa Future Visions” and the other one was “Sustainable Tourism,” the theme of the Municipal SDGs Model Project. Participants talked about issues such as how the Kanazawa of 2030 could be “a city that is old yet new, and comfortable to live in,” and the type of index that would be suitable for monitoring the situation of the city. Brainstorming about the types of indices needed to monitor progress was carried out in groups, and ideas were presented by participants who have been involved in activities contributing to the realisation of “A City Without Waste”.
Although it seemed to be difficult for participants to bring concrete ideas for indices to the table, a variety of ideas for how Kanazawa should be in 2030 were presented during the workshop. There were ideas related to learning and business, such as interaction between students and community members, and designating places for such interaction, as well as support for people launching a business, lifelong learning and recurrent education. Other ideas included the establishment of an environment that would enable artists and curators to grow, and ideas related to diversity and inclusiveness, such as the fostering of open-mindedness with regard to minorities, and ideas related to partnerships, such as the sharing of ideas with regional organisations and tourism enterprises.
In response to these ideas, setting quantitative indices such as the number of places for interaction between students and community members, and the number of schools offering lifelong learning and recurrent education, will enable quantitative measurement and monitoring of SDG attainment.
What kind of individual index do you set for yourself to attain the SDGs in Kanazawa?
At previous IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 meetings, ideas for indices to measure the attainment of SDGs according to the five “Kanazawa Future Visions” and “Sustainable Tourism” of the Municipal SDGs Model Project had been considered. In response to the ideas presented in this workshop, we will review the draft of our indices and release revised indices that can be used by everyone. We will continue to create an environment in which SGDs can be attained through partnerships.
The 1st Noto Satoumi Seminar was held online with the theme of “Achieving SDG 14 in the Context of Preserving Satoumi: Considering the Problem of Marine Pollution.” At the seminar, we deepened our understanding of SDG 14.1 (By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds, in particular from land-based activities, including marine debris and nutrient pollution), one of the ten targets of SDG 14 (Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development).
First, to kick off the seminar Evonne Yiu (UNU-OUIK Research Associate) gave a presentation on the topic of “Noto’s Satoumi Movement and SDG 14.” Marine pollution is a complicated issue with many causes, including the plastic waste problem which has been a common topic in recent years, as well as industrial chemical dumping, waste produced by the livestock industry, and chemical waste from consumer products, all of which flow from land to sea, causing marine pollution. “It’s important not to increase the amount of marine waste, but we’re getting to the point where we should start thinking of how to re-use that waste material. Also, it is important that innovation not just be limited to technological innovation for developing new re-usable products; we also need intellectual innovation in the form of education reform,” Evonne explained.
Next, Yutaka Michida (Professor, University of Tokyo Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute) talked about the topic of “Problems with Marine Plastic and Related Research Prospects.” Professor Michida’s research mainly focuses on surface-level ocean currents and shifts in their patterns, and as an extension of that research he also surveys the plastic waste carried by said currents. He explained in detail the problem of microplastics, which has been a popular topic in recent years, and how exactly plastic waste flows into the oceans.
Next, Makoto Urata (Senior Researcher, The Institute of Noto Satoumi Education and Studies) gave a presentation on the topic of “Considering Children’s Marine Learning: Environmental Education at the Institute of Noto Satoumi Education and Studies,” in which he shared some of the Institute’s activities. Having local fishermen and experts come in person to classes to talk is a highly effective method of marine education, and the Institute coordinates classes by acting as a go-between for the guest speakers and the schools. Urata went to on to talk about the direction of marine education in the future, saying, “It’s important to pursue a more independent, conversational kind of education in which children are allowed to find what interests them and study it themselves.”
Finally, a panel discussion was held on the topic of “What We Can Do to Achieve the SDG 14.1 Target of Reducing Marine Pollution,” moderated by Research Associate Evonne. Chiharu Hayase, an Ama diver (free-diving female fisher) of the Wajima Ama Diver Preservation Society, joined the discussion to say, “The coastline is like an underwater produce field; if the waters along the coast become too acidic, the seaweed that the abalone and turban shells feed on can’t grow. It may be impossible to return the marine environment to how it used to be, but for the sake of the next generation we have to put effort into undoing the damage done by human hands.”
Professor Michida ended the discussion by saying, “As a researcher, I want to work to create a world in which we can debate these issues from a scientific perspective. Instead of people thinking, ‘I can’t do anything by myself,’ I would like them to be aware that their effort is meaningful, and that they should diligently do what they can.”
In his closing remarks, Tsunao Watanabe (Director of UNU-OUIK) reviewed what was discussed and said, “It is vital that we all share the experiences and thoughts of those whose lives are connected to the Satoumi and ensure that what we have learned is reflected in our individual actions in order to protect the bounty of the ocean.”
On 16 May 2020, the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability, Ishikawa/Kanazawa Operating Unit (UNU-IAS OUIK) held an online symposium to commemorate the UN Decade on Biodiversity, Ishikawa, Kanazawa: 10 Years of Initiatives and the Next 10 Years on Sustainable Biodiversity. Approximately 280 people participated in the event and had an opportunity to brainstorm ideas relating to biodiversity conservation and sustainable societies for the next 10 years.
In the keynote speech, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) President and Senior Visiting Professor of UNU Kazuhiko Takeuchi reviewed the activities of the UN Decade on Biodiversity based on the report published by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services （IPBES) and spoke about the necessity for “Transformative Change” to achieve global initiatives, such as the Aichi Targets and SDGs.
UNU-IAS OUIK Research Associate Sayako Koyama introduced an activity called Notojima Shizen no Sato Nagasaki in the Nagasaki area of Noto-jima, Ishikawa Prefecture, as a concrete example of local conservation of biodiversity. She mentioned that community-based efforts are essential to continue research, protection and monitoring of an environment in which all life can grow.
Kaori Fujita, Nikkei Environment Social Governance (ESG) Senior Editor and Nikkei ESG Management Forum Producer spoke about the outlook from the business sector including recent trends in ESG investment and initiatives by major companies and local business owners.
The panel session ‘Looking Back on the Past 10 Years and Talking about the Next 10 Years’ was moderated by UNU-IAS OUIK Director Tsunao Watanabe, who was joined by Japan committee for International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN-J) Director General Teppei Michie, Director General of the Nature Conservation Bureau, Ministry of the Environment, Japan, Toshio Torii and UNU-IAS OUIK Researcher Evonne Yiu. Each panelist provided insights on the future direction from the viewpoint of citizen groups, society, national policy and planning, and international organisations.
Final discussions concluded that it is essential to promote multi-sectoral and interdisciplinary collaboration and cooperation to encourage knowledge and information sharing. The panelists hoped that more people would understand the multifaceted value of biodiversity and identify potential solutions. Furthermore, the current situation related to COVID-19 was explored as a catalyst for transformative change.
Here is the statement by Acting Executive Secretary of the Convention Biological Diversity Elizabeth Maruma Mrema for International Day for Biological Diversity -22 May
IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Partners is a platform for working together through partnerships based on “Kanazawa Future Visions”. As of September 10, 2021, 157 companies, organisations and individuals had joined the platform. At the meetings, short presentations were given on collaborative projects, which were then discussed in view of the realisation of the Kanazawa Future Visions. Although only two meetings were held in the last fiscal year, we will have a monthly meeting this fiscal year to promote initiatives for the realisation of the Kanazawa Future Visions.
The third meeting in fiscal 2021, which was the fifth meeting in total, was held online on September 16. At that meeting, many people from various organisations and companies, as well as individuals, participated in a lively exchange of ideas. Three organisations made short presentations; Table for Two, an incorporated non-profit organisation that has been involved in food-shortage and health issues, Noppokun Co., Ltd.,, which runs an organic / fair trade shop and presents films to raise awareness of the motivation for action and attainment of SDGs, and Kao Group, Customer Marketing Co., Ltd., which supports people’s cleanliness, beauty and health.
Table for Two is an organisation that addresses the problem of there being excessive calorie consumption, obesity and disease associated with adult lifestyle habits in developed countries, while developing countries are faced with food shortages and starvation. They have established a system according to which a donation is made to a developing country for every healthy meal that is bought from a company canteen or shop. So far, 7,390 meals have been donated to 709 organisations. Table for Two received the 2019 Japan SDGs Award.
Table for Two also established other donation systems in Kanazawa in cooperation with Hakusan Co., Ltd., Maru Stock Co., Ltd. a group company of Ishikawa Central Fish Market Co., Ltd. and Kanazawa University, involving sales of drinks via vending machines and local products. With regard to menu items to be sold in Japan, they are flexible in responding to requests from companies.
Next, Noppokun introduced the “Film Festival for the Future,” which will show five films related to SDGs at three sites in the city (NOPPOKUN, Kanazawa Port Cruise Terminal and Cinemonde) for four weeks from September 4 to October 1. The films deal with thought-provoking themes that we are familiar with but do not understand very well, such as issues related to the world and life, and give us the energy to move forward towards the attainment of SDGs. Although SDGs are abstract and difficult to understand simply through the themes, visual images enable easier understanding, since they clarify the contents and the connection between the goals and our lives, and make people think about the issues as their own problems. Noppokun has screen presentation rights for some other films in addition to the five films that will be screened at the festival. They wish to become a platform to share ideas for the attainment of the SDGs and hold study sessions for company employees.
Lastly, Kao Group Customer Marketing Co., Ltd. introduced their activities for attainment of SDGs. Kao Group devised the slogan “My Kirei Lifestyle: realisation of a spiritually rich life for customers all over the world” as their ESG strategy. They have positive communication with various communities, contribute to society from the diverse perspectives of the environment, health and hygiene, and support people in the realisation of a spiritually rich life. In particular, they have offered hand-washing classes in kindergartens and nursery schools, plastic-garbage classes in elementary schools, and skin-care classes for students looking for a job and for people in re-employment. They wish to increase the variety and frequency of the classes, and have already decided to hold makeup classes at community centres in cooperation with the Ishikawa Single Mothers Association.
At this meeting, Mr. Hashimoto, a coordinator of IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Partners, presented examples of cooperative activities that had been realised through previous meetings. kanazaWAZA_Lab, which gave a short presentation at the first meeting, has linked with Partners members and launched the sustainable art project “Neglected Bamboo Bushes” in collaboration with the Kanazawa branch of Tokyo Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., Kanazawa Kiko Co., Ltd., and SYNCA DESIGN UNIT. In addition, the Ishikawa Single Mothers Association and Kao Group Customer Marketing plan to hold makeup classes as a cooperative activity through the Partners meetings. Mr. Hashimoto will be supporting cooperative projects as a coordinator in order to widen the circle of collaboration with Partners members.
Nearly 10 years have passed since “Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi” was registered as a GIAHS site in June 2011, based on a recommendation from the Noto GIAHS Promotion Council, which consists of representatives from municipalities of the Noto region. The promotion council has created plans for the preservation and use of Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi, and at present, the second action plan is being revised. OUIK is also working on the revision in collaboration with Ishikawa Prefecture and the promotion council, and providing advice on the preservation and use of Noto’s Satoyama and Satoumi, as well as on how to establish a platform for people from various fields to join the project.
The promotion council is now preparing for the establishment of a working group on biodiversity in Noto, involving specialists, and OUIK is also supporting the work. On February 26, the first preparatory meeting for the establishment of the working group was held at Ishikawa Prefecture Fisheries Research Center (Noto-cho). Current activities and problems related to biodiversity in the Noto region were discussed.
The 11th SDGs cafe was planned on short notice with the theme of “Continuation Through Change? Workstyles and Remote Work in the Age of Corona.”
First, Mikiko Nagai (Office Manager at UNU-OUIK) gave an overview of the SDGs and explained the purpose of IMAGINE KANZAWA 2030. Additionally, she explained in detail two of the 17 SDGs which are directly impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, Decent Work and Economic Growth (Goal 8) and Good Health and Well-Being (Goal 3).
Our guest this time was city planning consultant Yukina Yasue, President of Research Institute of City Planning and Communication Co., Ltd., where they implemented an entirely remote work style starting from April. For this SDGs Café, Yasue collaborated with the Kanazawa IKUBOSS Company Alliance to conduct a Remote Work Emergency Survey online. Various issues with remote work were brought up, such as company structures not being compatible, work duties not being possible with remote work, and self-management being difficult. At the same time, many also expressed hope that remote work could be a catalyst for positive change in corporate culture.
Additionally, Yasue, who has had experience with creating infrastructure to allow for remote work since before corona, said that there were 5 requirements for remote work, including establishing a climate of freedom and responsibility and reconsidering what the results of one’s work mean. “It’s best to seriously think about shifting from the established norm and convention to a more ideal setup, and now is the chance to do so. It could be said that now the purpose of many organizations’ very existence is being called into question,” she continued.
Katsuya Nomizu (President’s Office Fellow, Cybozu, Inc.), originally from Kanazawa, also gave us some ideas. Cyboze, Inc. is known for being at the vanguard of workstyle reform, and they have experimented with fully remote working in the past as part of their BCP*. Starting in early March of this year, almost none of their employees were working from the office.
*What is a BCP？ A BCP, or Business Continuity Plan, is a plan to minimize the harmful effects of natural disasters or other emergencies on a business in order to ensure its continued operation and recovery.
“Sustainability isn’t about protecting tradition. Things that can change and adapt are able to survive. Right now, it is necessary to make a clear decision that a decrease in operational efficiency is unavoidable, and business managers should understand that it’s impossible to perfectly replicate how things used to be,” Nomizu explained. He went on to give some more advice about remote work, suggesting that it should start being implemented with managers, that workflows and office duties need to be made clear, and that in general employees should be given the benefit of the doubt.
This was our first attempt at a webinar, and both those running the webinar and those participating felt that the webinar format had several benefits, such as it being easy to ask questions, the slides being easy to see, and being able to participate from far away.
2020 is the year of the Tokyo Olympics. As the interest in sports has increased with each passing day, this time at the SDGs café, we focused on Sports and how they relate to the SDGs.
Our first guest was Ms. Haida, Deputy General Manager of the Business Planning Department and Hometown Promotion Office of Zweigen Kanazawa Football team (J2).
The J League (Japan’s professional football league) has three philosophies, one of which is “promoting a rich sports culture and contributing to the healthy development of the mind and body of the people.” In other words, there is a strong desire to develop Japanese sports culture through football.
Zweigen Kanazawa has a club philosophy: “Challenge the tradition of this city.”
“In Kanazawa, there are many things that are said to be ‘tradition’. We are trying to make ‘challenging’ a new Kanazawa tradition,” Ms. Haida said.
J-League clubs conduct 20,000 community engagement activities a year to gain more supporters as well as the favor of the local community. Last year, Zweigen Kanazawa conducted 250 such activities, including a football training session for kindergarten kids, support for the blind football team “Zweigen Kanazawa BFC”, and football lessons to help rehabilitate patients with mental illnesses.
All 56 clubs in the J-League have performed about 20,000 community engagement activities in the year 2019. However, despite their efforts, there was still a lack of awareness of their activities in the local community. As such, two years ago on the 25th anniversary of the J-League they decided to start “Sharen” in addition to their regular activities.
“Sharen” is an abbreviation of “social cooperation activity” in Japanese. Zweigen Kanazawa has been working with companies, governments, schools, and other local groups to solve social issues in the community. Before starting Sharen, they focused on quantity, but now they are more focused on the quality of the activities.
Our second guest was the SDGs expert Mr. Cosmo Takagi, a Research Associate at UNU-IAS OUIK as well as a Research Assistant at Keio University. He also has experience learning football in Brazil, so he was a perfect speaker for this workshop.
He first explained what the SDGs are with examples and explained an important theory of the SDGs: backcasting. There are 17 goals in the SDGs, so we need to think ahead and define our goals and then work backwards to identify policies and programmes that will help us achieve those specific goals. This planning process is vital to achieving the SDGs.
”How do you use the SDGs in connection with the J-League?”
One way to use the SDGs is to organize. For example, a J3 team called “YSCC Yokohama” is sending a team of nutritionists to an impoverished area and teaching the residents how to make a nutritionally balanced meal at a low price. This activity contribute to the second goal of the SDGs: Zero hunger. However, this is very broad in terms of goals, and it seems that anything can be linked.
The SDGs have 169 targets and indicators for their progress. Looking at the targets and indicators, we can see that there is a concept of “eliminating undernourishment” and that we are contributing to it.
“When organizing our efforts in the SDGs, look at specific targets rather than the overall goals. The targets are so specific that we can organize our efforts in a meaningful way,” Mr. Takagi said.
Some further examples he gave included Kawasaki Frontale’s contribution for SDGs goal number 4, Quality Education, where the team donated maths workbooks to kids to learn basic maths by counting football game scores.
The UK’s Forest Green Rovers FC is known as the world’s most environmentally friendly club, and is certified as such by the United Nations. They attached solar panels to their stadium which supply all of the electricity the stadium requires with solar power.
During the group discussion session, participants discussed what kind of activities we can organise to promote SDGs with sports, what can lead to the achievement of Kanazawa’s SDGs using sports.
Some of the opinions of participants are as follows:
“Nobody at our table really plays any sports, so we talked about how we can individually enjoy and support sports.”
“We would love to host an event where children and football players can play together”
“It would be easier for disable people, people with illnesses, and elderly people to go to the stadium if there were more transportation options to get to the stadium and more accessible toilets.”
In order to address social challenges and boost new projects, it is important to provide management resources, including the skills and efforts of individuals and organisations, tools to provide solutions and services, and funds to support the activities of people and organisations. In addition, natural resources that support product manufacturing and service provision, and social capital such as knowledge, information, networks and relationships of trust, as well as education for the upskilling of individuals and organisations are indispensable. We can create a better society by collaborating with each other through partnerships. It is possible for us to attain SDGs in the same way.
As part of IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030, we held a study session on the use of private resources to promote Kanazawa SDGs on August 19. We have been endeavouring to create new projects and to connect people and organisations for the future of Kanazawa through SDG meetings and our IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Partners. We learned about private-sector resources such as knowhow, financing and circulation systems at this meeting, and will use them to make Kanazawa a sustainable city.
We invited a guest from Eco Village Promotion Division, Nanto City to our first study session, to give a lecture about the establishment of the “Nanto Happy Future Fund,” a public interest incorporated foundation, and its activities. After the lecture, we had a question and answer session and a discussion. The community fund was established by local residents for activities carried out within Nanto City. It finances business related to the seven community challenges through donations and dormant accounts. Although the fund has been operated with municipal support since its establishment, it will be operated independently from fiscal 2023.
People from financial institutions located all over the prefecture participated in the meeting. Case examples of financing through an intermediate support organisation and an SDG promotion organisation were introduced, and a Q&A session about topics related to non-financial support such as assistance with producing human resources was conducted. Non-financial support organisations that help with networking and upskilling were also introduced. Questions about how to collaborate with organisations and how to provide effective support for coping with social challenges were raised.
IMAGINE KANAZAWA 2030 Partners is a platform for carrying out activities through partnerships based on “Kanazawa Future Visions”. The fourth Partner meeting, held online on August 18, was the second meeting of fiscal 2021. Many people from companies and organisations, as well as individuals, participated in the meeting.
At the meeting, short presentations were given on collaborative projects, and a discussion was held in view of realising the Kanazawa Future Visions.
DREAM WORKS, a PC recycling business, and Kanazawa Rainbow Pride, an organisation that supports the LGBTQ+ community, made short presentations. DREAM WORKS reported that they have provided recycled PCs to children of families that cannot afford to buy their own. Their activities have received the approval of companies in Fukui Prefecture, and are being expanded. They proposed to expand into Kanazawa and develop children’s potential through IT education.
Kanazawa Rainbow Pride requested the cooperation of Kanazawa Pride Week, which includes the Rainbow Parade, the first such parade in the Hokuriku region, a study session for companies, an educational forum and a film screening. The presenters and participants shared ideas on ways to promote understanding of sexual minorities.
In addition to the above two presentations, a session was held to talk about any topics related to the promotion of SDGs with Ms. Nagai, the OUIK office manager.Kao Group Customer Marketing Co., Ltd. asked what we can do in Kanazawa for the promotion of SDGs and ESG. A member of the Ishikawa Single Mothers Association proposed holding makeup and hair care courses for single mothers who usually do not spend time and money on themselves. Such courses would be an opportunity to develop connections with other members.
In the group discussions, individuals and organisations shared their knowledge, experiences and ideas to boost project initiatives and resolve issues related to the SDGs. The discussions seemed to be a good opportunity for presenters and participants to gain awareness, learn, and make new connections.
