Project

Combating global warming in Bunkyo City, Tokyo

This project has started since 2004 to enhance the civil actions to combat climate change, and is co-managed by Bunkyo Environmental Network and Global Environmental Forum.
Its activities are threefold. First is environmental education and making of related teaching or instructional materials.
Second is kids-based energy saving, called ‘Bunkyo Model’. In this component, school kids visit local families and shops, and make recommendations to save energy consumption. It also carries out monthly investigation to monitor the progress. With these kids-based activities, the project encourages the energy saving at the local level.
Third is the ‘fifty-fifty project’. Fifty-fifty project is an activity already common in Germany, which aims to reduce energy consumptions in school buildings. When the energy is saved, part of the reduced cost is paid back to the school from the local authority.
Matsuoka Lab is participating in this project since 2007. The Lab is planning to evaluate the performance of this project based on Development Assistance Committee (DAC) five criteria (effectiveness, efficiency, impact, sustainability and relevance). Also, we plan to find out some models cases in other countries to be applied in Bunkyo City. We will be developing ‘Bunkyo Model’ as a model local initiative to combat global warming.