The Archbishop of Canterbury in Copenhagen

The Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. Rowan Williams was in Copenhagen on 12-13 Dec.
The sermon
Some photos
An interview

At the Conference Center

Yesterday I went to Bella Center, the conference center of COP15, to do registration.

Survival of the Fattest

Next to the famous statue of "the Little Mermaide", there is a statue of "Survival of the Fattest". A very fat woman is carried by a thin man on the shoulder. The woman carries a scale on her hand, a symbol of justice. Her feet is above the water, but the man is half in the water. The board nearby says,

"I'm sitting on the back of a man.
He is sinking under the burden.
I would do anything to help him.
Except stepping down from his back."

Very nice. I praise the city official's decision to allow them to put such ironical sculpture at the most famous sightseeing spot.
For the information about those who made it, go http://www.sevenmeters.net/.

(K. Iwao)

Glass and PET bottles carry a peculiar recycling mark. Although I am not sure about details, there seems to be a deposit system. There is a collecting machine located in a supermarket. You put the empty bottle, the machine reads the information from the label, and you get a receipt. Probably you can show the receipt to the cashier and get a refund. I have not tried yet. There are also big black collection containers on the road corner. This one does not have such refund system. Just a container.

(K. Iwao)

Heating

   It is rather cold outside (not as much as I imagined, not freezing, but still it is very cold). However, inside buildings it is nicely warmed up. In the hotel room, I can be wearing just a T-shirt. What I found strange is that there is no obvious heat source in the room. It is not like warm wind blowing from the ventilator, or hot pipe whirling along the wall. I'm sure it is there, but I don't see any localized heat source. The whole building is just warm, and it is very comfortable, much nicer than my home. My feet are not cold, my head not overheated.
(K. Iwao)

Bike in Copenhagen

   Bike (=bicycle) is a major transportation mode in the city of Copenhagen. There is bike road along almost every road. You can bring your bike into subway (you need to pay for your bike). Bike-parking stand is everywhere.
   Average bike speed seems very high, so you need to know the rules such as hand signs when you turn the corner. There are many "tri-cycles" that have pretty big "front-seat" with wind shield and two wheels, in which big baggage or small kids can fit.

 

(K. Iwao)

Walk day

Conference of Youth 5 turns out to start on 5 Dec. So we just walked around the city of Copenhagen all day (4th Dec). There are some exhibits in a park.

I just found that the Archbishop of Canterbury will visit Copenhagen on 12th and 13th of Dec.  Too bad we have no chance to see him.

To COP15

Yugo, Can and I will be leaving on this Thursday to go to Copenhagen. There will be Conference of Youth from 4 - 6 December, which the students will take part in. We can attend COP15 only on 7 Dec. but it should be exciting anyway.

K. Iwao

Memories

I made a short movie from the clips I had. It is not covering all the programs, but still a good memory.

Enjoy.

The Road to COP15

I've been trying to find a way to send our students to Copenhagen to participate in COP15, the climate change conference held in this December, but it seems not so easy.

At the same time, I am overwhelmed by the fact that so many youth are actively involved in international activities. There are so many conferences, events, campaigns, and I knew none of them.

For example, there was Tunza International Children and Youth Conference in Daejeon, Korea from 17 to 23 August 2009. The Conference brought together 750 participants comprising 550 children and their chaperones, and 200 youth from 106 countries. The theme of the conference was Climate Change: Our Challenge. 

Also there was a Global Action Week on Climate Change, which turns out to be from 20 to 25 September 2009, exactly when we were in the ISC program without knowing it at all. The campaign is led by UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme.

The ISC2009 was great. It was a great experience for me and for all participants. But from global perspective, it is like re-inventing a wheel. We should not be satisfied with just making a statement. There is so much more to do. And they are waiting for you to join.

K. I.

Japanese statement revised

The Momoyama Statement will be published in Andrew's Cross, the campus magazine. When asked to check the manuscript, I partly revised the Japanese translation of the statement. There were some obvious mistakes. Also "We demand", "We commit" etc. are translated. I upload the revised version here.

Momoyama Statement in Japanese ver. 2 (512KB)

I thought I should consult with all of you participants, but they had to hurry to get the manuscript. I apologize for doing it alone. The article should be great.

Regards,

The Archbishop and us!

Look at the nice picture!!!

http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/2545


;->

Philippines FLOOD!

"Philippines flood survivors count blessings"
CNN link


Francis, Jonathan, I hope you are okay. Let us know how you are doing.

K. Iwao

Momoyama Statement

I uploaded the "Momoyama Statement" files, the original and the Japanese translation, in PDF format. Although I will make a page for the statement eventually, please use these for now.

Momoyama Statement (English, PDF 184KB)
Momoyama Statement in Japanese (PDF 140KB)


;-)

Video : Wai-Wai Village

Mr. Akamatsu, the video guy, uploaded a video clip of the first day of our field trip to Kisen Wai-Wai Village. Take a look.

Akamatasu Video Library
http://mikunigaokakk7.homeip.net/NishinomiyaVideoClub/AkamatsuLibrary/AkamatsuMenu.htm
(WMV format, 135MB)

Thank you, Akamatsu-san!

To the members: If you have uploaded photos, video clips or text, let IWAO know. We can share the information using this blog.

Big success!

It was a big success! The Archbishop of Canterbury will bring our statement to COP15. Our commitment is going to be known by the world.

2009/09/25 Day 13, the Final Day

Today is the day. Let's make it OUR day.

In the morning,
- Finalize the presentation and statement,
- Make some decisions about the preparation of the REPORT,
- Find your own PC, AC adapter, ID card, card reader, and the bag,
- Return books and DVDs to the owner,
- We must vacate the chapel meeting room before lunch.

In the afternoon,
- 14:00-16:00 International Forum at the Canterbury Hall
- 17:00-18:00 Memorial service by the Archbishop of Canterbury at the Andrew Square
- 18:30-19:00 Presentation to the Archbishop of Canterbury at John's Hall
- 19:30- LET'S PARTY! at the chapel meeting room

2009/09/24 Day 12

WORKSHOP 3

2009/09/23 Day 11

WORKSHOP 2

- Revise the statement
- Learn the difference between local and global pollution
- Learn about sustainable development
- Include these points and finalize the statements
- Decide who will give the presentation to the Archbishop of Canterbury

Tough and long day.

2009/09/22 Day 10

WORKSHOP 1

- What the participants have leared until yesterday.
- Revising Students' Statement draft

Starting today, we are going to have three-day workshop led by Prof Joyashree Roy. It is going to be a big challenge for the students. A lot of brain work. Long and heated discussions.
This is the next level they must conquer. After this, they will be completely different, I believe.

2009/09/21 Day 9

FIELD TRIP: Koya-san (Mt. Koya)
- Saw GARAN and other buildings led by two young foreign researchers.
- Went to the REIHOUKAN museam.
- Lecture on Kukai and his thoughts on nature by Prof. Chisho Namai of Koyasan University.

2009/09/20 Day 8

Field Trip to Matsuoji Temple

- Planted 5 cherry trees in memorial of this program.
- Cut some bamboo trees to experience the maintenance activities.
- Made bamboo fence using the cut bamboo trees.
- Took a walk in the forest.

The forest behind the Matsuoji Temple is maintained by the cooperation among local government officials, volunteering university students and local NPO. The bamboo forest was densely crowded before thinning started by the NPO and volunteers.
Spreading bamboo is a big problem in many places in Japan. It invades neighboring forest and monopolize the area. Proper management by thinning and elimination is necessary to control the expansion, but local government or land owners do not have enough resource to do it. Cooperation with volunteer citizen is one way to promote such management.

At night, Prof. Joyashree Roy has arrived.

2009/09/19 Day 7

At Kisen Wai-Wai Village :
- Video presentation by Indian exchange student about massive soil erosion happening along Ganges River.
- Make curry for lunch with wood stove.

Back on campus :
- Discuss how to prepare a draft of the students' declaration on environment
- Establish a drafting committee


We woke up late, and we were slow to make breakfast. We had to cut the scheduled lecture on biodiversity. But the meeting on campus went well without faculty guidance. They have started moving.

2009/09/18 Day 6

Today's program: FIELD TRIP to Kisen Wai-Wai Village

- Make your own bamboo chopsticks with a knife.
- Nature Bingo; A game to look for something in nature that fits various descriptions.
- Make your own supper using wood stove to experience a life of old days.
- Evening lecture: How they teach kids about environment and nature.

Situated in a mountainous area, this place re-creates a village of old Japan, about 60 to 100 years ago. Most buildings are made of wood and straw. We have to use wood stove to cook, and we have to burn firewood to make hot bath. Lots of insects, frogs, snakes, fish and other animals inhabit in and around the area.

Students really enjoyed the life in the countryside.

After the evening lecture, around midnight, students sit together and talked for hours about their feelings and problems they have, and exchanged their thoughts on how they should be at this stage of this camp. After many hours of input, they are feeling the need of output. I can hear the change of shifting gear.

2009/09/17 Day 5

Today's program:

FIELD TRIP 3: Sakai Eco-Town

- Kinki Environmental Industry Co., LTD.

- Kansai Saisigen Network

- Osaka Green Eco-Plaza

SESSION 3: Lectures

3-1. "Global environment viewed from the sky" (by Tateo YOSHIDA, JAL)

3-2. "The Historical Origin and Structure of Forest Devastation in Japan" (by Suehisa OOKURA, MGU)

NIGHT SESSION

National report presentations of the U.S., EU and Nepal.

Since students were always so eager to ask questions, we ran out of time at every field trip location and after every lecture or presentation. The whole day seemed to be packed without any spare time. We finished the last presentation at 9:50pm, but even after that, students were eager to have a discussion in their group before they fill their personal reflection sheets. I am really, really happy to see such enthusiasm among them. (K. Iwao)

2009/09/16 Day 4

FIELD TRIP 2:  
Honda Motor Co., Ltd., Suzuka Factory
(Suzuka city, Mie Prefecture)

On their way in the bus, they watch DVDs

• "Tonari no TOTORO" (TOTORO, the neighbor)
• "SATOYAMA" (made by NHK)

to learn about the close relationship between human lives in Satoyama and the organisms living in the environment.


NIGHT SESSION:
National reports and reflections

2009/09/15 Day 3

Today's program:
FIELD TRIP 1:  Daiei Environmental Company
- Izumi Recycle Center
- Izumi Landfill
- Izumi Recycle Nature Park

SESSION 2: Lectures
2-1. History of pollution in Japan
 (by Prof. Kaori FUJITA, MGU)
2-2. Wastes Problems and Recycling Policies in Japan
(by Prof. Kazuki TAKETOSHI, MGU)

NIGHT SESSION
- Reports from students: China, Japan (Energy use & CO2 emission)

The last student from Philippines has joined us, so we have 22 all students.

2009/9/14 Day 2

Today's program:
- Discussion on our goals and expectations
- A lecture on human development and environmental sustainability
- Watch movie "The Inconvenient Truth"
- Campus & PC tech orientation
- Presentation of environmental issues in India, Korea, Japan, Canada and the world.
- Discussion and reflection of "The Inconvenient Truth"

2009/9/13 Day 1: Let it begin

It is finally here. Students are coming. We are ready to run.

Hope this would be a happy and fruitful opportunity for all of us.

Waste = Resource

Today Chaplain ISO and I went to the waste management company Daiei Environmental Company near our university to rehearsal the ISC field trip program scheduled on September 15.

It was a remarkable experience! I have taught many times how industrial waste is handled, but never REALLY knew how it is done. This must be a really good experience for any students interested in environmental issues in our society.

The official blog now open!

Here is "the International Study Camp 2009 in Osaka" official blog!!

We are going to use this to keep track of what's happening and what participants are thinking in the program.

Enjoy.