Organic cotton made products

by Shoko Sugasawa

I'd like to recommend two products from Eco-Products 2007.

●Touta
My first recommendation is from Ecopro Market Zone.
Touta is a sanitary napkin made from
organic cotton and rags from factory.

Touta has various cute sanitary napkins!

In addition, another beneficial thing about this napkin is that its made from organic cotton and makes it really comfortable !

Why don’t you try these pretty napkins in such blue week which comes once in a month?
They will change your blue days into happy days!


●Sign
Second, hat made from organic cotton.

This pretty bib is a product from “Sign”,
hat brand with environmentally friendly philosophy.
This hat has soft texture and very comfortable, because it is made from organic cotton.

This bib is reversible, and the frog logo is so cute!

It is very important to give safe and eco-friendly products to baby!

Bangladesh-made Jute Bag

by Takeshi Nozawa

"Make a world-known brand from developing country"

Mother House, a company selling jute products made in Bangladesh, has a challenging philosophy.
They try to produce new brand from Bangladesh.

Not just placing order but discussing and coorporating with producers, their products have high quality and fashionable sense.
(Business bag pictures from Mother House website)

You can find a variety of shoulder and hand bags,
pouch, wallet, etc...
All are made of jute.
http://www.mother-house.jp/collection.html

First Mother House has opened in Iriya, Tokyo.
In Eco-Products exhibition, you should check their cool jute products!

Biochip toys?

By Shiro Hosojima.

When I was little, collecting animation figures was a cool thing.

I remember when I moved to states, ghostbusters figure was so cool!

Why not make toys recycable and friendly to earth?

At the special booth of "Future of biomass technology",

there will be company called "M.I.C".

M.I.C makes toy figures and also make environmentally friendly packaging.

They have this new innovation called "biomass chip"

natural resource waste(fallen leaves, wood chips, and etc)=>useful material

What useful material?

Biomass toys, earth block and biomass golf.

Please check out this new technology!

http://www.mic-jpn.com/bio/bio05.htm

Eco-tourism promoting council of Okinawa/ Okinawa prefecture

By: Shoko Sugasawa


There are several reasons that I recommend for you to visit Okinawa. The nature in Okinawa is so amazing. I have canoed around and across Okinawa and encountered amazing waterfalls, unique creatures, and beautiful ocean. I am proud that Okinawa is one of our treasures in our country. But recently, that our treasure has been endangered due to decreases in forest area and polluted seashores.

Okinawa is trying to harmonize the nature by inviting tourist to see the beauty of Okinawa.
This Eco-Tourism has a vision that many people will realize that protecting beauty of Okinawa and around the world is important!
You can see some pictures of the nature in Okinawa!
Please check out their page:
http://www.ecotourism-okinawa.jp/index.htm

Japan East Railways, Power-Generating Floor

(exhibited in Eco-Products 2006)

As part of research aimed at developing more environmentally friendly train stations, is testing an experimental system that produces electricity as people pass through ticket gates. JR claims that this sort of human-powered electricity generation system may provide a portion of the electricity consumed at train stations in the future.

The ticket gate electricity generation system relies on a series of piezo elements embedded in the floor under the ticket gates, which generate electricity from the pressure and vibration they receive as people step on them. When combined with high-efficiency storage systems, the ticket gate generators can serve as a clean source of supplementary power for the train stations.

Busy train stations (and those with large numbers of passengers willing to bounce heavily through the gates) will be able to accumulate a relatively large amount of electricity.

To know more about this, check JFS website.
"Walking on New Power-Generating Floor Creates Electricity"
http://www.japanfs.org/db/1667-e

Japanese Traditional Ecoproduct "Furoshiki"

“Furoshiki” is a traditional Japanese wrapping cloth used to
wrap gifts, clothes, and other goods.

Furoshiki means “bath spread”, deriving from the usage of bundling clothes
at public baths in the Edo Period (1603-1867).
Its usage have then extended to protect goods
when transporting and decorating goods for presents.

Furoshikis are made of silk, cotton, rayon, or nylon.
Furoshiki requires numerous wrapping techniques;
there are many ways and many things that are wrapped with furoshikis.
The wrapping methods vary in size and shape.

Furoshiki was very common since the Nara period (AD 710-794),
known as "Hirazutsumi" back then, but the usage of it has declined
since the postwar period due to the introduction of plastic bags.
Many of the young Japanese people today have negative images
about furoshiki as “bag for old people”.

Recently, past Japanese minister of environment and various environmental
organizations have been promoting active usage of furoshiki.
With rising awareness and environmental trend,
many brands in Japan are collaboratively producing furoshikis
with trendy design and easy instruction where young people can easily wrap
in their own unique style.

Little by little, furoshiki is becoming labeled as
"cool traditional eco-friendly product".

Revival :
New type of "furoshiki" are now revived as fashionable products.
For instance, you can find here PC wrapping furoshiki.
http://assiston.co.jp/?item=231
(only in Japanese)

SANYO Electric Co.,Ltd "Eneloop"

by Shiro Hosojima

I am frequent user of rechargable battery.

I take a lots of photo on the road, and my single reflex lens camera requires battery.

Last year at Eco-Products 2006, Sanyo has displayed and presented great details about their rechargable battery "eneloop".

• It can be used and recharged 1,000 times.

• battery that you don't throw away

Please check out Sanyo's "Think Gaia" page!

SANYO Electric Co.,Ltd

http://www.sanyo.com/

Zephyer Corporation "Air Dolphin"

(exhibited in Eco-Products 2006)

Zephyr has their focus on developing wind energy product with:light weight, low noise, high effieciency, safety, reliability and weartherproof performance, plus superior cost effectiveness.

Air Dolphin is their representive products.

-Suitable for all Condition

1. generating power under conditions ranging from light breeze to gale-force winds.
2. Generating power even in hurricane conditions is something that up until now has been considered too dangerous.
3. Airdolphin actually generates more power in variable wind conditions, even when the average wind speed is small. This revolutionary finding suggests that the Airdolphin can actually be more cost-effective than large wind turbines.
4. The Airdolphin could show new possibilities of small wind turbine generation. The Airdolphin generates 100-120kWh per month for an average wind speed of 6m/s, resulting in an effective annual CO2 reduction of 800Kg / or more.
   

-Size and function

• Low mass, Airdolphin Mark-Zero is only about 17.5kg.This is only 20% of the weight per generated watt of large wind turbines. This light weight also allows the unit to be installed such as on top of your building
  
• Ultra low mass blades,reinforced by a carbon fiber skin of for superior rigidy.This technology allows the turbine to capture wind effectively and respond flexoibly to changing condition
  
• Plays Biomimicry: “silent disrupter blade”. This new blade has has ability to reduced air flow noise. Designer were inspired by the wings of owls that fly almost silently and unnoticed while approaching to its preｙ.
  
• Robust body, and it is constructed with a “no screw”.Make it superb durability in a wide range of weather.
  
• The Power Assist Function also prevents freezing of the rotor due to low temperatures.

“airdolphin" has won Good design award 2005 for its unique appearances.
http://www.g-mark.org/library/2005/ (only in Japanese)

Panasonic "Eco & UD House"

(exhibited in Eco-Products 2006)







Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd, also know as Panasonic,
is well know for excellence of electronic products.

Panasonic uses a version of Factor X that refers to the measurement to achieve a balance between the "improvement of quality of life" from the customer's viewpoint, and the "reduction of environmental impact" over the entire product life cycle.

Quality of Life is defined by number of functions a product performs for

• Safety / Sense of security
• Comfort and convenience
• Versatility and Flexibility
• Universal Design and Flexibility for all environmental impact if found by measuring
• Prevention of global warming (GHG factor)
• Effective use of resources (Resource factor)
• Reduction/elimination in use of specified chemical substances

-What's displayed?

1. fuel-cell co-generation and solar power generation systems
2. green roof the increase energy efficiency, reduce the warming effect of the urban heat islands.
3. House Shelter with High Insulator and Air Tightness Rainwater Pooling System.
4. a self-cleaning air conditioner
5. a hydro-fluorocarbon free refrigerator, a dish washer and a tilted-drum washer
6. dryer which clean with significantly less amount of water and long-life LED lighting devices which virtually do not need to be replaced.

Patagonia "Organic T-shirt & Capilene recycled wear

by Shiro Hosojima











(my favorite Patagonia Organic T-shirt& capilene Long sleeve)

●Why recommended
When I look to purchase T-shirt, I look for:
1.quality
2. Corporate Social Responsbility
3. process of how its mad
4. design and concept

And Patagonia fulfills my requirements!
Patagonia is known for"1% for the planet".
(donate 1% of their annual sales to NGO to contribute
to preserving the environment)
Patagonia is well respected from urban lifestyle to outdoor activities.

http://www.patagonia.com/web/jp/intern_landing.jsp?OPTION=SAR&assetid=15546