Date : October 27, 2011
Notice: Low Carbon City – Yokohama City Press Tour (October 27, 2011)
post date : 2013.08.22
- Japan’s first test demonstration of a future-oriented ultra-compact mobility vehicle -
- Citizens’ power supporting anti-global warming education -
Yokohama, a government-designated environmental model city, has been leading and promoting anti-global warming measures, trying to become a most-advanced environmentally friendly city that aims at achieving a low carbon societyespecially by drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
As a strategic model project to create a sustainable low carbon city, Yokohama, in cooperation with five private companies including Nissan Motors Co., Ltd. and Panasonic Corporation, has been trying to establish an EMS (energy management system) that optimizes energy supply and demand by using IT. The city has also been promoting the building of a leading system of anti-global warning measures: the “Yokohama Smart City Project,” which is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and introducing renewable energy on a large scale; and the “YOKOHAMA Mobility ‘Project ZERO’ (YMPZ),” a five-year (2009-2013) comprehensive motor traffic policy, which, conducted in collaboration with Nissan Motors, is intended to encourage the spread of eco-friendly driving and electric cars.
As Yokohama produces a large amount of greenhouse gas emissions from its citizens’ daily lives and their business activities, each citizen or company (corporate citizen) is required to select an activity to which emission control can be consciously applied. Yokohama is therefore trying to prepare an environment in which citizens, companies, and the city government can work together on anti-global-warming measures.
The tour will cover Japan’s first test demonstration of the ultra-compact mobility vehicle (a Nissan-made two-seater ultra-compact electric vehicle) to be conducted as part of the “YOKOHAMA Mobility ‘Project ZERO’ (YMPZ),”and if it is fine, participants can ride in a car themselves. We will then visit an elementary school in Yokohama to cover children running a solar car, a lesson carried out as part of the energy-related environmental education in collaboration with NPO citizens.
* Website of Yokohama City http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/en/
*YOKOHAMA Mobility ”Project ZERO” (YMPZ) http://www.city.yokohama.lg.jp/ondan/ympz/
*The City of Yokohama hosts this tour and FPCJ cooperates with the planning and conducting the tour.
【Presentations】
1. YOKOHAMA Mobility “Project ZERO” (YMPZ): Test demonstration of ultra-compact electric vehicle
- For the first time in Japan, the future-oriented Nissan ultra-compact two-seater electric vehicle runs in public roads in Motomachi -
Yokohama City and Nissan Motors Co., Ltd. have been working together on the YOKOHAMA Mobility ”Project ZERO” (YMPZ), a five-year (2009-2013) joint project concerning a comprehensive motor traffic policy including the spread of eco-friendly driving and electric cars, with a view to promoting the next-generation traffic intended for a low-carbon society. They are collaborating in this project, particularly because transportation accounts for about 20% of all greenhouse gas emissions.
In this fiscal year, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism designated Yokohama City as a test demonstration area for city building making extensive use of eco-cars. Japan’s first test demonstration of the two-seater ultra-compact electric car will be conducted. This future-oriented ultra-compact vehicle developed and provided by Nissan Motors is a completely new vehicle that is running only here. Being easy to drive and safer than a two-wheel vehicle, it is expected to secure easy mobility in urban districts including residential and commercial areas and also in sightseeing areas. The vehicle is also expected to be used as a means of transportation when cities and towns in Eastern Japan are moved to higher ground after the reconstruction from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In this coming demonstration, six cars will be used for test driving including car-sharing in the hilly Yamate/Motomachi area to collect road-running data and other information.
The tour will visit the Motomachi area where the test demonstration is being conducted, look at the cars, make interviews with participating citizens and people from Nissan Motors, and then try a test drive.
*Note: The test drive may be cancelled if the weather is bad. If you ride in a vehicle, we are sorry but you will need to sit in the rear as driving requires some prior training.
2. Environmental Education Class: Soft Energy Project (NPO) / Kohoku Elementary School
- Pioneer of environmental education runs solar cars in elementary schools -
The Soft Energy Project is a pioneer non-profit organization which originally gave environmental classes in public schools in Kanagawa Prefecture in the latter half of the 1990s. It has already given lectures to more than 1,000 schools in and out of Kanagawa Prefecture. This organization offers environmental studies in which students can learn about global warming, natural energy and energy saving through experiencing them. Elementary school students can learn about energy obtained from the heat or light of the sun, by riding solar cars or cooking meals using solar cookers.
City-run elementary schools in Yokohama are putting emphasis on environmental education. In this fiscal year, Kohoku Elementary School in Kohoku Ward has been conducting classes on the theme of energy. As part of this, the school is conducting a class with the NPO.
The tour will visit Kohoku Elementary School and meet Ms. Kazuko Sato, President of the Soft Energy Project (NPO), who says, “After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, changes have been observed in children’s responses.” We will also meet the school principal to ask her opinion about environmental education for the children. The tour will then attend a real class.
【Tour itinerary and application details】
1. Itinerary (Tentative): Thursday, October 27, 2011
12:20 Meet at Myorenji Station of the Tokyu Toyoko Line (East Exit---on the side of the platform for trains to Yokohama)
12:45-13:30 Briefing on environmental education class in Kohoku Elementary School
13:30-14:15 Attend a class
(Move by chartered bus)
Speakers and Interviewees: Anti-global warming education in Yokohama
- Mr. Tomoyasu SHODA, Policy coordinator, Coordination Division, Planning and Coordination Department, Climate Change Policy Headquarters, City of Yokohama
- Ms. Kuniko SASAKI, School Principal, Kohoku Elementary School in Yokohama City
- Ms. Kazuko SATO, President, Soft Energy Project (NPO)
---
(Facilitator)
- Ms. Atsuko MIYATANI, Manager for Media Liaison, Secretary Division, Secretary Department, Policy Bureau, City of Yokohama
15:00-15:30 Briefing on test demonstration of a future-oriented ultra-compact mobility vehicle at Motomachi Shopping Street
See vehicles
15:30-16:00 Try a test drive
16:00-16:30 Q and A session with Yokohama City and Nissan
Wrap up and disperse
Speakers and Interviewees: Test Demonstration of a Future-oriented Ultra-compact Mobility Vehicle
- Mr. Hiroaki NISHIJIMA, Assistant Manager of Project Promotion Division, Planning and Coordination Department, Climate Change Policy Headquarters, City of Yokohama
- Mr. Noriaki MORIYAMA, Project Promotion Division, Planning and Coordination Department, Climate Change Policy Headquarters, City of Yokohama
- Kenichi YAGISHITA, ZEV Strategy Group, Global Zero Emission Business Unit, NISSAN MOTOR CO.,LTD.
2. Qualification: Bearer of Gaimusho Press Registration Card
3. Cost: Free of charge
4. Participants: Limited to the first 10 applicants on a first-come first-served basis.
(Only one reporter and one photographer from each company, but two participants from each TV team will be acceptable.)
5. FPCJ Contact: Ms. Chika Yoshida / Mr. Yano (Tel: 03-3501-3405)
6. Remarks:
(1) There may be some restrictions on photographing and filming at the tour sites. Please follow the instructions of the officials on duty.
(2) FPCJ and the City of Yokohama will not be liable for any inconvenience, trouble or accident that might occur in the course of the tour.