On October 21, “Environmental forum for the future of Asakura” was held at Fukuoka Prefectural Asakura East Senior High School to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the activities of the “Green Wave Asakura Water Source Forest Executive Committee”, which was established to create a place for youth to protect and nurture nature in Asakura. The forum was co-spnsored by the school, the committee and OISCA. In addition to all students of the school, about 600 people participated in the forum, including foreign trainees from the OISCA Nishi-Nippon Training Center and Mr. URYU Michiaki, President of OISCA Nishi-Nippon Branch/Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Kyushu Electric Power Co., Inc., and also student representatives from Asakura Senior High School and Asakura Koyou Senior High School. Besides, Ms. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Executive Secretary of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, also sent a message of encouragement.
After the introduction of the global green wave initiative through OISCA Children’s Forest Program (CFP) overseas, a panel discussion followed, and representatives of the three schools presented environmental conservation activities at their schools and what they would like to work on for developing with rich of biodiversity in their communities.
At the end of the forum, student representatives handed a declaration of activities to connect the natural environment to the future to Mayor HAYASHI Yuji of Asakura City, pledging to work hand in hand with the local community to create a sustainable society for the future.
2022 Environmental Declaration for the Future of Asakura
Asakura, where we live, is blessed with a rich of diversity in natural environment and water, and is home to a wide variety of living creatures that live and grow in close connection with each other. In the midst of this rich connection of biodiversity, we are blessed with beautiful landscapes and a wide variety of cultures and traditions rooted in the region, and our daily lives in the modern age are made possible. As biodiversity is threatened and the effects of climate change and natural disasters become more serious, individual actions are crucial to protect our irreplaceable hometowns and promote sustainable community development.
We are gathered here as the bearers of these generations. We hereby declare that we will think seriously about how we can protect this rich natural environment and pass on to the future a rich lifestyle and society that lives in harmony with nature, and that we will act accordingly. But it is not something that we students can do alone. We hope that the government and local residents will think together and work together to protect and nurture nature, which is a common asset, throughout the region. Let us all work together to protect our hometown.
This is our “Declaration of Activities to Connect the Natural Environment to the Future that we students will make.
October 21, 2022
All participants of the Environmental
Forum for the Future of Asakura
• We will deepen understanding of local biodiversity through environmental studies and nature experiences
• We will act with interest and pride in our rich natural blessings and traditional culture to make our hometown a more attractive region.
• We will continue to purchase locally produced, locally consumed, and environmentally friendly products, and enjoy and be thankful for the abundance of local food products.
• We will learn about and act on environmentally friendly lifestyles, such as consuming limited resources, saving electricity and water, and reducing and recycling waste.
• We are interested in local issues, and will think about and act on solutions in cooperation with the governmental and community, people close to us.