[Category Award] GREEN WORK HAKUBA

Hakuba Village Tourism Bureau, General Incorporated Association (Hakuba Village)
Secretary General Fukushima Yojiro (left)

Shinto News Co., Ltd.
Business Producer and Master of Business Administration Enomoto Yuji (right)

With the theme of "Circular Economy," a circular economic model aimed at balancing natural regeneration and economic activity, we are implementing experiential programs and developing community formations aimed at creating a sustainable local economy system that replaces economic models of mass production, consumption and disposal.

The conference invites experts from various fields to study the latest knowledge. During the workshop, people from within and outside the village will gather to discuss specific ideas that can be made in Hakuba Village, present the ideal situation in the region, and aim to implement them.

"In Hakuba Village, tourism has been supported by the village's economy, utilizing the rich natural environment, including the mountains of the Northern Alps and abundant snowfall. However, if this is threatened by climate change, the Tourism Bureau also felt that it would need to take action."

This is what Fukushima Yojiro, secretary general of Hakuba Village Tourism Bureau. What caught my attention was the efforts of Shinto News Corporation, an advertising company headquartered in Nagoya, which has a recreational facility in Hakuba Village and has provided training for new employees. The company, which operates its business with a free-thinking approach that is not exclusively about the advertising business, has previously developed a wide range of businesses, including sustainability and SDGs-themed businesses, and as part of it, it has also conducted research into the circular economy.

"Why not incorporate the idea of ​​circular economy to solve local issues facing Hakuba?"

With this in mind, Fukushima cooperated with the company to promote a project to learn about the circular economy. In September 2020, the four-day resort work program "GREEN WORK HAKUBA Vol.1" was held at the summit of Hakuba Iwatake, which overlooks the village.

The fourth event was held in July 2022, and over 50 experts and practitioners have taken the stage so far. After more than 300 participants have had discussions, various startups have begun to move.

One of these is iForest, a cloud service for semi-custom furniture, launched by participants who will be participating in the program from the first time. We will establish a development and production base mainly in Hakuba Village, and work with foresters, sawmills and furniture craftsmen in the prefecture to create furniture from wood produced in a sustainable manner, thereby halting the devastation of forests, improving the value of forest resources and reconstructing forestry. First, we made modular furniture made from thinning wood from the village. It is also used at Hakuba International School, which opened in September 2022.

Furthermore, CO2 and environmental impacts emitted by the movement of participants from far away have been visualized. In the future, Enomoto says he would like to consider measures to offset CO2.

"Through this program, we hope that participants will take home what they can do in their own area, not just Hakuba Village," Enomoto.

People with diverse opinions and ideas gather together to learn together and think about what the future holds, making Hakuba the sacred site of the circular economy. And make the next generation of children happy. That is the outlook for "GREEN WORK HAKUBA."

"In order to ensure the happiness of children with a future, we need to create a better world and pass it on to the next generation. With this award, I hope that people all over the world will be able to learn about the efforts of various businesses to make a sustainable and enjoyable future," says Fukushima.