The Onojo City government (Fukuoka Prefecture, southern Japan) announced on July 20, 2004, its Eco-Office activities for recycling and energy conservation at city hall. The activities, launched in 1999, were able to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 359 tons over the five-year period that ended in March 2004, equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions of 37 people. ). Financially, the office could save utilities and other expenses amounting to 23.15 million yen or U.S.$212,000.

Onojo City developed a five-year plan called the Eco-Office Promotion Project based on its basic environment project in 1998 and carried it out starting the following fiscal year. The city worked to reduce its consumption of utilities and paper, and increase used-paper collection.

Under the five-year plan, the concrete efforts of the city government became part of daily routines. For example, personnel were often reminded "staff should use the regular doors at the entrance (not the electricity-powered automatic door)," "do not waste water," and "use both sides of paper in the office." The city was able to achieve all of its goals except for the goal to reduce paper consumption, because in-house printing increased due to a reduction of outsourced printing.

The city has drastically increased the number of facilities and items targeted under this program, based on the newly established "Onojo City Action Plan Against Global Warming," implemented in fiscal 2004. It aims at reducing CO2 emissions by at least 8 percent, from 4,120 tons (fiscal 2002) by fiscal 2013.



Posted: 2004/12/13 04:06:01 PM
Japanese version

TAG Global warming , Local government , System/Law