Copyright Five Times Greener Project (Satoyama 1/3 tsubo unit - three units, including the greens on sides, are equal to one tsubo area.)

A group in Tokyo calling itself the "Five Times Greener Project" ("Gobai Midori" in Japanese) is undertaking a campaign to bring natural vegetation characteristic of village "satoyama" woodlands to people living in the capital through its "One 'Tsubo' (3.3 square meters) of Woodland" campaign, which also aims to conserve these woodlands, formerly managed for firewood, etc., but now degrading due to neglect.

The movement also aims to stimulate economic activity in villages with "satoyama" woodlands, to bring these formerly familiar plants back into the lives of urban people, and to create a substantial growth of green plants in the city through the accumulation of many tiny gardens on balconies and hung from windows.

To promote this movement, the group has developed a gardening kit called the "'Satoyama' Unit," which consists of mixed greenery planted in artificial "Aqua Soil" enclosed in a cubic wire basket. All four sides and the top of the basket are covered with plants to support as much greenery as possible even in a small space. With this unit, urban people can enjoy a wide range of plants in front of their houses, shops and offices or on balconies and patios.

Workshops were also held to offer an opportunity for participants to make their own 20-centimeter cube "Bit of Woodland" in Tokyo in May and July 2005. Afterwards a website was launched to share photographs of participants' creations and their comments on how they have been growing.



Posted: 2005/12/08 11:28:25 AM
Japanese version

TAG Ecosystem , NGO/Citizen