On January 21, 2008, Radish Bo-ya Co., a membership-based company offering home delivery of organic, low-pesticide vegetables and additive-free foods, launched sales of green asparagus grown with renewable energy obtained through Green Power Certificates issued by Green Energy Com. This is the first attempt in Japan to use renewable energy to produce vegetables in a heated greenhouse.

The company normally provides seasonal produce, but to meet customers' demands, it also offers some out-of-season vegetables produced in heated greenhouses. Because heating a greenhouse requires heavy oil or electricity, which leads to global warming, the company discussed the sale of winter asparagus with a farmer.

To solve this problem, the company and the farmer agreed to utilize the Green Power Certification System. With the help of this system, the farmer, who produces asparagus in Showa Village, Tone County, Gunma Prefecture, can reduce his greenhouse gas emissions indirectly by purchasing 5,000 kWh worth of Green Power Certificates, equivalent to the electricity for heating his greenhouse. The renewable energy source in this case is biomass power generated by Yamagata Green Power in Murayama City, Yamagata Prefecture.


- JFS Office Now Wind-Powered! (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/540-e

Posted: 2008/06/06 08:23:23 AM

TAG Energy , Food/Water , Manufacturing industry , Non-manufacturing industry