SDGs Learning Program from Forest and Biomass Power Generation in Kamaishi

Recovery Efforts, Biomass Power Generation, and the SDGs through forestry experience

Kamaishi City, Iwate Prefecture, suffered tremendous damage from the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011.
Many people involved in the forestry industry lost their livelihoods due to the massive forest fires that followed the disaster. However, without giving up, the people of Kamaishi helped each other and revived the mountains and the forestry industry. Participants will visit the Kamaishi Unosumii Reconstruction Stadium, which utilizes a large amount of Kamaishi lumber, and is a symbol of the people of Kamaishi's mindset to help each other .

Looking at the forestry industry, there is concern about the large amount of wood left over on the mountains from the logging of trees, such as branches and leaves. The impact affects the fishing industry as well.. In order to reach a more well rounded sustainable society, a wood biomass power generation project is underway at the Kamaishi Steel Works, utilizing wood left over from the forest.

In this program, with the cooperation of the Kamaishi District Forestry Association, which has extensive knowledge of the mountains of Kamaishi, participants will collect branches and leaves at actual logging sites and learn about the woody biomass energy that can be generated from the collected wood. The program also aims to help participants rethink energy consumption in their daily lives and promote change with their usual behavior, in an effort to protect forests and nature.

Program Points
１．
By calculating the amount of biomass power generation based on the wood collected at the site, participants can get the chance of rethinking about their everyday actions toward achieving the SDGs.
2.
Mr. Yukio Takahashi, the director of members of the Kamaishi District Forestry Association, who has been working for the recovery from the earthquake and for the forests of Kamaishi, will be the lecturer. He is a motivational speaker and you will be able to feel the passion for Kamaishi that motivates Mr. Takahashi.

Our Vision of Building a Sustainable Community

"Through tourism, Kamaishi aims not only to attain recovery from the disaster, but also to create a community that will be able to maintain Kamaishi's unique cultural and environmental beauty in the future.
Sustainable tourism designs the industry in the way that is benefitable both for the guests and the hosting community. In the deeper aspect, sustainable tourism challenges to attain sustainability of the community through the maintenances of economy, environment, infrastructures and culture required for tourism industry.
The city of Kamaishi is committed to sustainable tourism, as it undoubtedly contributes to the vision of our community development, realization of a sustainable community for the future.

Our Actions in Sustainable Tourism

Challenging to realize sustainable tourism, in 2016, Kamaishi decided to adopt the international standards for sustainable tourism (GSTC) , and we have continued to work toward this goal.

[Our Actions]
-Destination management (overall planning, operational management, monitoring, etc.)
-Activities to increase the number of employees in the tourism industry (assisting local members in planning tourism programs, training guiding instructors, etc.)
-Providing tourism education to elementary and junior high schools in Kamaishi
-Producing food products for tourists which increase the local procurement rate of tourism consumption through our regional trading company section (Kamaishi Geo-Lunchbox, Sanriku Gelato)
-Story-telling activities of Tsunami and disaster prevention education
-Purchasing forest credits to offset carbon emissions for visitors
-Producing plastic-free events
-Planning and operation of educational programs in collaboration with the University of Iwate and the Ocean Research Institute of the University of Tokyo
-Use of bio-fueled vehicles as company mobility that utilize waste cooking oil of the local restaurants and residences (bio energy), etc.

In recognition of those efforts, the City of Kamaishi was selected as one of the ""Green Destinations Top 100"" in 2018, becoming the first Japanese destination to be listed. In 2019, we also received the Bronze prize of the “Green Destinations Award,"" as the first one to be awarded in Japan.
Since then, the city has continued its efforts to promote sustainable tourism and has been selected as the ""Green Destination Top 100"" for five consecutive years and was the first Japanese recipient of the silver Award of the ""Green Destinations Award"" (as of December 2022).