Postcards from Kamikatsu, Japan’s ‘Zero Waste Town’

From Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Julia Mio Inuma / The Washington Post: Kamikatus, Japan, a town of about 1,500 people, is working to become a zero waste community. It has transformed its waste disposal into a system of buying, consuming, and discarding trash and is about 80% of the way towards its goal of reaching carbon neutrality.

Read the original story here.

Issue Areas:

Carbon Usage, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Democracy and Governance

Impact Areas:

Environmental Sustainability

Actors:

Government

Communities Served:

Nature and the Environment

Strategies:

Adopting Public Policies and Legislation, Regeneration

Success Factors:

Community Control and Ownership, Establishing Social Norms, Meeting People Where They Are At, Overcoming the Big Challenges, Resilience

Geographic Region:

Asia

Countries:

Japan

Date:

April 27, 2022

More Resources:

Conversation with Gary Belkin

Gary Belkin is the Director of the Billion Minds Project. Formerly Deputy Health Commissioner for New York City, he founded the Billion Minds Institute to bring policy and practical attention and change for taking on the “social climate” crisis of...

How some low-income buyers can afford a home in pricey Seattle

From Josh Cohen / CrossCut: In Seattle, Homestead Community Land Trust and Habitat for Humanity Seattle-King County help low-income residents buy homes using a community land trust model. Residents who make under 80% of the local median income can purchase...

This is what one of the world’s largest experiments in basic income looks like

From Meaghan Tobin and Márvio Dos Anjos / Rest of World: Mumbuca is a digital currency used in Maricà’s basic income program. Residents, with few eligibility requirements, can qualify for a monthly stipend to purchase goods and services using a...

California helps college students cut their debt by paying them to help their communities

From Gail Cornwall / The Hechinger Report: In an effort to help lower student debt while benefiting the community, the #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program provides 3,200 students with service jobs and pays them $700 a month. Click here to read...

Climate disasters hit poor people hardest. There’s an obvious solution to that

From Sigal Samuel / Vox: An effective way to help those most vulnerable to climate disasters is by providing just-in-time cash transfers right before a disaster hits for them to use as they see fit for resilience and climate change...

Conversation with Luke Shankland

Luke Shankland is a South African/Canadian professional with over 20 years of experience in health tech, focusing on scaling impactful health solutions across Africa. As co-founder and COO of Aviro Health, he has led initiatives that have provided digital health...