'Society for Rainwater Use and Greening' Marks 10th Anniversary

The Society for Rainwater Use and Greening, a non-governmental organization and a pioneer among citizens' groups promoting the use of rainwater, marked its tenth anniversary in May 2004. The society was organized by 56 members in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, in 1994, a year when people suffered from water shortages throughout Japan. Since its establishment, the society has been actively engaged in raising citizens' awareness of the use of rainwater and lobbying local governments for more action.

To prevent water shortages in summer, the society encourages individual households to collect and store rainwater, and use it for watering plants, washing cars, flushing toilets and other uses in everyday life. The society emphasizes that storing rainwater also contributes to flood control in urban areas by preventing a large amount of rainwater from surging into sewage systems. As part of its activities, the society offers monthly free consultation about greenery on rooftops and walls to mitigate the heat island effect. Mr. Shoji Usui, a promoter of the organization, says, "Administrative action is slow in coming, but through active involvement of individual citizens, we can expect an early realization of our goal."

In the wake of the disaster caused by heavy rains in Nagoya and its vicinity in the Tokai area in 2000, the membership of the society has jumped to about 3,000 at home and abroad, and an increasing number of companies have begun considering full-scale production of rainwater tanks. Local governments also have started providing active support, such as subsidies for the installation of rainwater tanks.

Although Japan is relatively rich in water resources, there have been nationwide shortages of water in recent years. On the other hand, when it rains heavily, floods occur more often. As a result, people are paying more attention to water resources, and several new citizens' groups have been established aiming for the better use of rainwater. In addition to its domestic activities, the society is now working to help solve water problems in the northern part of China through its participation in a tree-planting project there.



Posted: 2004/09/30 11:50:16 AM
Japanese version