Biodiverse World Film Festival: Mt. Fuji Eco Village Connects To A Greener World
Geschreven op 22-10-2010 - Erik van Erne. Geplaatst in Natuur
In the shadow of Japan’s famed peak lies a sustainable community cultivating over 250 organic crops.
When the Konohana Family Farm was established around 16 years ago in the shadow of Japan’s picturesque Mount Fuji, its handful of founding members did not even know that the concept of an eco-village existed.
Today, this sustainable community is home to more than 60 people who cultivate over 250 rice and vegetable crops across 16 hectares in Shizuoka prefecture’s Fujinomiya City, 2.5 hours west of Tokyo.
Furthermore, Konohana’s organic, seasonal, vegetarian and bio-diverse agricultural practices are now being taught to fledgling eco-villages in Japan and across the Asia-Pacific.
Environmental scientist Michiyo Furuhashi (featured in the video brief that accompanies this article) joined this ‘family’, whose relationships are based more on kindredness of spirit than genetic connections, back in 2007.
“The previous work I did was very interesting, but in the end I felt that practicing a sustainable lifestyle was more important than gaining a steady income. That’s the reason why I joined Konohana,” she told Our World 2.0.
Furuhashi is now a certified eco-village trainer. She recently attended the 4th International Eco-Village Conference held in Tokyo in May 2010, along with participants from the United States, the Philippines, India, China and Korea, among other countries. Together with one of Konohana’s founders, Isadon, she shared her knowledge on how to build and maintain a sustainable community from the ground up.
United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity: Nagoya Biodiversity Conference COP10 – 2010: UN International Year of Biodiversity – Jaar van de Biodiversiteit – United Nations: Video Global Biodiversity Outlook 3 – TEEB: The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity – Midori biodiversity prizewinners announced: John Lemire, Gretchen Daily and Emil Salim win $100.000 each
