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Life Onboard |
LAST UPDATE
February 28, 2007
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| February 7, 2007 |
Aiming for Zero Wars and Zero Garbage: Helping Transform Banking and Concert-Going - Masaki Kimura |
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| Despite his youth, Masaki Kimura has a wealth of skills, experiences, and ideas |
If the 20th century were summed up in one word, it might be “destructive,” because it saw more whole-scale wars, conflicts, and degradation of the environment than any century before it. What will the 21st century be like? Peace Boat has been inviting a number of guest educators to join the 55th voyage and share their visions and concrete proposals for making this a century of sustainability, happiness, and wholesome participation in society. Young Masaki Kimura of two organizations called Community Bank MOMO and A SEED JAPAN was one of them. Through his lectures and workshops, participants had a chance to learn about progressive concepts such as eco-banking, starting up businesses that genuinely serve their communities, and zero-garbage events. |
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| Saving money in NPO banks can help keep people who oppose war from inadvertently funding it |
Though it may not be immediately apparent, war and banking are linked, Mr. Kimura told audiences. When you deposit money in a regular commercial bank, your money will often be used to either purchase government bonds that help fund wars, or to finance companies that have little concern about the welfare of people or the environment. Even if you oppose war, and even if you dislike the exploitative nature of some companies, you cannot keep the money you deposited from flowing into them. Mr. Kimura himself once worked in a regular commercial bank, but quit because he did not feel comfortable with this aspect of his work. When the funding for war dries up, wars themselves will start to disappear too, Mr. Kimura realized. To offer people the opportunity to save their money in an institution that upholds the values of peace and social responsibility, Mr. Kimura helped set up a non-profit bank called MOMO one year ago and has raised enough money to start lending it to other NPOs, fair trade enterprises, and companies that genuinely help meet the needs of communities. “There are a lot of people who want to contribute to their community. If they invest in NPO banks and practice social investment, the whole economy itself will start to become more friendly to the environment,” he explained. |
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| Through the Zero Garbage Navigation project, a mountain of of plastic bottles will turn into plastic bags rather than trash |
Besides making war disappear, Mr. Kimura has a keen interest in making garbage disappear. Through a program called “Zero Garbage Navigation,” started by the non-profit A SEED JAPAN, he and hundreds of volunteers have turned garbage-littered landscapes at popular outdoor music events into sites of dynamic social participation and eco-awareness. “In the Zero Garbage Navigation program, volunteers don't pick up garbage,” he explained. “Even though it's important, as long as there is a system that is generating trash, it doesn't solve the fundamental problem. We have to change the system itself. “A SEED JAPAN did that by creating a system in which all concert-goers could actively and consciously participate in creating a garbage-free event. To do that, they passed out “Zero Garbage” campaign bags at the entrance to music events, and set up recycling stations staffed by friendly, fun-loving volunteers who guide concert-goers in separating their own garbage into recyclables. Plastic bottles that are collected through the program then get turned into plastic bags for the next year's event, while paper cups get turned into toilet paper. “Each one of us should participate in society,” said Mr. Kimura. “Through Zero-Garbage Navigation, audiences can learn how to participate in society through events and activities.” |
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According to Mr. Kimura, what motivates his involvement in the Zero Garbage Navigation Project and the MOMO NPO bank is his desire to live a happy and fulfilling life through maximizing the power of individuals. “Therefore, I'd like to increase the number of people involved in activities that help the world,” he said. This mission, combined with specific programs to help carry it out, is helping to show countless others that it's possible to guide the 21st century toward peace and sustainability through ordinary activities such as banking and concert-going. To learn more about MOMO, and Zero-GarbageNavigation, contact Mr. Kimura at www.kimura-office.net or masaki(at)kimura-office.net. |
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