We compared photographs of the Shimagare phenomena was seen in Mt.Shimagare in North Yatsugatake. The photos were taken from approximately the same position during 80 years from 1931 to 2010. The extensive move of the Simagare phenomena was determined by the balance between the velocity with the dead trees belt widens towards the mountain ridgeline and the velocity with which the young and mature trees belt widens upward and invades the below part of the dead trees one. These respective widening velocities are related to the annual mean air temperatures which have cyclic ups and downs every 50 years. When the annual mean air temperature becomes high, the dead trees belts and the young and mature trees belts widen respectively. And, when the annual mean temperature becomes low, the Shimagare phenomena comes to a standstill. The effects of the wind caused by the Isewan Typhoon didn’t extend the Shimagare phenomena expect the occurrence of fallen trees, which can be clearly distinguished from Shimagare phenomena which shows the fluctuation and movement of width of the dead trees belt.

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This report describes development of an environmental learning program in Yamanashi Prefecture. A salient feature of this program is that it uses intelligent teaching materials related to local energy data and local environmental policies. In November 2010, a course of a total of three school hours of instruction was held for 58 schoolchildren in late elementary grades. The lesson title was “Carbon Dioxide Zero Yamanashi”. The long term goal was to make the amount of carbon dioxide emissions zero by 2050. The relation between energy and daily life must be acknowledged to understand a low-carbon society through experiential study and slide study. Results showed that the schoolchildren’s environmental awareness increased, as evidenced by comparison of responses obtained before and after a trail lesson. The teachers in charge received good evaluation for a story that brought worldwide scale problems to a more familiar scale. A booklet version and rough mapping of the Yamanashi environmental program, which were created based on verification of a trial lesson, were distributed to all the elementary schools in Yamanashi in March 2011. All the data were posted on the Yamanashi Prefecture web site. Expansion of environmental learning programs is necessary to create a sustainable society.

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The purpose of this study is to analyze economic efficiency and environmental friendliness with the object of cast iron manufacturing process by the cupola furnace and the induction furnace. To estimate the environmental friendliness, having CO₂ discharge as objective, the hybrid LCA method is used.
Regarding of economic efficiency, by means of the initial investment, difference will be realized by the cupola furnace and the induction furnace of the same scale. However, the percentage that the initial investment occupies is small when we look 12 years of durable year in view, and it is operational costs that occupy most of the cost. In the case of the cupola furnace, it will be affected by coke costs and the ratio of the coke.
In the environmental facet, the apparent superiority of the induction furnace has been clarified. The difference caused by the operation is large, and the difference caused by the equipment is small. As a result of estimation of the load of foundry and forging works as intermediate goods, it was suggested that it had been extremely smaller than it as the final goods.

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Biomass is expected as renewable and carbon-neutral energy to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels and CO2 emission. The useful representative biomasses in Japan are garbage and animal waste as wet-biomass, and unutilized wood such as logging residue. The energy of wet-biomass is recovered by methane fermentation, and woody biomass is utilized by combustion and gasification. However, in Japan, the utilizing business of biomass is very difficult because it is usually unprofitable. Therefore, economy and effectiveness of that are analyzed and discussed for practical use of biomass on the basis of the differences between successful and unsuccessful cases.

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In order to evaluate economic, environmental and social impacts for induced effects on biomass projects, main projects and induced projects of Maniwa city were counted respectively by using a biomass accounting form. Biomass related projects for woody biomass in Maniwa city including 10 main projects and 7 induced projects were evaluated. Date obtained through the research in Maniwa city were input in a biomass accounting table, and ‘economic balance’, ‘CO₂ balance’, ‘annual number of participants in biomass events’, and etc. were calculated and displayed automatically. Analysis of the results showed that the cost and the income for the induced projects were smaller compared with those for the main projects, although the economic and environmental efficiency of the whole system was comparatively high. Display of impacts for induced effects on biomass town project lead to potential for the creation of new induced projects. Biomass accounting form can be an effective tool for supporting accountability of municipalities.

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In order to clarify the influence factor for cooperative behaviors required for business economic efficiency of woody biomass utilization projects, we conducted a questionnaire survey for both establishments (enterprises) and citizens in Maniwa City, Okayama which is a city with advanced woody biomass projects and Asakura City, Fukuoka and its surrounding regions where biomass businesses have just started. As a result of the analysis, it was found that establishments and citizens in Maniwa act more cooperatively and highly motivated than those in Asakura and its surroundings, although little difference exists in general behavior characteristics between them. It would appear that high degree of cooperation in Maniwa comes from biomass utilization projects, not from regional characteristics. Asakura region has the potential to improve people’s cooperative behaviors depending on its efforts.
People’s awareness of effects on the regional community brought by the biomass utilization projects also has a huge impact on both enterprises and citizens. Further, an important matter is consideration of management and price or ease of use for establishments and citizens respectively.
In order to promote regional cooperative behaviors, it is important to clarify the regional effect of biomass utilization projects. Even if it does not create direct demand, people’s secondary demand can be promoted by the town development vision involving citizens and improvement of the corporate image, and thereby promotion of enterprise behaviors can be expected. Since the influence factors are different between introduction and developing periods, it is preferable to have a vision as appropriate to the stage of development.

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