In this study, two surveys (I and II) were conducted with the aim of understanding the behaviors that people recognize as good or bad for the environment in their daily activities, as well as clarifying how people’s perception is affected by the provision of information on environmental load.

In Survey I, respondents were in an open-ended format to answer three questions about what they thought was good/bad/unclear about the environment in each of six areas such as transportation.

In Survey II, we focused on “local production and consumption,” which many people recognized as being good for the environment in Survey I. The results of life cycle assessment (LCA) for three cases were used: i) outdoor cultivation, ii) greenhouse cultivation, and iii) outdoor cultivation abroad and imported. G1 showed all three cases (i, ii, iii), while G2 (i and iii) and G3 (i and ii) showed only two cases to highlight the environmental impacts of transportation and greenhouse cultivation, respectively. Groups exposed to partial information (G2, G3) tended to be unconvinced by the information, while groups exposed to complete information (G1) were more likely to be “surprised” by the information and to change their initial perception.

This study analyzed location features related to ground-mounted photovoltaic facilities in Yamanashi prefecture. The Ordinance on the Proper Installation and Maintenance of Photovoltaic Facilities has been enforced since October 2021. Rapid introduction of large photovoltaic arrays have caused disaster prevention, environmental, and landscape difficulties. This study targets ground-mounted systems and does not include building-mounted systems. Using Google Earth, photovoltaic array installation locations were visually identified by surrounding them as polygons. The estimated polygonal areas were 5.212 km² and 0.12％ of the total area. High positive correlations were obtained for the relation between the estimated area and statistical introduction of 10 kW or larger arrays by 23 municipalities. Overlay analysis was applied using land use data to assess the photovoltaic array usage. Some photovoltaic arrays were located in sediment disaster alert areas, especially on steep slopes. Locations included in the hazard maps would require emergency response. The results of an oral survey conducted in Yamanashi prefecture showed that, although the ordinance has a restraining effect, monitoring, maintenance, and removal are the most important issues for community safety. Information sharing of such data with related organizations is necessary for future policymaking.