It is July once again, and I am reviving a challenge I gave myself this time last year: to participate in Plastic Free July. Of course, the global pandemic has led to a steep increase in single-use plastics and zero-contact transactions, making last year’s game plan effectively useless. This year I’ll see where I can make environmentally-friendly choices while still staying safe.
This last post is going live on the anniversary of Chernobyl, an oft-referenced event that has nothing and everything to do with Fukushima. Global concerns about nuclear energy persist as the Japanese government continues cleanup and looks to alternative fuel sources. The request we were left with from residents was this: go home and tell everyone what a wonderful place Fukushima still is.
Despite decontamination efforts, some farmers in Fukushima are having trouble bouncing back because of widespread skepticism around claims of safety. The local economy is shifting to include green technology, but it remains to be seen if Fukushima can ever shake its stigma. While the government would like to put the accident in the past, there are some who don’t want it forgotten or excused.
I was hesitant to join an Exclusion Zone tour but not because of radiation: I didn’t want to seem like an insensitive tourist gawking at a disaster. I ultimately went so I could speak with the people who lived there and share their stories. Here is what we heard from people who lived through it – it was both sadder and more hopeful than I expected.
Last week got off to quite a start with Greta Thunberg shaming the world’s adults into taking action for the climate at the United Nations. I was amazed by her speech, her poise, and her bravery, but I was saddened by the fact that she had to be there in the first place. What can we do to answer her call to action?