Mirro mirro on the wall *鏡よ鏡*

Dear nOmaDs,

I am not an architect nor a city planner, but i know how difficult it is living in a city as a naturist, no not the one who takes off the clothes...

Some cities are well made kept beautifully with fine balance of nature in the city center. Takes a great courage for the city to do so when they can make easy money out of utilizing that space for commercial purposes.
My respect for all the cities around the world which keeps their city sweet and green.
For example recent redevelopment of ruined railway track in NYC, aka High line, is role model of how the green enriches the city. I love it! (pic in OUR VISION)

Keeping it green has many intangible benefits that money can't buy,
*It relax and comfort people/animals who lives around.
*Watching water just makes your mind calm.
*Keeps the city cool in summer.
*Watching little squares running around keep your heart warm in winter.
*Provides O2(oxygen) and reduces CO2(carbon dioxide) = cleanse air.
*Makes you feel people are part of ecosystem, especially to kids.
*You are not bored just sitting in the green...

Nature is a great heal to human, 
I am sure someone calculated the psychological impact for the work efficiency or ROI. Let me know if you know.

The building technologies are improving, buildings are higher and wider. 
Less spaces to breath and more ruled by shadows. Walking in midtown NYC you wouldn't tell the current weather nor what time it is in daytime.

The access to sunlight is essential to human, both physically and mentally.
You nomads living in UK know exactly what I mean.

Here's an idea to improve city living...
Utilize more mirrors to the city development. 
Mirrors placed on the top or side of the high building to shine sunlight to behind or shadow side.
Maybe there should be a rule for skyscraper owners to provide neighbors the access to sunlight by placing a gigantic mirrors to cover the direct light loss.  
Save electricity for lighting up darker colder rooms.
Shouldn't be that hard? It's no rocket science, its just a mirror on the wall.

Let the sun also rises to the people living in a shadow.

Our guerilla activity +ゲリラ活動+

Dear nOmaDs,
Sometimes you can't just sit there and wait for things to improve.
Need to get up and dirty your hands to make it happen.

One of the globalnOmads activity is 
"Guerrilla seeding".
Yes, we go out there and seed trees to greener our world!

If you like to start,
consult with your local specialist what trees best suit the environment and condition of your target area.
For me, living in one of the biggest and busiest city in the world , 
I was recommended Platanus or Carpinus.
It needs to be really tough to live in urban condition. Deal with the concrete jungle...imagine the heat...air they have to breath...dehydration...and flood when it rains bit harder...

Recent study showed,
River Tamagawa of Tokyo, aka before "the poison river you don't want to touch", is recovering drastically and many local fishes are returning from sea. 
Now became one of the cleanest river running in cities worldwide with BOD* 1.6mg/l. 30 years ago it was 11mg/l.

Look at the other major rivers around the world,
~London River Theme: BOD 5.7mg/l
~Paris River Seine: BOD 2.7mg/l
~NY River Hudson: tbc

Couple years ago River Saine welcomed back salmons which had been gone for 100 years.

Well, the point about River Tamaga, is that improvement was not made over night.
It started with planting trees at the source of river deep in the mountain since 100+ years ago. Enriched the headstream which once damaged severely.
This recovery was made by the effort of people who believed in it.

The message is straight forward and clear?
It's never too late to recover the lost ecosystem!



*BOD=Biochemical Oxygen Demand (a level of organic pollution in water).

Saving Sea turtles 海亀に救われて

Dear nOmads,

I volunteered to help research the sea turtles at the island called Yakushima couple summers ago. Turns out it's one of the largest spawning beach for sea turtles in the northern hemisphere. 

More and more the beaches where sea turtles can lay eggs are vanishing.
The problem is over-development by us humans.
Its usually nice beautiful white-sandy beaches are their home. Ideal for humans to build a beach house or a resort. But just a little headlight of a car keeps the turtles away because they are very timid and careful a mother turtle refuse to land.
The problem is, the sea turtle comes back only to the beach where they were born.
Its the only place they can lay their eggs.

The research I helped was to check the hatched eggs. In September.
Dig out the hatched eggs and count how many and the condition of them.
Find 40 or 50 eggs from one place digging with your own hands is a lot of work. I digged maybe 5 or so places in an evening... and its very exhausting with summer heat...
And sometimes, the little baby turtles stucked between the eggs comes jumping out to the beach. Its beautiful life saving experience!

Baby sea turtles heads straight to the sea without hesitation marching like a toy solders. Only if they are not distracted by bright light in the other direction, which they mistake as the moon, heads toward the light and gets lost.
Or sometimes deep tire tracks left by 4x4 drove on the beach leads the babies towards the road...


Good news is, this passed few years the number of sea turtle coming back to the beach are increasing! 11,300 turtles in summer of 2012.They need more volunteers in early summer to help sea turtles lay eggs securely.
But these mother turtles are the one hatched 30years ago...year by year the living condition is tougher for them to survive.
Our challenge is not to make the situation any worse.

If you have't taken your summer vacation yet or looking for meaningful summer in the future
Please head down to this beautiful island of Yakushima to help sea turtles. Desperately needing your help!

Here's where I volunteered.
www.umigame-kan.org

Contact:
umigamekan@m7.dion.ne.jp

Save them save you!


Sweet desert •おいしい砂漠•

Dear globalnOmads,

Fossil fuel dependency should lessen, don't you agree?
But i don't mean Pro-nuke, there's nothing clear about nuclear usage.

If you are living in so called oil country bathing in oil money and spending that money like there is no tomorrow on European football clubs...

Isn't there a more useful way?
Invest on your future?
Lets build more solar panel system over the desert!


Think about it,
1. Where else would be the best place to bath a sun without interference? It's a waste land anyway. And it may replace your oil business with less worry of sources running out.

2. By covering the land with solar panels, it will create shadows. This might help grow something underneath it, i.e. plants, insects or worms maybe to start, improves the soil quality? And so many ecological merit from de-desertation.

3. Less ecological damages from generating electricity. No digging, No burning and less transportation. No pollution in the process. No nuke, chemical or bio hazards and wastes.

According to Dr.Faiman, use of 10% of Sahara desert with solar panel will generate enough electricity to cover the whole world.
Imagine the potential!

Come on Africa you could now become a rich energy exporters end to the poverty!
And with the earnings,  please help protect the endangered species like lions, rhinos or giraffes..etc etc, 
so that our kids and their kids can adore them too.  

Chopsticks problem //割り箸問題

Dear globalnOmads,

Deforestation of the likes of the Amazon, the Sumatra and mangrove forests causes huge impact to the global ecosystem.

But there's also a problem for locals that they have to chop down woods to live...
As long as there are demands, this won't stop.
People at the top of consuming chain, in other word "big fat wealthy people in air-conditioned developed countries", need to be careful of what we want.

Material like woods, sustainability only works when the products made out of woods are used more than the years it took to grow. This gives enough time for a new trees to catch up.
So when you are buying wood products, choose the nicest one you like and try to use it indefinitely.

Disposable wood chopsticks in Japan used to be made out of local waste woods from forest thinning. 
Now a days, the production moved to market like China and there they chop down forests to make chopsticks because it is just cheaper.
Imagine people in Asia using disposable wood chopsticks every meal X 365 days X years....sizable trees takes decades to grow that the forests can't catch up...


Any good alternatives?
Yes, we think bamboo may replace wood in most cases and we should use more.
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plant.
Large ones grows up to 25m(82ft) high x 20cm(8inch) thick in just a year! 

As a material, it is strong enough to support building, 
flexible takes form in desired shapes,
light weight to transport,
and even water resistant. 

Very versatile and eatable too.
Look at all the beautiful bamboo crafts all over Asia. 

One of our nOmads fell in love with the material,
designed a beautiful tablet stand for kitchen use.
Check this out.


http://zeitgeist.jp/en/bamboo-kitchen-ipad-stand-2/

FYI, 
The mechanism of Bamboo is still a mystery...
The plant only flowers in 60-120 year cycle. Same stock flowers all at the same time, regardless of the locations. I've never seen it...yet.
And after the flowering, it all dies.


As for my solution for the chopsticks problem, 
I carry a cool portable one all the time.(Pic in OUR VISION)





Jellyfishes strikes back ~クラゲの逆襲~

Dear globalnOmads,
Be aware the signs that's been sent to you.

Recently there has been a massive increase of jellyfishes throughout the globe.

These jellyfishes are sign of environment crisis.
Such as global warming of the planet which is caused by numerous human factors,
and overfishing of ocean resources that is destroying the balance of the ecosystem.

So this is not just about jellyfish itself 

but the whole planet is crying for help. 
Sending us a message.

If we don’t react to the sign or ignore it, 

it will unbalance our life too.
Of course, people are still part of this ecosystem.
Where do you think you get your drinking water from?

It’s already starting,


There's huge 2m(6.5ft) / 200kg(400lb) jellyfishes found millions around Asian sea recent* few years.
These are ripping the fishing nets and even capsizing fishing boats because they are so heavy and so many! 

Interfering us to catch our food?

Summer approaching and thousand of jellyfish are approaching Mediterranean coastline where major European beach resorts are. The venom of these jellyfishes would pollute the water and may causes health threat to the beach goers.

Interfering us to survive the deadly hot summer?


Jellyfishes are just one of a sign. Take a look around...


So what can we do?
Purchasing is like voting. 

Choose wisely what you buy and how you buy.  
Yes, your vote can kill the brands, products or services that’s not sustainability friendly. If we don't buy it, the business would be reconsidered.

I don't think you need a full sushi sets in every convenient stores? Don't look so good no one wants it. 40% of food globally end up in a dumpster! Think about it. Have sushi in good sushi bar with nice glass of champagne. Sushi is supposed to be a special meal!


*=and then, recently there are decreases to this giant jellyfishes after the 2011 quake in Japan. Since Fukushima disaster and all the contaminated water releasing to sea...now that's another sign...

Global nomads / グーバルの窓

Good morning!
Good afternoon to some,
or Good evening and Good night to others.



This cyber commune is to share ideas to keep our planet sweet + beautiful.
Praise people and groups who challenges to save the environment!
Prove that it's still not too late to correct damages!
Believe our little voices can move mountains!



This Blogger is our body,
The Twitter is our voice,
The EyeEm is our vision,
And you are the blood.


global nomads
....live locally, mind globally. it's a small world after all♪