CSA

Since my 2014 was started with some resolutions, I have been accomplishing daily, weekly, monthly tasks to step up to my future goals. Because one of my dreams is to influence environmentally/economically sustainable societies through my businesses, I put volunteer activities for local farming business in my resolutions in this year. A couple weekends ago, I started a volunteering at Santa Monica farmers' market which is one of the biggest farmers markets in California. I'm also now interested in CSA, Community Supported Agriculture to acquire more updates about local food distributions.


CSA is originally from Japan called "teikei", and this system is to mean a direct connection between farmers and consumers so that farmers can get more financial advantage and consumers can have more fresh vegetables. Through this flow, a society can encourage healthier/more delicious foods as well as more active economic activities. Instead of stuff from oversea or more than 100 miles away, I hope I can create stronger local food distributions in the US.





Here is some online farmers market including online CSA web pages. http://www.babble.com/best-recipes/online-farmers-market-organic-buy-local/online-farmers-market-organic-buy-local-1/

Greenhouse techonology

Having decided to write about Green, Local, and Sustainable topic on my blog, food production/distribution is always a key topic. Expecially free trade agreements between nations accelerate its border free movement in food industry, US agricultural imports have been increased more than twice in 2013 compared to 2003. I believe all nature products to be consumed in local as much as possible, and it's quite unusual that people eat stuff that is grown in the other side of world only because of it's price. 


Also, I have visited an urban farm business in Detroit (Hantz Farm:http://www.hantzfarmsdetroit.com/). The president advised me that people still make their decision on price/quality when they buy foods although the movement of local product consumer are getting bigeger. Friend of mine who purchases a locally delivered boxes of vegetables told me that they buy local because of its quality and price as well as the fact that they can contribute to the local business. 


Japan has been trying to develop its IT on agricultural production, and one TV program broadcasted Netherlands greenhouse techonology。Netherland now is the second largest agriculture country in the World, and the main reason is their sustainable greenhouse technologies. Although the size of land they own to produce that amount of product is not as big as their production, their technology has brought enormous technology advantage in the competitive free trade market. (http://dc.the-netherlands.org/you-and-the-netherlands/you-and-the-netherlands%5B2%5D/about-the-netherlands/agriculture/sustainable-greenhouse-technology.html)




People have been trying to purchase local products, but I think there are millions of opportunities for business to acquire this market by developing its productivity for its price and quality. I think the greenhouse technology will be one of big game changeable item sometime really soon. 


Go for it,

My resolutions, 2014

Spending three weeks in Japan, I am totally refreshed and ready to start my 2014. It's been already almost a month, but I would like to share my resolutions in 2014. Resolutions/goals are always to be achieved, I can't to see me having achieving all of my goals. Categories are Career, Society, Exercise, Private, and Education. 

Career
>Current Job

• Since I have different goals in every three months at my current company, I don't write technical words, but basic view is that I need to be a successful sales in addition to leading my sales team as successful as I am. I believe there will be always ingredients for my future success whenever I get successful results for my boss. 

>Start up

• Business plan: Write 1 business idea in three month
• Network: Attend 1 sustainable business related network a month
• Entrepreneur: Visit 1 sustainable business related entrepreneur a month

Society

• Volunteer: Start 1 volunteer activity from February 

Exercise

• Marathon: Sub 3:30 (4:00 in March, 3:30 in October) 
• Yoga: Attend 1 yoga session a month. Need to be sustain my physical/mental health to change the world. 
• 1 more exercise: Find one more exercise by March with specific goals. 

Private

• Family&Friend: Talk to them in Japan 1 time a week
• Update list: Update my life for my friends, professor, and mentors, and find things I can contribute to them as well. 

Education

• Books: Read 2 books a month (How to books are excluded)
• Art: Enjoy 1 new art a month

Also in this blog, I will write about green, local , and sustainable business information.


All the best for your 2014.


Go for it!! Chuji.

SFO

I had a great thanks giving weekend in San Francisco this year by visiting friends of mine. That was awesome to catch up missed years. We talked, drunk, had lots of fun just like we met last week. 

Also, I visited a couple of businesses and neighborhood that are green and local oriented. Since San Francisco has advanced living style, that was very interesting for me to expose. I would say I would like to start up my business in this town because of its character.

SF is the place I change and impact the world. Picture is the corporate building of Twitter and local bicycle stations.

Go for it!! Chuji,

Green House

Having been told about an update a couple of weeks ago, I visited Green Hosue in the OC great park. 

Different green house technologies such as water usage and building materials are features in all around the house. I think noone of those are a "game changer" that means all of the technologies already exist, and there was no surprising learning for me. Yet, I acquired some information. 

This house says that you need to understand 5 categories so that you can make your house more green and sustainable. 1. Energy efficiency (Less energy consumption) 2.Water conservation (low-flow drip irrigation) 3.Indoor air quality (better ventilation system) 4. Resource conservation (more durable materials) 5. Livable communities (improved quality of lie).

Energy Upgrade California: California state energy management initiative to help residents and businesses to take action on energy to save money and be more comfortable at home and work as well as for the state to achieve it's energy efficiency goal.

Energy consultant: There are a lot of business to directly sell you stuff such as solar panel or new water irrigation system at your house, but you can also have energy consultant before so that you can maximize the energy efficiency and cost saving.

Green Building consultation business.. I think I will try to write this new business model.

Let's get started, Chuji,

Updates from Japanese market.

It's so fun to see green business in the US. Having seeing different markets, I think this country has one of the most advanced green market and tech as well as people's attention.


I have been also trying to see what's happening in my country, Japan. Because of different reasons from the US market such as limited island, emergent needs in the damaged area by Tsunami, and cultural background, there are a little bit different business/tech coming up now.


1. Beverage company, SUNTORY, is invented non-soil planting material. Using a material, Pafcal which is just like sponge, it's possible to grow plants with no soil. With this technology, you can grow anything on the wall and roof with much less effort than traditional ways. I think this technology will be leveraged in roofgreening business.
http://www.suntory.com/?ke=hd&__utma=198440237.1572043416.1382239447.1382239447.1382318105.2&__utmb=198440237.4.10.1382318105&__utmc=198440237&__utmx=-&__utmz=198440237.1382318105.2.2.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=94292701


2. Biomass-green creates a completed biomass food recycling flow. Buying trash at grocery stores, making those forge. I think this business model exists in other areas, but every single players in this business flow exists in the same small neighborhood. I hope this size of "local" will be managed in the US. (web in Japanese) http://www.biomass-green.co.jp/


3. Rapidly increasing needs of hydroponic business is obvious because our land get so much damage from the nuclear power. Osaka city Univ is one of the top players in this industry. Last time when I visited there in 2 years ago, they were already tied up with Subway to accelerate the consumers to taste hydroponic vegetable. http://www.plant-factory.21c.osakafu-u.ac.jp/english/index.html


I will update more information when I go back to Japan in the end of this year.
Let's get started, Chuji,

GMO

In a couple weeks ago, I visited a NPO,called MOA, in West LA. They are committed to local  society by providing local food distribution with their own gardens. http://www.moawellness.org/wellness-program.html


The president at MOA shared a couple of thoughts with me, and one of them is a movie about how GMO, Generically Modified Organization, scares the US and the coming generation in the World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXEEiznjkMM&feature I wanted to share this movie with you because I believe at least we need to know the scary possibility that GMO has so that each of us can make our own decision on what we eat and feed our kids.


I will go ahead to take a couple of actions from this movie. I will keep it posted on this blog.


Let's get started. Chuji,