On April 24th Kawauchi-san (aka Hana) went along to Earth Day Nasu. This is an event begun last year, that showcases ways to live without damaging the earth. It was a beautiful, warm day, and attracted a lot of people.

With Fukushima just 100 km away, much attention was given to the electricity-free area made by Atelier Non-Electric. Here they attempt to show how it is possible to create appliances that duplicate their electrical counterparts, minus the electricity.

Non-electric dehumidifier (basically speaking it removes water with charcoal, which you then dry outside and reuse)

An electric-free fridge (mystifying, but it works!) – see Atelier’s homepage for their explanation.

A charcoal-based water purifier that lasts up to a year.

There were plenty of examples of how our dependency on electricity could be reduced with low cost alternatives, something that all of us should be trying to do, regardless of current events. You can find a full report on our Japanese staff blog.