|
|
|
Environmental Symbiosis and Family Life
Things have flooded everywhere and along with that we have seen a scenery of bulky refuse and big garbage bags piled up on the streets on garbage collection day. Looking at the city of Nagoya, for example (*), after a serious incident 1999 in connection with an unsecured landfill site, the “Garbage Emergency Declaration” was issued and various attempts to improve the situation were made. In 2007, the amount of garbage per person was reduced by approx. 34%, the landfill rate by about 60%, and the CO2 emission rate by about 45%. On the other hand, the amount of recycled containers and packages has increased by four times, and the amount of recycled paper by about up to three times.
Aiming at a recycling society, the efforts undertaken by the city and the citizens are becoming visible.
*Source: “Koho Nagoya. February issue”, 2009)
土・日・休日・環境保全の日専用のバス・地下鉄全線一日乗車券
（名古屋市交通局）
アイドリング時にエンジンを停止し排気ガスを少なくするシステムと低床でバリアフリーを導入したバス（名古屋市交通局）
In the world after 2008, following the first oil crisis (’73?’74) and the second oil crisis (’78?’82), the scarcity of oil and the steep rise in the price of crude oil have directly influenced our daily lives. The car industry shifted to hybrid cars and small compact cars, and the home appliances industry shifted to energy saving products. Designs with technical features that aim for economical progress are becoming prominent.
タクシー仕様のハイブリッドカー（横浜市内）
The Happiness of Being Healthy
In the 2005 census, the number of senior citizens made up 20% of the population. In addition to that, the baby boomers will have reached retirement age after around 2007. However, it will still be some time until they will receive their retirement pension, and therefore they are and will still be active workers for some time.
Currently, many different products are being proposed that aid maintaining good health while being casual and enjoyable. An example are measuring devices that can be used to exercise in a game-oriented way and to thus easily test one's physical fitness.
N700系
Health examination devices for senior citizens are mostly designed for institutional purposes. However, from now on, designs that one would want to use at home and that fit various interior designs are demanded. Looking at the senior citizens in England and Denmark, who live stress-free and peacefully at home where everything is familiar?as it also was the case in Japan in former times?, it seems likely that the number of people, who want to live in familiar surroundings, will increase. Putting a focus on the basic point of domestic living, the number of products for individual use will increase, even with traditional techniques and performance.
歩道との段差を少なくしたバス停
（東京六本木2004年頃）
The 2008 food issues became a good starting point for the reconsideration of eating habits. Consumers' distrust towards industrially processed food is probably based on the impossibility to see the source product and its processing. We could consume food that was grown at home or by our neighbors. How would we express its qualities and information about it using figures and symbols? We are facing the era in which the value of design is being questioned.
|
