JAPAN & ENVIRONMENTAL CAMPAIGNING

With the increasing number and expansion of human beings and activities all around the world, climate change, ozone layer depletion and other global environmental problems have come to the forefront. Human beings and the environment are threatened more and more everyday. These problems are difficult for any single country to handle alone, and international cooperation is critical and imperative. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan:

"“Japan wishes people all over the world to realize sustainable development in harmony with environmental policies. Japan is actively making efforts to build international frameworks such as multilateral environmental agreements and to assist developing countries in their capacity building."”

Japan is noted for its persistence and committed to the enhancement of the environment. To strengthen its efforts in environmental cooperation within the international community, Japan announced "Initiatives for Sustainable Development toward the 21st Century (ISD)", and "Kyoto Initiative" to combat global warming. Japan signed The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) or the Kyoto Initiative in June 1992, and concluded it in May 1993. The objectives of this convention are to stabilize the density of greenhouse gases, and to reduce or limit the emissions of these gases.

Japan also plays an influential role as a leader and donor to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and actively participating in the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). Japan is also a part of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), a financial mechanism which environmentally assists developing countries. Japan is committed to addressing and reducing global environmental issues.

Therefore, many companies such as SHARP Corporation located in Japan, have adopted an environmental vision also. This organization offers an array of products ranging from mechanical pencils, commercialization of the first Japanese-made radios and televisions, the world's first LCD electronic calculators, computers and a number of other products. In order to help resolve the current environmental issues, SHARP harnesses “the collective wisdom of all humanity to create new social systems that will bring about sustainable development. Therefore, the company has adopted a “Sincerity and Creativity ”policy-making it their “mission to contribute to society by making products that encourage new lifestyles.”

To reach these environmental standards, many of Japan'ss corporations such as, SHARP, have made a commitment to develop "green" technology to meet the needs of society and the consumer. Sharp developed the Sharp Green Club (SGC) with the purpose of coordinating the expansion and diversification of environmental conservation activities that would enforce the Sharp Group to environmentally contribute to society. The Sharp Green Club (SGC) initiated the Green Mind Campaign in 1998 in order to contribute to local Japanese communities and encourage environmental protection awareness among their employees. The campaign also makes an effort to unify SHARP management and employees by achieving a common goal- helping the environment. The Green Mind Campaign takes place during the month of June, Environmental month. It aims to target local community members and employees of SHARP Corporation. The local community consists of, local government, businesses and residents.

This project examines and analyzes The Green Mind Campaign developed by SHARP Corporation.

Machida, Katshuhiko. Becoming An Environmentally Advanced Company. SHARP. <http://sharp-world.com/corporate/eco/vision/message.html>.

Mackenzie McGrath-April 2005-American University