The President's Insights and Commitment to the Environment."

The President's Insights and Commitment to the Environment."

I recently met with the president of a medium-sized general contractor based in a rural area. I was very impressed with his environmental insight and practical approach. He is currently focusing on the revitalization of agriculture based on organic farming. Together with some local farmers, he is building a biotope in a tributary of a river to preserve the local environment, applying compost to restore the soil fertility of fallow land, and working in partnership to provide organic vegetables to urban consumers.

Issues in Japanese Agriculture and Public Works."

The productivity of Japanese agriculture is low and income is low. The construction industry has been giving money back in the form of employment through public works projects. Currently, the government is cutting back on public works projects and imposing a policy of reducing rice acreage. This is only going to ruin agriculture. Agriculture and the construction industry are like a community of fate. Therefore, we cannot stand by and watch the decline of agriculture. The president is concerned that the exhaustion of agriculture will also degrade the natural environment.

The Role of Local Information and Local Construction Companies

The president continues. Local construction companies are the most knowledgeable about local information. In terms of the environment, they know where hazardous materials are located and the causes of past environmental degradation because of the nature of their work, such as digging and burying holes to dispose of polluted materials and maintaining chemical plants," says the president. What is important for a recycling-oriented society and environmental maintenance and preservation is the initiative originating from the local community. In this case, the role of local general contractors, who are well-informed about the local community, is significant. There are many environmental measures that can be realized only by local general contractors. In other words, local general contractors have plenty of commercial opportunities in the environmental business. However, they function individually and have atrophied.

Prospects for the Environmental Business

I believe that if general contractors with a heart for the environment network locally and create a system to obtain budgets from the national, prefectural, and municipal governments and turn it into a business, we can protect Japan's agriculture, the environment, and local communities. A number of environmental measures have been proposed on a regional basis. Recently, there are more and more people in government who are seriously studying the environment. The challenge is to work together and form partnerships. It won't be long before local general contractors will be involved in the local environmental business.