Soil Memory and Lighted Cycle - The Challenge of Organic Farming and Food Waste Energy in Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture - circa 2004

Soil Memory and Lighted Cycle - The Challenge of Organic Farming and Food Waste Energy in Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture - circa 2004

In the early 2000s, Japan was undergoing a transition to a society that transformed waste into resources through the "Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-based Society" and the "Food Recycling Law. Ogawa-machi, Saitama Prefecture, is a symbolic example of such an area, which has been promoting the "creation of a recycling town that returns to nature" based on the practice of organic agriculture. The center is a non-profit organization that has been working to utilize food waste as energy through methane fermentation. This system, in which food scraps collected from homes, stores, and meal centers are fermented and used to generate electricity and supply hot water, was a model of local circulation supported by local residents.

In addition, activities to collect waste cooking oil and produce recycled soap were also developed, creating a new local economy that supports people's daily lives while reducing the burden on the environment. These efforts were not merely the introduction of environmental technology, but also a social movement in which residents, local governments, and NPOs collaborated to reconnect resources and lifestyles. This practice preceded the "regional recycling and symbiosis zone" that was later adopted by the Ministry of the Environment, and is still attracting attention as the starting point for building a sustainable society from the local level.