The link between language learning and environmental management: going beyond lip service

I began to explore the discipline of environmental management several years ago, while working as an educator with Japanese high school students. I was lucky to be employed at a school with an advanced English education program, and was working with some of Japan’s brightest pupils who were already familiar with the concepts of globalization and environmental degradation. However, during many of our discussions, the most common solutions to environmental concerns proposed by the students were conserving energy by turning off lights and setting their air conditioners to a lower setting in the summer, or saving natural resources by walking or using a bicycle instead of an automobile. I was proud of the fact that they considered some of the personal actions they could take, however, something inside me told me it wasn’t enough. Solving environmental problems would take restructuring the way we do things to some extent, not merely limiting our options. Is there any real benefit of doing less bad? The first step is considering what is necessary and adjusting our consumption patterns accordingly, but ultimately more innovative steps would be necessary in order to reduce the amount of waste we produce, or the CO2 levels in the ozone. What mechanisms would be necessary to achieve the goal of creating a “sound material cycle society”, with the goal of zero-waste, as proposed by the Japanese government?


While I was teaching, I spent my weekends at my part-time job working at a hairdresser’s. A beauty salon is not necessarily a place one would consider environmentally friendly, yet its purpose is to make people look more beautiful. At the root of beauty is the element of health and well-being, and I began to ponder the question of what the result would be if people spent as much time trying to make the environment around them beautiful. Every weekend I watched the chemicals found in many hair products get washed down the drain, and soon began to investigate the use of labeling on the products which would tell me which chemicals might be avoided, or what packaging would be environmentally friendly. I discovered that the company Body Shop had just released new packaging for their cosmetics line at the time, and it was awarded for using a simple design, a homogeneous single-layer plastic for easy recycling, and replaceable fillers in cosmetic cases. I thought maybe it was the beginning of more environmentally designed products for personal care items; however without a high level of demand, product makers are unable to continue their efforts. Many of the people I spoke with continued to use what they were accustomed to, or the lowest cost product, with little concern for how it was made or how it would be disposed. People might invest in a fine pen with replaceable ink cartridges, but would they go to the trouble to investigate an environmentally friendly shampoo? Moreover, by what standards would one judge the environmental impact or the benefits of using such a product?


I searched beyond personal care products, looking at items that commonly carried environmental labels or product displays that signaled potential environmental benefits. In Europe, Germany’s Blue Angel label and the European label, the EU flower, seemed to enjoy a marginal portion of the market. Also, in Japan, there was a great variety of products that bore the Eco Mark, from copy paper to employee uniforms to agricultural mulch sheeting of recycled pulp. Eco-labels are a simple marketing device supported by consumer rights groups to inform the public about how they are spending their money. Without a readily identifiable marking, most consumers don’t have the time or the motivation to buy environmentally preferable products, especially if there is a cost mark-up. This begs the question of how consumption patterns could be altered so that environmental considerations are taken into account at the time of purchase; not just for our daily needs, but for our ‘wants’ as a modern society that currently depends on consumption for economic development.


As an educator in language, an important lesson is that you can teach a student about grammar, but they won’t speak until they practice. In other words, you can present the rules to the game, but results only come from action. When Japan enacted the Basic Environmental Law, it seemed to contain all the proper language, but legislation was taken a step further to include an Action Plan in 1995 which would later serve as the basis for the Green Purchasing Law in 2001. When those around you are taking action, it encourages each and every participant to join. With this in mind, Green Purchasing in Japan is reaching levels that have begun to raise awareness on a general level, from ministers in the central government, to public servants and citizens in towns and villages. Japan’s strategy for sustainable consumption using Green Purchasing deserves greater attention if societies hope to decouple consumption of resources and economic activity, particularly developing nations in Asia who will look to Japan for assistance and support, to ultimately achieve the goals of sustainable development.