【Hosted by】
Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, MORINO PROJECT.
Silwa, a non-profit general incorporated association
Pre-planting September 2021
After tree planting 1 March 2022
In the afternoon of Sunday, October 13th, the same day the tree-planting ceremony for the Miyawaki Method was held in the morning, the delegation visited the Hayama Town Hayama Elementary School's 'Happi Forest’ in the afternoon. The Township Forest Project recommended a tour to the Hayama Town Hayama Primary School, one of the examples of school reforestation, as part of the G20 Global Land Initiative event.
The ‘Happi Forest’ project came to fruition as a result of a proposal to regenerate the ‘Hayama Town Original Forest’ in the school grounds so it would cheer up the student’s spirit, since the students were unable to take part in extracurricular activities or events due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This became the site where 130 sixth grade students, graduates of the school at that time, planted 130 trees of 22 Potential Natural Vegetation on March 1, 2022.
Before the arrival of the G20 leaders and delegates, many meetings were held to prepare for the event. The school principal, the homeroom teacher of the sixth grade students, the PTA, and the students carefully considered how they could host and entertain the delegates.
The pose in this photo suggested by Silva is an expression ‘I'm curious about the trees.’ By imitating the unique trees and simply posing, we can create a forest of humans. There were times when we had exciting meetings with the teachers at the school until 7:30pm.
[Guests of Honour]
Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy Director, the G20 Global Land Initiative. (UNCCD)
UNEP Osaka Office
FAO, Rome
UNESCO, Paris
UNESCO Nairobi Office, Total 55 people (27 countries)
Mr. Ichiro Inagaki, Superintendent of Education, Hayama Town Hall
Mr. Yoshihiro Natori, Chairman, Collaborative Participatory Forest Creation Promotion Council
Mr. Hideki Hasegawa, Coordinator, Regional Policy Division, Kanagawa Prefecture
Finally, the members of the delegation arrived, and Hayama Elementary School Principal Mr. Adachi began his introduction of ‘Happi-no-Mori’!
In addition to supporting the students, Principal Adachi also acts as a contact point for the homeroom teachers and the PTA, and is also in charge of external negotiations.
Principal Adachi’s warm personality shone throughout the event in his role as a Master of Ceremonies. Principal Adachi introduced Yoshida Sensei (teacher in Japanese) and expressed that he is not a comedian, but the moment Yoshida Sensei appeared, he started to entertain everyone with his comedic personality. Yoshida Sensei was in charge of the forest project from the beginning and despite some opposition, he literally ‘ran about’ to make the forest project happen in the school grounds for the students who were suffering from the restrictions on their activities due to the coronavirus.
The ‘Happi-no-Mori’ forest, which was accomplished through an immense hard work, and to receive such honorable attention at an international event, I believe it was a joyful and momentous day for the School community.
Next, the PTA members explained how to maintain the ‘Happi-no-Mori’ forest. After the trees have been planted, the students, teachers, PTA members and graduates all worked together to maintain the forest.
Rather than the orthodox tree-planting method of the Miyawaki Method, the ‘wind weeding’ method, which also makes use of the life of the grass, is a method unique to Silva nurturing the forest while maintaining the diversity of the target stage. I was deeply moved that the PTA members understood the deeper meaning of the method.
And now, the three main characters have arrived!
The children in the sixth grade read out their essays about their involvement in the forest creation project.
At first, the children did not know the difference between ‘forests’ and ‘woods’, nor what the Japanese forests were originally like, but by taking Silva’s Forest Course during their integrated studies classes, it became an eye-opener and elevated the student’s knowledge. I would like to introduce some of the wonderful essays written by the students who gave their presentations. These are messages from students which Japan can be proud of.
“Through learning about the forest, I learned that plants absorb carbon dioxide and solar energy through photosynthesis and convert it into oxygen. I realized that plants are very important to us humans. However, I was surprised to learn that most of the virgin forests have been lost due to the destruction of nature.”
“Forests are the homes of many animals and plants and are very important for protecting biodiversity. If small actions are accumulated, they can bring about big changes. G20 members, please focus on measures to combat global warming for the sake of our future. We will also do our best. Let's work together to protect the forests!”
”Although we don't know the details of the situation in the forest, I understand that we absolutely have to change the current global environment. If Happi-no-Mori Forest can contribute even a little to improve the global environment and to slow down global warming, I think it would be good if not just Japan, but the whole world got involved.
If we can do that, I think the future we will inherit from now on will change a bit.”
The venue was filled with emotion as the children confidently expressed their thoughts in front of the 55-member delegation from 27 countries around the world.
These children, who were born after several years, must confront the global warming crisis, and the suffering they keenly feel is immense. When I think of the stress they must feel learning such a harsh reality with their small bodies, I am reminded that we at Silva must choose our words carefully and convey a message of hope and determination to change our course while we still have . While listening to their speeches, I was moved by their magnificent presence, but also felt this crushing sense of guilt as our generation led these children into this grim reality.
This worldwide pandemic caused by the new coronavirus is the aftereffects of environmental destruction. It is our responsibility as adults that we have driven innocent children to this point. No one, not a single person, can escape from that responsibility.
The consequences of adult decisions prioritizing profit over stewardship of the natural world, we have destroyed the natural world and continue to commit genocide. We adults must take responsibility to heal the world.
Opposed to this reality, the Miyawaki Method for restoring natural ecosystems is an effective human activity for mitigating global warming. Starting with planting small saplings, a virgin forest can absorb carbon dioxide and solar energy at a rate 20 to 30 times faster than an established forest.
The ultimate ability for us humans is to regenerate the forests. As part of the ecosystem of living creatures on this planet, we humans, who are unable to truly function as producers, have no right to claim ownership of land or fight over land.
For the sake of our dear children, for the sake of preserving our genes, for the sake of the many living things on this planet, now is the time to regenerate Miyawaki Forests!
We are running out of time and tomorrow will be too late. It will take 20 to 30 years for the forest to regenerate and become stable.
Anyone can think of an excuse to not take any action, however there is an tremendous future that we can envision by fighting against our difficult times and continuing to create forests.
The future has not yet been decided and we can create the future that we desire with our own hands.
Director of Silva, Toshiko Kawashita
After the Q&A session led by Dr. Fujiwara, time was running out and it was time to say goodbye.
Dr. Muralee, the Executive Secretary of the G20 Global Environment Section,
declared his determination to ‘take action, not just talk!
In addition, there were offers of international sister school partnerships from various countries to Hayama Elementary School.
If children can study abroad and see Japan from a global perspective, their horizons will broaden.
There was a lot of happy excitement.
For Silva, it was a great day to be able to meet friends from around the world who had inherited the teachings of Dr. Akira Miyawaki.
We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude.
And to everyone at the Shinto Forest Project, a public interest incorporated foundation, who helped to make this connection possible, we thank you from the bottom of our heart. All of our staff would like to express our gratitude.
After the farewell speech, we took a commemorative photograph with the students of Hayama Elementary School, the Collaborative Participatory Forest Creation Promotion Council, and everyone from Silva! The teachers and children were all beaming with a sense of achievement.
The children gave an offering to the stone monument, the guardian deity of Hayama's forest.
The acorns they offered were the delicious Lithocarpus edulis (Matebashii in Japanese.) Some say “the main tree in Hayama Town is Castanopsis sieboldii (Sutajii in Japanese). Sutajiis are even tastier!’ There is always something to learn from the forest in any situation.
By learning about the forest, we naturally grasp the uniqueness of our region. Education is the cornerstone that supports the country, and it is proof that we are human. I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the teachers all over the country who dedicate themselves to education every day.
Last year in October, 2024, the world’s first International Symposium of Myawaki Method and several official tours were held in Yokohama. Dr. Kazue Fujiwara, professor emerita of Yokohama National University and Silva’s Advisor, formally sent Silva a message and we would like to share and feature her words. Dr. Kazue Fujiwara is the direct disciple of Dr. Akira Miyawaki, professor emeritus of Yokohama National University and Silva’s lifetime honorary advisor, and she is the successor of the Miyawaki Method of planting with densely planted mixed species.
Following the tree-planting festival in the morning at Meguri-no-Mori in Shonan International Village, Silva’s staff guided the international participants to Hayama Elementary School in the afternoon. At Hayama Elementary School, after a greeting from the Principal, the teacher who was the project leader introduced Happi-no-Mori, followed by the students sharing their thoughts with their essays. The participants were delighted to hear the student's speeches which deeply resonated with them.
The G20 is developing the Nature Lab Vision exploring how to connect Miyawaki Forest with education for children. The Happi Forest was introduced as an excellent example. The Happi Forest activities were well received by the international participants, and I sincerely appreciate your preparations.
The report on the Miyawaki Symposium presentation, the Tree-Planting Festival, and Happi Forest activities, which was posted on the website, was shared with every participant by Dr. Muray of the G20. Everyone was deeply moved. Steve from the UK commented, “This is a wonderful email filled with information, inspiration, and memories. Adam and I are still in the process of fully understanding this experience, but we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a respected group and continue to promote Professor Miyawaki's work. We look forward to staying in touch to share knowledge and continue spreading information in the near future. Thank you very much. We hope you all have a wonderful day, and may a safer future come to pass.” I am truly grateful for the wonderful time we had.
Please enjoy the photo works by photographers from ‘Forest Art Gallery’.
This is also a page where you can download the photos on the website.
[Announcement]
The 27th Tree Planting Ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, 10 November.
To apply, click here
~I want to know about forests whenever I want~
Podcast
‘Emerald Practices’
No.32 [The importance of true forests, not just photosynthesis]
No.34 [Forest regeneration that we can do because we are human]
Making the most of what is there: Shilwa's first forest creation experiment site Before 2016.12
After2022.5.28
Silwa contributes to 11 of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Silwa is an alliance member that supports this project promoted by the Ministry of the Environment.