節電

“We’re not doing energy savings,” a restaurant announces on sign board

August 30, 2012Community, Culture, Governments, public space, small business, small streetsA Small Lab, air, campaign, Chris, 看板, 節電, dismiss, energy savings, 高円寺, Fukushima, government, Koenji, mass media, not, rebellion, restaurant, save, second summer, setsuden, sign board, 抗議, 信じていないpalmsundae Leave a comment

高円寺のレストランの看板に「節電してませ〜ん」と書いてあります。政府とマスメディアを信じていないと、抗議しているのだと思います。@KoenjiLook

This Koenji restaurant on Look shotengai is bragging on their sign board that they are not doing energy savings, and that it’s cool inside. Thanks to Chris from A Small Lab for noticing this! Now that we’re in our second summer after Fukushima, many people dismiss government and mass media campaigns to save energy. There’s rebellion in the air.

7-Eleven quickly replaces light bulbs at local store

July 15, 2011Corporations7-Eleven, きれい, セブン・イレブン, bulb, convenience, 照明, 節電, 電球, 近所, fluorescent, install, LED, light, local, low energy, Nakano, new, old, pleasant, reduction, shop, store, tube, 店, 新しい, 施工中, 中野palmsundae One comment

セブン・イレブンがすばやく電球を変えています。節電のために、LEDは大切です。百万人以上が新しい照明を見ることができるでしょう。この近所の店では、施工中なのに、店舗は営業しています。LEDのほうがきれいだと思いますか？

It’s very impressive how quickly 7-Eleven can install new lighting. LEDs are a huge shift in lighting, and this very prominent example will influence millions of consumers.

Many companies have agreed to large energy reductions, up to 20 and 25 percent. I noticed this van outside my local 7-Eleven yesterday. They changed the store’s lighting to LEDs without closing the business. Another store I passed yesterday in western Tokyo was also updated. I wonder how soon all the 7-Elevens will be using these very low energy lights.

I think the new strips of small lights produce a more pleasant light than the old fluorescent tubes. What do you think?

Leaving the apartment on a rainy spring day

May 21, 2011public space, Residencesapartment, automatic, アパート, conservation, contrast, cycle, 節電, energy, 雨, 電気, Harajuku, Hirano Taro, ignored, indoor, light, lighting, lobby, lowering, Nakano, natural, outdoor, personal, photo, rain, resource, Romantic Geographies, sensitive, shared, space, spring, Too Much Magazine, turn off, Vacant, Xerox and City, 入り口, 外, 対象, 景色, 朝, 中, 中野palmsundae One comment

アパートの入り口から見えた、雨降りの朝の景色です。節電ですから、電気をほとんど消しています。中と外の対象がはっきりしていますね。

This is the view from my apartment building lobby on a rainy spring day. Because of energy conservation, many lights are turned off. This increases the contrast between indoors and outdoors.

I walk through this lobby every day, and rarely think about it or consider taking a photo. Recently, I participated in the Xerox and City photo workshop at Vacant, led by Hirano Taro and organzized by Too Much magazine as part of their Romantic Geographies series. We were asked to take photos of our breakfast and then our trip to the workshop in Harajuku. It made me think more about spaces that become automatic or ignored.

Tokyo residents are more aware of energy use and lighting now. Many parts of the city are less brighly lit: from billboards to train stations to residences. By lowering our lighting, we are more attuned to natural cycles, and more sensitive to the boundaries between private and public, indoor and outdoor, personal and shared resources.