Working overseas: Spreading circular economy! Interview with Mr Yasui

(Interview March 2020)

This article is open to the public. Please donate to support the Myanmarese refugee children's centre.

Do you ever feel like you're wasting a lot of things?

Plastic bags, food waste, water being wasted etc. there's so much that could be reused, recycled but is still being wasted.

Could there be an environment where there is NO waste?

We interviewed Mr Akihiro Yasui who is aiming for such an environment.

Mr Yasui's profile

Currently, we are conducting a project called "Circular initiative & Partners" and an activity called "Earthackers" in the Netherlands.

Homepage: http://www.blog.akihiroyasui.com/about/

Activities that Mr Yasui is doing now

1) Circular initiative & Partners

This connects Japanese administrations and companies with what is known as the 'circular economy initiative' that is spreading in Europe. We invite people from companies to introduce examples of circular economy in the Netherlands. Besides, we support the construction of business models to realise a circular economy in Japan.

What is 'Circular Economy'?

A 'Circular economy' aims to redefine growth, focusing on positive society-wide benefits. In a circular economy, products and natural resources are repeatedly recycled and reused. The aims to design out waste and continue using resources to their maximum capacity without reducing their value.
There is so much waste in the world right now.

For example, most materials and products are still usable but usually is discarded. By adopting a circular economy business model, companies will be able to take advantage of such waste and generate profits.
(Example: By collecting raw garbage from homes and making fertilizer, local farmers won't need to import fertilizer, and more delicious vegetables and fruits will reach consumers. This is a win-win-win for farmers, consumers and the planet.)

If you want to build a business in a circular economy, you need to think from three aspects: environment, economy (profit), and society. Traditional companies have sought to maximize profits in the short term. From now on, we need to aim to increase the positive impact on society while increasing profits.

Link: https://circularinitiatives.com/

2) Earth Hackers

EarthHackers interview startups that are realising a circular economy-style business. The interview is then published as documentaries.

By the way, I learned the video creation skills necessary for documentary creation by myself.

Link: https://www.earthackers.com/

Why were you interested in sustainability?

~ Mr Yasui's childhood ~
Elementary school: When I was in elementary school, I was the kid that got swept along with the mood. I was an ordinary elementary school student who liked school and games.

Junior high school: When I was in junior high school, I thought that people with disabilities and homeless people could have been me. (When I saw a visually impaired person, I thought, "What if I lose my sight in the future?" And tried closing my eyes while walking to school.)
High school: There was a big turning point when I was 18 years old. My university application was rejected after I failed the entrance exam. I became a 'ronin' (Japanese word for people who were rejected by universities.), became depressed and turned to social withdrawal. But then, I found myself again when I was withdrawn. Small things, like "I liked jazz" and "I wanted to go abroad", opinions and hobbies that were smouldering inside me came out. That was when I decided "From now, I'll do everything I wanted to do."
University: After a year of 'ronin', I entered a university in Japan. I played contrabass in a jazz band and travelled as a backpacker (a person who travels abroad on a low budget).

Mr Yasui playing the contrabass

You were in Germany before the Netherlands. Why are you interested in Germany?

I first became interested in Germany after the Tōhoku Earthquake (2011). At that time, I went to Ishinomaki City as a volunteer in my third year of university. Many people were interested in social issues. In my free time, I had the opportunity to chat about various topics such as nuclear power, contaminated water, politics and next-generation energy with other volunteers. I realized that "the information available in Japanese is limited and biased," and began to follow information from overseas media.

At one point, I read an article that said: "Germany decided to ban nuclear power after the 3.11 accident." Germany was influenced by an accident on the other side of the world. It even changed its national policy. 

Upon further investigation, I found that the demonstration of the nuclear power plant was larger in Germany than in Japan. I thought, "Why is it that a country on the other side of the globe is reacting more seriously to the accident than the country where the accident actually occurred?" That was why I became interested in Germany.

When I first went to Germany in 2012, I felt that I could finally express my opinions freely, and realised for the first time that people could be friends even if they disagree.

For junior and senior high school students who want to go abroad!

Mr Yasui's plan:
Main Plan: Apply to universities in Germany and Austria, and apply for scholarships at the same time. (I was very lucky. I got admission from 3 or 4 schools and even got a scholarship that doesn't require repayment.)

Backup a: Go to Germany with a working holiday visa.
What is a Working Holiday Visa? : Https://www.jawhm.or.jp/step1.html

Backup b (If Germany wasn't an option): Go to Canada or Denmark with a Working Holiday Visa. (Japan has working holiday visa agreements with various countries. In 2019, there were 25 countries.)

Backup c: Use WWOOF. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms [WWOOF] is a system for visitors to participate on registered farms, help the farmers, learn about sustainability, experience a new culture and meet new people and receive free room and board during the stay. 

Mr Yasui's WWOOF experience
When I first went to Germany in 2012, I used WWOOF.
How is it economically? :
In return of working on an organic farm, 3 meals and a bed was free. I spent only about 30,000 yen during the two months I was there. It cost about 15,000 yen just to move from Germany to Italy on the way, so it's a great deal if you only consider the accommodation fee.
Why did you decide to meet an organic farmer? :
Farmers and energy are directly connected. Farmers are the most affected by the elimination of nuclear power. It's easy to say "no nuclear power", but I went to Germany to find out what the locals really think about the topic.
Click here for WWOOF Japan

German graduate schools are free of tuition!

At German universities and graduate schools, tuition is free, even for international students! (It varies from state to state.) Also, public transportation is free. No scholarships need to be repaid!

A talk about European Scholarships:
You don't have to return the scholarship. In my case, the college tuition was free and I received about 100,000 yen, so I thought, "Oh my god. I really need to work hard."
In Japan, most scholarships must be repaid. However, in Europe there is this idea that "Every child has the right to education. The economic disparity of the family should not become the disparity of learning opportunities." Hence the free tuition fees and scholarships.
Some of my friends who went to universities in Japan have been busy repaying their scholarships until they became 36, and they were forced to work afer graduation because of the debts.

What kind of work did you do before you went to Germany?

I worked for an automobile company from 2013 to 2015. I stopped in March 2015 and then applied to a German university.
Actually, when I quit the company, I said, "I want to do a sustainability-related job in Germany, so I'm going to university. " But I hadn't applied yet when I quit.

To junior and senior high school students: risk of quitting

What do you think of when you hear "risk"?

It's often said that quitting something is a risk, but there are also risks of not quitting. In my case, there was a risk were staying at the company = not being able to go abroad. I thought, "If I stay at the company as it is, my income will be stable, but now is my chance to study abroad in Germany." So I chose to quit.

Please remember that there is a "risk of not doing something" whenever you make a choice.

Make Sustainability a Job: Money

The events I hold at Circular initiative & Partners costs 90,000 yen per person. It's expensive. The reason for the high price is to balance my income and expenditure. We don't take any money from the interviewee when we take a video with Earthackers because I'm introducing a startup or a business that is doing great things but not well known and struggling (financially). I would like to introduce people who are doing activities without funds to share their ideas further with the support of the videos I made.

Make Sustainability a Job: Feelings

I have almost no loss of enthusiasm when working. There is no on / off switch for me, it will always be on and occasionally, "turbo mode".

I used to be disappointed with small things. However, I realized that I don't have to expect things of anything or anyone. I can't control how others act, so rather than being disappointed, I'd rather not expect things and always think of backup plans. When someone makes a mistake, I don't blame them. I just think: "They weren't bad, but the situation and the timing didn't match."

A story about a new opportunity created by not expecting anything:

When I was returning to Japan from Amsterdam, I went to the airport 1.5 hours before my flight. Then I was told that I came too late and that the luggage check-in was already closed. I had to delay my flight by one day, but thanks to that, I was able to stay at the hotel I was interested in, and I met a person who was talking about seeing me someday. Sure, I missed the plane, but I was able to go to an interesting hotel called " The student hotel" (where the dormitory becomes a hotel) and got to meet the people I wanted to meet.

The student hotel: More than just a hotel <Click here if you are interested

A story about life in Germany and the Netherlands

Before I went to Germany, I studied German for 3 months in Japan. Also, I received Grade 3 for "Diplom Deutsch in Japan". But in Europe, if you can speak English, you can survive just fine. There are many college courses where you can complete everything (admission to graduation) in English.

Some international students didn't learn German at all and said, "Why do I have to study German when everyone can speak English?"  Most of the American students did everything in English (laughs). However, if you speak the same language as the local people, they might teach you a little bit more than others. 

Mr Yasui's motto

"I do what others aren't doing. I want to spread good ideas."

Message to junior and senior high school students

Even if it's a short term, please go abroad. You may feel something that can only be felt when you get there. Rather than not trying, it's better to actually go there and feel the culture for yourselves. Your sense of purpose in learning may change.
Japan has its own unique characteristics in both history and culture. There are few countries in the world where virgin forests remain, and even fewer countries have buildings from the Nara period (1200 to 1300 years ago). By going abroad, you can understand the strengths and characteristics of being Japanese.

Summary

Listening to Mr Yasui, I realized once again that there are many places where I can take on even more challenges. Also, I will imitate the idea of ​​"always on. Sometimes turbo mode", to keep producing 120%.

Know more about Mr Yasui's activities!

Click here for Facebook
Click here for Mr Yasui's homepage
Click here for Campfire

Click here for Earthackers
Click here for Earthackers Youtube
Click here for Circular initiative & Partners

Click here for WWOOF Japan

INSTOCK Turns Rescued Food into Delicious Meals

https://www.earthackers.com/instockrestaurantamsterdam/