Waribashi

Did you know, Japan is the number one consumer of rainforest wood, importing half of all that is sold in the world? It imports nearly five times the value of timber of South Korea, the number two user. China, Taiwan, and Italy are the next on the list. Nearly all of the trees in the Phillipines, Thailand, Indonesia, and other South East Asian countries are gone. The rainforests are disappearing at 20,000,000 hectares every year - an area about the size of Great Britain.

Much of the wood Japan buys is used in construction. (The government has an unusually large budget for construction, with 16% of the work-force employed there.) Imported logs are made into plywood, which is then used for molds while pouring concrete. Often, after being used once or twice, they are incinerated.

Waribashi (disposable wooden chopsticks) waste the second greatest amount of wood. The use of waribashi began in the 1870's. At that time they were made from scraps left by woodworkers. But now, about 410,000 cubic meters of timber are cut every year just to make waribashi. Japan consumes 130,000,000 waribashi everyday, 11,000,000,000 pairs a year.

Because Japan's technology is so advanced, and because it's traditional lifestyle was not a wasteful one, surely this problem can be improved. A substitute should be available to make concrete forms, waribashi, paper and cardboard, rather than using irreplaceable rainforest trees. How can we help?

Perhaps, most importantly, be aware of such issues, and share your knowledge with other people. In times where governments are failing to find a solution, it's the responsibility of the people to make change happen.

And, an easy way to make a big difference is to refuse waribashi when they are offered to you in stores and restaurants. Carry your own chopsticks with you!

Further Reading

If you're interested in reading more on this subject, here's a list of English sources that might be useful. (I've taken my information from here, too.) There's a lot more out there, and by typing it into your search engine, you can find relevant books, articles, sites, etc.

Chopsticks and Trade

TED Case Studies. http://www.american.edu/TED/CHOPSTIK.HTM

Earth Day,

from Sushi Ran- Japan Et Cetera. http://www.sushiran.com/EtCetera/earth.html

Japan's Role in Rainforest Destruction: We're Throwing Away our Forests.

http://www.geocites.com/ecosig_2000/japanrole.html

Dispatches From The Vanishing World- Dedicated to the preservation of species and cultures:

Dispatch #5: Kyoto. http://www.dispatchesfromthevanishingworld.com/
dispatch5/printerkyoto.html

Japanese Timber Imports: Hardluck for Hardwoods.

The Economist, 311 (22 April 1987): 34-35. Johnstone, Bob.

Japan Saps the World's Rain Forests.

New Scientist, 114 (2 April 1987): 18. Lonsdale, Harry.

Can We Save Our National Forests?

USA Today, 119 (March 1991): 22-3. Swinbanks, David.

Protests in Japan about Trade in Tropical Forest Timber.

Nature, 336 (10 November 1988): 100