Saturday, September 01, 2007

A letter for Earth 100 Years from now...


I found a Japanese survey that looked at which word meant "environment" to over 8000 people and how that word/character was used. The word was of course, "GREEN." Interestingly of the 8,000 people who took the survey, 60% were women.

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Souorce: Weather Report Network@Japan
In early June, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company conducted an online survey about ecology, which comprised of questions such as "What Japanese character best represents ecology?" The results from the survey were then published on July 18th. According to the survey, the most popular word was "緑 (green)," which seems to stem from the thought that plants play a central role in the protection of the natural environment such as preventing global warming. The word "green" had a commanding share, as twice as many people chose the word "green" as those who selected the word "再 (re-)" with hopes for regeneration. The third word was "優" for kindness. And the words that came in fourth to tenth place were: "環 (circulation)," "省 (efficiency)," "節 (control/save)," "清 (pure/clear)," "空 (sky)," "美 (beauty)," and "水 (water)."

At the end of the survey, people were asked to write down "a message for Earth 100 years from now." Answers such as "I hope that Earth will still be a planet that can 'breathe deeply' in 100 years" indicate that many people seem to be gravely concerned about global warming and wonder if they will be able to bequeath Earth as it is today to their children and their children's children. There were also people who offered words of apology, appreciation, and determination such as "I am sorry to have hurt you. I am trying to do my best to heal your wounds!" or "Great mother Earth, I wish you a long life."

Approximately 8,000 people took part in this survey; more than 60 percent were females. This planet is the "great mother Earth" not only for us humans, but also for all plants and animals. I cannot help but hope for the recovery back to health of the great mother Earth and for each and everyone of us to take a step forward for the well-being of the global environment.

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