Word: fukasawaguchi
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...that might be envisioned by Al Gore. That's because Kuzumaki (population 8,000) has over the past decade transformed itself into a living laboratory for the development of sustainable and diversified energy sources. "When I was growing up, all we had [to generate power] was oil," says Kazunori Fukasawaguchi, a Kuzumaki native who now serves in local government. "I never imagined this kind of change." (Read TIME's Top 10 Green Ideas...
...Kuzumaki's city fathers say they aren't planning any more major projects. "Right now we're thinking more of how to best utilize what we have," says Fukasawaguchi, the local official, who is responsible for issues such as forestry and the preservation of the community's population of wild bears. Additional funding could be hard to come by, since Japan has a huge budget deficit and the economy is in recession. And even though local energy use is currently rising, Kuzumaki's population is falling as the young move away and remaining residents age. Absent an economic and demographic...
...Getting into his Toyota Prius, Fukasawaguchi says that when he moved to Tokyo as a young man he didn't bother telling people where he was from because no one knew of Kuzumaki. It's different now, he says; the town is familiar to Japanese throughout the country. Whether it is ultimately recognized as a beacon pointing the way toward an oil-free energy future, or as a well-intentioned but ultimately misguided experiment, only time - and perhaps oil prices - can determine...
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