National programs
Environmental Diary
Since 1999, GC Japan (GCJ) has been promoting the Environmental Diary for elementary school children as a tool for environmental education. About 300,000 children have joined the Environmental Diary program since then. The Diary is an original idea from GCJ, and combines instructive texts with the keeping of a diary for three months. Children write down what they think and do for the good of the environment. Although the original program's target was children, the program has also had great influence on adults (especially parents) from the children's enthusiasm. GCJ starts distributing the Diary at the beginning of the school year (April, in Japan). The school receives the diary for free, and GCJ organizes the Environmental Diary contest. In the contest, only fully finished (three months) diaries can qualify for entry. An award ceremony for the contest is held every year in which the "Children's Eco-Summit" is also held to exchange children's ideas and knowledge on the environment. Over recent years, aside from the increasingly high reputation among educational societies, corporate societies have taken interest in the Environmental Diary program, and support it financially and through the Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) action.
In the recent global campaign of DESD (Decade of Education for Sustainable Development), GCJ hopes that the Env. Diary program will play a key part in enhancing this campaign.
Communication & Events
Contribution of Solar power LED lamps to UN Europe.
In May 2005, Green Cross Japan and GCI contributed 20 Solar power LED lamps to the United Nations' Europe office in Geneva, Switzerland. This contribution is a symbolic gesture in the hope of promoting renewable energy.
