Chapter 13 Eco-community and environmental learning in Nishinomiya

Nishinomiya City in Japan is one of the most successful cities in implementing eco-community and has served as a particularly influential model, especially through programs on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) which the Japanese Ministry of the Environment recognized as the nationwide environmental education program. Nishinomiya City has been implementing a project, “Environmental Learning City,” where community-based environmental management has been conducted through environmental education programs. And it established an NPO, “the Learning and Ecological Activities Foundation for Children (LEAF),” to facilitate the programs and build partnerships among citizens, businesses, and the local government. As a result, Nishinomiya's eco-community activities have been sustained, and not only environmental improvement but also social cohesion and mutual learning have been achieved.