An ecologically conscious photo exhibition "WWF Photo Exhibition: The Yellow Sea - The Resplendence of the Diverse Life on Earth" is held at the Panasonic Center Tokyo located nearby the Tokyo Big Sight where the Eco-Products 2008 is taking place. Here is some information about the photo exhibition.

WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) is the world’s largest environmental conservation organization known by its panda logo. Panasonic has been taking part in the "Yellow Sea Eco Region Project" jointly launched with the WWF Japan as a Corporate Supporter since August 2007. The Yellow Sea (the sea surrounded by China and the Korean Peninsula) boasts a world-class continental shelf and its great biodiversity has been the source of livelihood for the people living in the region. Japan is one of the countries that import fish and seafood caught in the Yellow Sea. Recently, the natural environment of the Yellow Sea has suffered from overdevelopment as well as from other factors, and local conservation organizations are making efforts to protect its environment. As a Corporate Supporter, Panasonic will be working together with WWF Japan in supporting such activities through financial assistance and enlightenment activities.

You can see photographs of what negative changes the nature in the Yellow Sea have undergone, as well as the lives of people in the area. In the photos, you will find people selling dried shellfish and fish on the street; animals gathering in the tidal flats; very rare birds with a remaining population of 2,000; the sky covered with a great flock of migratory birds performing their rhythmic dance… This rich natural environment is facing a crisis today, and this is happening in a place not too far from Japan. The photo exhibition may be a good opportunity for us to think about this problem seriously.

Panasonic brings to you video reports of the major exhibition it takes part in. And there are now 3 video reports available for Eco-Products 2007! You can get a good idea of what the Panasonic booth was like, as well as how many visitors there were, and the live and exciting atmosphere of the exhibition, so those of you who didn't get a chance to go, please check it out. And those of you who did go to the exhibition, please also take a look as there may be new discoveries there for you. So please come and stop by the Panasonic booth on the web!

The "Digest Version" will give you an overview of the Panasonic booth. The reporter will briefly introduce the 3 zones of the Panasonic booth – "'eco ideas' for products," "'eco ideas' for manufacturing," and "'eco ideas' for everybody, everywhere."

This introduces the "'eco ideas' for products" zone located in the center of the booth. Video allows us to express people's movements and line of sight in tact, so it well shows the demonstrative exhibition that describes how the heat pump technology works.

The "VIERA Eco Tour" was very popular during the exhibition. Now you can take part from your home. Ideas about manufacturing are packed in this tour, which lasts approximately 10 minutes.

When I heard the melody of "Auld Lang Syne", I thought, "Is it already 5pm?" That is when I realized that "It is really the end…" Over the last 3 days I have thought about ecology. I have looked at various exhibitions together with other school children who happened to be at Eco-Products 2007, or meticulously took notes writing down numbers and statistics, even though I really am bad in "math and science". Such fever of excitement I have felt over the past 3 days will likely continue for a while even after I go home.

At the end of exhibition I feel relieved, but at the same time I tend to feel a bit sad. Now, at the East 3 Hall, all the booths including Panasonic are being dismantled. I am surprised how fast and efficient they are! As always, I stood there gaping at the sight. The stage, where moments ago the last presentation took place, has in no time been carried outside. It came to me as a fresh reminder that exhibitions are built upon such support from the behind-the-scenes staff (they are truly professional!).

Well, it is time to clear out the "secret back room" where I have been writing the report. I have to go, but I will upload the rest of the entries later on. So please check back with the Cyber Showcase Blog from time to time!

It is said that energy used to heat water accounts for a large portion of the energy used in homes. And the "Eco Cute" has achieved significant improvements in energy efficiency.

The term "Eco Cute" has been used in many TV commercials (for power companies, etc.) in Japan. So many Japanese people may be familiar with the term, but "how it works" is still a mystery to most people. Let me briefly describe how it works. 1. The heat in the air is gathered in the natural refrigerant (CO2). 2. Then the natural refrigerant is compressed, and heated to high temperatures. 3. This heat is then used to boil the water. And then, 4. The natural refrigerant from which heat has been removed once again begins to gather heat in the air to begin the cycle again. In other words, this has applied the heat pump technology – something Panasonic takes pride in - to heat the water.

When I think about "heating water" I think about heating water directly using gas or electricity, but Eco Cute efficiently uses electrical energy and atmospheric heat energy, so it makes it possible to supply almost three times as much heat energy as the electrical energy infused. Needless to say it is energy efficient, and it has reduced CO2 emissions drastically in comparison to existing combustion-type water heaters.

Unfortunately, I don't have an Eco Cute at my house yet, but I have often seen it used when I go and report on all-electric houses, etc. It is said that not only can you save on utility costs, but that you can keep water in the bath tub warm or reheat it with a push of a button, so it's convenient even if each family member takes a bath at different times of the day. I have a feeling that Eco Cute will get definitely popular because it is environmentally conscious and it helps make doing housework more comfortable and easy.

There is an experiential exhibition of the heat pump in front of the Eco Cute. Many visitors are coming by to give it a try.

What stands out very well in the Panasonic booth is the CO2 balloon hanging from above in the center of the "'eco ideas' for products" zone. These balloons show that "each person from a family of 4 living in a house can reduce CO2 amounting to 1.6kg per day by using the 7 types of products displayed in the Panasonic booth." The 7 types of products are: 1. One heat-pump water heater; 2. One washer-dryer; 3. Four air conditioners; 4. One refrigerator; 5. One toilet with seat heater; 6. One heated toilet seat; 7. Eleven bulb-shaped fluorescent lights.

In order to reach the target CO2 reductions defined in the Kyoto Protocol, it is said that we must reduce 1kg of CO2 emissions per person per day (for details, please refer to the website of the "Team Minus 6%", a national campaign to reduce greenhouse gases, however, the website is only available in Japanese). Being able to achieve each person's target set by the Kyoto Protocol simply by replacing your home electronic products comes as a fresh surprise. As CO2 is an invisible gas, we can't really see how much CO2 we are emitting into the environment in our day to day lives. But, if communicated with such balloon, we realize that "we can reduce that much CO2" and this may leave a stronger impression on people.

The CO2 balloon hanging from above. 1kg is said to be equal to 100 soccer balls so since this balloon is equal to 1.6kg, is this equivalent to 160 soccer balls?

You will find a round panel with explanations under the CO2 balloon.

The panels with explanations about products are easy to understand, too. The explanations aren't lengthy. Short and simple sentences describe "how such products are 'eco ideas'" and the numbers at the bottom shows the level of power consumption and the amount of CO2 the products emit. The descriptions on the panels are great for people who want to live eco-consciously, but want to avoid scientific explanations (like myself). The design of the panels is not sharp; rather it uses earth colors and has a very soft look and feel to it.

This is the panel for the Palook Ball Premier. The "eco idea" is described in a kind way, and you can learn at a glance that the power consumed can be reduced from approximately 54W to 10W. Above it you will find balloons indicating how much CO2 each product helps reduce.

The "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone is divided into "VIERA Eco Tour" and the "VIERA Mosaic Wall." The "VIERA Mosaic Wall uses the illustrated 10m wall to describe the lifecycle of the "VIERA" and various environmental considerations. Nine plasma display panels form a part of the wall to describe the 5 themes, "creative selection," "creative production," "creative delivery," "creative use," and "creative recycling." Moving images describes the "eco ideas" for manufacturing. In order to offer more in-depth information about the "eco ideas" for manufacturing for those people who have developed some interest during the "VIERA Eco Tour," the wall offers detailed explanations on the panels and moving animations alternately. So the "VIERA Mosaic Wall" has been designed to entertain both adults and children alike.

The beginning of the "VIERA Mosaic Wall." The display for "creative selection."

The display for "creative production." The Amagasaki plant uses GPS and image information to thoroughly manage waste materials.

"Creative delivery" and "creative use." The plasma display panel and the illustrations on the wall are completely synchronous.

And lastly, "creative recycling." The word, METEC that you see on the illustrated wall stands for Matsushita Eco-Technology Center Co., Ltd. This is where Panasonic conducts recycling experiments. Research and testing of the recycling technologies explained in the last part of the "VIERA Eco Tour" is conducted here on a daily basis.

The report on the "VIERA Eco Tour" continues. The next corner is "creative delivery." Trucks are usually involved in the delivery of home electronic products. But Panasonic has implemented modal shift (changing delivery methods from trucks to railroads and ship in consideration for the environment) for the delivery of "VIERA." If you think about the time and frequency limitations, delivery by truck is more convenient, but by using railroad for transportation as much as possible, Panasonic has reduced CO2 emissions by 935 tons annually.

"VIERA" in its package fills the container. Because domestic and international bound containers differ in sizes, Panasonic changes the size of the package of the "VIERA" accordingly.

Next is the "creative use" corner. The "VIERA" found in homes now only uses about half the electricity in comparison to models from 3 years ago. If you turn the "VIERA" off using the "VIERA Link" function, the Blu-ray Disc Recorder and Rack Theater will also be automatically turned off.

And the last corner is "creative recycling." Approximately 80% of the materials found in cathode-ray tube TVs that have fulfilled their role in homes are recycled. Panasonic has now developed technologies to recycle plastic materials from old cathode-ray tube TVs. Old plastic materials often contain substances that were allowed in the past, but have now come under regulation, or aren't strong enough to be reused, so it had been difficult to reuse such materials. However, Panasonic has taken on this difficult challenge, and after series of research, it has become possible to offer plasma TVs using such recycled materials from 2008.

The guide asked, "Do you know what percent of materials from old TVs collected are recycled?" And the elementary school student answered "80%". Exactly! Is this a coincidence or it may be his second time on the tour?

The "VIERA Link" exhibition corner may be found on the other side of the "creative use/creative recycling" corner.

I wrote about the "VIERA Eco Tour" in yesterday's entry, ［Booth Photo Digest (2) – Let me introduce the "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone］.Today, I　sneaked in among the children and joined the tour, so I would like to write about it in the next 2 entries.

This eco tour introduces the environmental considerations Panasonic employs in its manufacturing process through the lifecycle of the VIERA. To make it easy to understand for even elementary school students, the guide tells stories using illustrations and quizzes her group from time to time. There is a tour every 10 minutes and a maximum of 12 people can partake in a tour. It stops at the 4 corners in the following order - "creative selection" → "creative production" → "creative delivery" →　"creative use/creative recycling." Once you fill in an application form at the reception, the guided tour will begin.

The "creative selection" section explains how the plasma display panels used in VIERA are manufactured using environmentally conscious materials. The guide describes in a comprehensible way using illustrations and telling a story why lead is bad for environment and how VIERA's developer discovered a way to not use it. The guide also picked up a speaker diaphragm and showed it to us. This diaphragm, called bamboo corn, is made from "bamboo." Conifers were used before, but Panasonic came to realize that bamboo, which takes only a year to grow large, is a more ecological material in comparison to conifers that take a long time to grow. So it developed a new technology to process bamboo, and these bamboo diaphragms are now being mass-produced. It is easy to say, "to process bamboo," but according to what I have learned, the actual process is a very difficult one, and there was a lot of trial and error involved. Bamboo diaphragms offer a good sound quality, and so you could say it well balances ecology and great sound.

This is an exhibition comparing the amount of lead used in a cathode-ray tube and a plasma display panel. 3400g of lead were used for a cathode-ray tube, but in a plasma display panel used in an older model, there were only 70g of lead per panel. And finally, the latest plasma display panels are absolutely lead-free!

"So the Panasonic staff thought, how could we do without lead?" – the children listen to the guide's story telling with serious expressions.

The guide has a speaker diaphragm in her hand. "Does anyone know what this is made of?!" she asked, and the children answered "Paper!", "Tree!".

Next, we went to the "creative production" corner. The main production center of cutting-edge plasma display panels is the Amagasaki plant located in the Hyogo prefecture in Japan. It has been growing bigger expanding from 1st, 2nd, 3rd plants and so on, but the CO2 emissions per panel is decreasing year on year so much so that Panasonic has finally achieved approximately 48% reductions. Moreover, for further energy savings, Panasonic has enhanced its production efficiency by cutting a large mother glass into numerous panels, rather than manufacturing each panel glass individually as they had done in the 1st plant. In the 3rd plant, it had cut the mother glass into 6 panels, but in the 4th plant, which began operation in July 2007, the mother glass is cut into 8 screens. And in the 5th plant to be launched in May 2009, Panasonic will be able to get 12 panels from a single mother glass. As the production efficiency continues to improve, the CO2 emission reductions per panel is sure to decrease as well.

The CO2 emission per panel is approximately 48% of what it was in the beginning. Since the 4th plant has just begun operation, it's hard to say how much CO2 has been reduced, but I think we can look forward to reductions higher than 48%.

What you see behind the guide is a glass material that will be transformed into a plasma panel. This huge mother glass will be cut into 8 panels, and mill ends will also be reused.

The report on the "VIERA Eco Tour" will continue!

During the Eco-Products 2007, the Panasonic booth will carry out a "collect 'eco ideas' to become an eco master!" stamp rally. You can get a stamp card at the reception desk or in any corner and begin your rally! To get your card stamped, go to any of the corners and listen to the staff's explanations about a product. There are 15 corners around the "'eco ideas' for products" zone that offer such opportunities. Please don't hesitate to tell the staff that you are collecting the stamps. When you collect 5 or more on your card, you can get a present at the Panasonic booth reception desk. …Are you curious to know what the present is? It is the latest compact fluorescent light, "Palook Ball Premier!" The quantities available at the booth are limited, so if you want to get them, get ready and join the stamp rally asap!

This is the stamp rally card. To receive my first stamp, I joined the "VIERA Eco Tour."

You can collect a present at the reception desk in the Panasonic booth. I learned that approximately 100 people have already come to collect the present in the first 2 hours of the exhibition.

This is the "Palook Ball Premier". This excellent bulb itself has many "'eco ideas' for products" applied.

Finally let me introduce the "'eco ideas' for everybody, everywhere" zone. This zone has panels facing the corridors. ( Please click here for the booth layout. )

What is communicated here is that Panasonic gathers "eco ideas" from its employees, families, and various other people involved in their businesses, and implements them on a global basis. For example there is the "Love-the-Earth Citizens' (LE) Campaign" where employees and families keep an environmental household account book, use eco bags, and become involved in environmental volunteer activities. It has also made the "Declaration of Becoming an Environmentally Contributing Company in China" by 2010, whereby it will produce products with high environmental performance, alleviate environmental impact in manufacturing sites, and promote ecology-oriented activities in all its group companies in China. You will also learn about the unique eco ideas put into practice at the Kusatsu factory in Shiga prefecture.

Example of an eco idea factory. At the Kusatsu factory, they collect cooking oil used to fry food in the corporate cafeteria to recycle it into bio fuel. The bio fuel will be used for delivery trucks and local buses, so it seems like it is a very regionally-focused activity.

Eco bags and environmental household account books used by Panasonic's employees and families. It is said that Panasonic has approximately 330,000 employees worldwide. It may have a great effect if all these people practice environmental activities.

Panasonic also offers assistance to the "Yellow Sea Eco-region Support Project" promoted by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund). You will see the words, "Panasonic Corporate Supporter" above the familiar panda logo.

Let me next introduce the "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone. This zone has been broadly subdivided into the "VIERA Eco Tour" and "VIERA Mosaic Wall." ( Please click here for the booth layout. )

Reception and exhibition for the "VIERA Eco Tour." Ten minutes after the doors opened - children had already flocked to the area.

This is another photograph of the "VIERA Eco Tour." On the left, you can see something that resembles a container. I wonder what kind of tour it is. I will tell you about it at a later time.

The "VIERA Mosaic Wall" with a 10 meter illustrated scroll tapestry. A plasma display panel has been placed in the area that had a whole in the middle yesterday. The display panel is used to describe the eco ideas for each manufacturing step in harmony with the graphic illustrations on the wall.

Let me quickly introduce the Panasonic booth with photographs. I'll start with the "'eco ideas' for products" zone. ( Please click here for the booth layout. )

The reception in the front side of the booth. The "'eco ideas' for products" zone is on the left.

In this corner you will find a refrigerator, eco cute, and washing machines. You will see that heat-pump technology and vacuum insulation materials are playing a great part in energy efficiency.

This corner has an air conditioner and bulb-shaped florescent lights, "Palook Ball Premiere." Approximately 16% of the electricity consumed at home is from the lighting, so we can't overlook energy savings in this area.

An exhibition corner for the bathroom. Panasonic proposes energy savings by heating toilet seats and water only when in use by using sensor technology. And it is also water efficient!

Exhibition corner for Lifinity eco management system. We can't see how much energy we use, but this system shows us exactly this information with friendly penguin animations. So the whole family can have fun while being eco conscious.

If you go around to corridor side, you will find a corner exhibiting electronic bicycles, the "Business Eco Bike" and the ETCs for cars. There are ideas here that will help reduce CO2 emissions when using automobiles and motorcycles.

Next to "Mobility Eco," you will find a corner with Household Fuel Cell Cogeneration System and PanaHome Corporation's eco-life housing. So, really, Panasonic is proposing "eco ideas" for the entire home.

This year's exhibition theme for Panasonic booth is "Panasonic eco ideas". I mentioned Panasonic's "Eco Ideas Declaration" in the previous entry. As I described then, Panasonic is committed to broadly 3 eco ideas. First is the "eco ideas" for products, which thoroughly seek energy efficiency in products. Second is "eco ideas" for manufacturing, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions in all manufacturing processes. And the third, "eco ideas" for everybody, everywhere, aims to gather eco ideas from a wide range of sources such as Panasonic employees and its stakeholders, and to promote eco activities around the world. These 3 pillars are also applied to the Panasonic booth at Eco-Products 2007.

In the "'eco ideas' for products" zone, the exhibition has been developed so that you can not only see how energy-efficient the latest home electronics are, and how much you can reduce CO2 emissions, through displays that offers comparison with data from 2000, but you can also experience this visually and tactually.

The "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone describes in detail how CO2 emissions are reduced during manufacturing processes. Many scenes consumers ordinarily would not see are introduced, and you will also see information unique to the Eco-Products exhibition. In this "VIERA eco tour", a guide will take manufacturing of the plasma TV "VIERA" as a case example to explain eco ideas in each step.

In the "'eco ideas' for everybody, everywhere" zone, you will learn about Panasonic's environmental pledges and its eco projects in China. These 3 zones are segregated by totem poles and various colors, so you will know what section you are in at a glance. If you make your way to the Eco-Products 2007, please stop by the Panasonic booth!

10:15 – The first concept stage presentation for the Panasonic booth for Eco-Products 2007 has begun! Panasonic's "Eco Ideas Declaration" was introduced on the full screen of the 103-inch plasma display.

After the introduction of the 3 "eco ideas", Panasonic employees are featured in the footage. Panasonic employees are also involved in environmental activities. For example, an employee recommended that they advocate "eco bags" and "public transportation" at Panasonic factories in Japan and China, so they are committed to a project that will help reduce 9,300 tons (!) of CO2 emissions in one year. Another employee, who is involved in the development of the plasma TVs, realized a lead-free plasma panel by developing an alternative material. And another employee came up with the innovative idea of "spiral processing" for fluorescent light bulbs, developing the Palook Ball Premier that is even more energy-efficient than the bulb-shaped fluorescent light bulbs in the past. These employees that have put "eco ideas" into practice appeared one after another on screen; this was indeed striking.

December 13th, 10 am - the Eco-Products has just begun. The Panasonic booth is located in the East 3 Hall, which is the furthest hall on the right from the entrance if you are coming from the Yurikamome station. It takes a long time just to get from the entrance of the Tokyo Big Sight to the actual exhibition hall, but visitors have already gradually started to gather in the booth.

The atmosphere of this year's Panasonic booth for the Eco Products is very different from the other exhibitions. The facade has a natural tree feel to it. Many of the display platforms and partitions are made of wood, and the booth has a unified earth-color look. The texture of the wood, the color of the soil, the green color of the plants… these are all things we have grown up with since we were children. Perhaps because of that, this space makes me feel relaxed. The Panasonic booth stands out even from a far because the well-known brand sign, "Panasonic ideas for life", is on the facade of the booth and there are green leaf-shaped "eco ideas" logos placed in various areas.

My 3 days of reporting about the latest eco products has begun! Although the field of "environment" relates to all of us and our lifestyles, it is also an area that holds many new discoveries. I hope to write about fresh and astonish information as I learn for myself and make discoveries.

It is 7:30pm. The Panasonic booth set-up is still ongoing. As large and heavy machines are taken away one after another, and products are being put in place, the full form of the booth is becoming clearer.

The "'eco ideas' for products" zone is the largest and occupies the round area in the center of the booth. Each product is placed in its designated spot making me realize that the exhibition is about to start soon. Behind this is "'eco ideas' for everybody, everywhere" zone. Here, Panasonic's global eco activities are described on the panels. And in the "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone, you will learn about CO2 emission reductions on manufacturing sites by participating in the "VIERA Eco Tour". The set up of products have almost all finished, but eco tour conductors are still earnestly rehearsing their part. The run-through for the entire booth has just finished, and there is a certain air of anticipation in the way the staff is behaving.

A big sign of the "VIERA Eco Tour" and the reception desk. There is no one at the reception yet of course. I am so excited to see what the eco tour would be like.

6pm - The run-through has just begun on the concept stage. Details such as the positions of lights are being finalized.

7pm - "'eco ideas' for products" zone with all the products lined up. They are doing last-minute checks on the operation status, etc. of the exhibited products.

Guides who will take you on the "VIERA Eco Tour." They add even more color and excitement to the eco tour.

A day before the opening of Eco-Products 2007 - I have just arrived at the Tokyo Big Sight! It is about noon, and here in the East 3 Hall the Panasonic booth is beginning to take form. The receiving bays on all sides of the hall are wide open and many items to be exhibited are being carried in one after another by wagons and carts from the trucks parked in the parking lots. Watching the Panasonic booth being set up, I thought, "many natural materials will be used." I have been told that wood will be used in many part of the booth, from the facade, counters, to exhibition platforms, and I also saw lots of greenery (plants and bamboos).

It has been 2 months since I last came to the Tokyo Big Sight for the H.C.R. It is already middle of December, but perhaps because the heat of the late summer lingered for a long time, there are still colorful leaves on the trees.

1pm - the "'eco ideas' for products" zone is being built. There are many aerial platforms in place setting up signs, etc

This is the VIERA Mosaic Wall in the "'eco ideas' for manufacturing" zone. I wonder what will be placed in the hole…

Set up is underway at the Panasonic booth. Products are being laid out one. by one.

Numerous events with environment as the theme (no participation fee needed) will be held in the nearby Panasonic Center TOKYO during the Eco-Products 2007. For example, there will be seminars with the architect, Tadao Ando, and landscape architect, Masayuki Wakui, screenings of the "Inconvenient Truth", and eco guided tours of the Panasonic Center TOKYO and Eco & Ud HOUSE. As of December 11, there are still a few slots left for each of the events, but I suggest you make reservations soon. To make reservations, please go to the homepage of the Panasonic Center TOKYO (only available in Japanese).

On December 14th, "eco ideas forum – starting eco from things near you" in collaboration with FM Tokyo. This event will be held to introduce Panasonic's commitment to the environment based on the Panasonic "Eco Ideas Declaration", and to augment awareness for eco through quizzes, etc. A producer, Ms. Rieko Zamma, freelance broadcaster, Ms. Shio Chino, and a Jazz violinist, Ms. Aya Yoda, will take part. You may think that because it's an environmental forum it would be all serious. But it's more like a fun event with live music and a draw to win Panasonic's electronic bicycle. Participation is free of charge, but it may be limited to the first 200 people (tbc). To apply, please use the application form on the FM Tokyo website (apologies, only available in Japanese again).

On the Panasonic website, there is a page that focuses on ecology called "N's Eco Planning". It well describes useful tips for energy saving and Panasonic's commitment to environmental issues, but the most interesting section is the "eco upgrade diagnosis" (only available in Japanese). With a few clicks, the section automatically calculates the amount of electricity saved and CO2 emissions reduced if you replace the model you currently use with the newest model. Incidentally, the air conditioner at my house was purchased 18 years ago, and I was curious how this simulation program works, so I gave it a try.

The simulation was very quick. It compared an air conditioner from 18 years ago with Panasonic's newest model. The results showed that the yearly utility cost with the old model for a space of 8 tatami mats was approximately 35,500 yen. On the other hand, it was only about 16,700 yen with the latest model. In addition, the amount of CO2 emitted would decrease by 52.9%. So both electricity costs and CO2 emissions would be less than half. This would definitely add up if I keep my old air conditioner. As a housewife, I pay close attention to the electricity bill, which has a direct impact to household finance, but as CO2 emissions are invisible, even if it is "increasing," it doesn't hit home as much. But after experiencing this simulation program, every time I look at my old air conditioner I think, "it emits twice as much CO2 as the latest model..."

Home electronics are a major purchase for housewives, so replacing them is not an easy decision to make. But I believe "getting to know" such facts one by one will lead to pro-environment activities. I would strongly recommend trying the "eco upgrade diagnosis" once, so that you can save on your electricity bill and reduce CO2 emissions in your own home.

Eco-Products, one of the largest exhibitions on ecology and environment in Japan, began in 1999, and it celebrates its 9th anniversary this year. Last year, 572 companies and organizations took part and approximately 153,000 people came to the exhibition. This year, they expect the participation of over 600 exhibitors and 160,000 visitors. It is apparent that the interest in the environment is growing annually, and 2008, the year that the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as prescribed in the Kyoto Protocol must begin, will kick-off only 2 weeks after the Eco-Products is held. So, I have a feeling that this year's Eco-Products will draw more attention than it has in the past.

I have already mentioned the unique features of the Eco-Products in the previous entry. In addition to companies, many NPOs, NGOs and local governments will take part, and it plays a part in environmental education as many students come visit the exhibition as part of their class activities. On top of that, the vast range of programs to be held by the organizers as listed on the Eco-Products 2007 official website are eye-catching. For example, more than 20 symposiums and seminars are to be organized, and they cover an extensive variety of topics. "Environmental issues" – it is only 2 words when written down, but just reading the themes of such symposiums and seminars, the depths and breadths of environmental issues strike home.

The on-site eco tour is another unique feature of the Eco-Products. It is arranged by the organizer for visitors who do not know where the must-sees are, or who wish to efficiently visit sections they are interested in. Eco tours are conducted by tour guides and have various themes: "introduction to eco," "zero waste," and "agriculture and gardening." Similarly, the Panasonic booth will hold a tour-like demonstration at the "Eco ideas for manufacturing" zone. I believe both tours have been developed to give visitors an opportunity to learn more about ecology.

I am also looking forward to going to the exhibition corners produced by the organizers found in various locations around venue. Its contents vary from natural food restaurants, eco stores, to eco-car and velotaxi test drive events. Since I have been entrusted with the important task of reporting about the Panasonic booth, I don't think I will be able to see all of them, but I would like to try my best to find time to go see such exhibitions as well.

When I visited the Panasonic office recently, I noticed that the employees had a green "eco ideas" badge on their chests. And when I exchanged business cards, I discovered that the same logo has been printed on the upper right hand corner of business cards. It seems that Panasonic is undertaking "eco ideas" on a global scale, so I did a little digging to find out what it was all about.

The "eco ideas" declaration is Panasonic's commitment to "reduce the environmental impact in all business activities" announced to the public and the media by President Ohtsubo on October 5, 2007. Among all activities, the most importance has been placed on "reducing CO2 emissions in production activities." More specifically, Panasonic will aspire to reduce CO2 emissions by 300,000 tons globally in the next 3 years, and to reach the year 2000 CO2 emission levels by 2010. In order to do so, it will gather environmental data from 294 production sites and provide feedback on the results of the analysis. Moreover, Panasonic has included "CO2 emission levels" in the management policy for 2008. This is to ensure that as a company, it will focus on "CO2 emission levels" in the same way it focuses on sales and business profits. We can well see that Panasonic's commitment to the environment is not just for appearance sake.

Moreover, Panasonic will launch 3 key initiatives, "eco ideas for products," "eco ideas for manufacturing," and "eco ideas for everybody, everywhere." With respect to "eco ideas for products," Panasonic will aspire to develop more energy-saving products and to stop manufacturing products with low energy-efficiency. Regarding "eco ideas for manufacturing," Panasonic will reduce CO2 emissions for the entire "manufacturing" process from product planning, manufacturing, sales, provision of services, to recycling. And with respect to "eco ideas for everybody, everywhere" Panasonic will gather collective wisdom from staff and stakeholders to make ecological activities more widespread around the world.

At the Panasonic Center TOKYO I visited the other day. The "eco ideas" leaf logo on the banner can also be seen on the business cards and badges.

Panasonic's "eco ideas" declaration displayed on the second floor of the Panasonic Center TOKYO.

Of course I also have unfathomable fear when it comes to global warming issues, but we can only do little things, like "changing the temperature at which the air conditioning is set ," or "riding trains and buses as much as possible rather than driving." But I'm sure many people are undertaking such activities with the belief that they will help reduce CO2 emissions and eventually contribute to preventing global warming. Similarly, if even 1 home electronic product used around the world is transformed into an energy-efficient model, although CO2 emission reductions per unit may be marginal, this will lead to significant CO2 reductions on a global scale. Such effect will be even more pronounced if energy-efficiencies increase due to the evolution of environmental technologies. This is what Panasonic's commitment is in the present and what it plans to promote in the future.

The lights in the Panasonic office I visited, were all turned off during lunch-time, and the employees walked around the office as dark as night if it were nothing. Having witnessed such a scene, I thought, "if a big company like Panasonic is doing it, it's only natural for us to do it at home." So, I continue to naggingly tell my husband to "turn off the lights that aren't being used."

On November 15, I went to the Panasonic Center TOKYO, and had a look about the Eco & Ud HOUSE located adjacent to it. Eco & Ud HOUSE is a house whose entirety serves as an exhibition hall and showroom with ecology and universal design as themes. When you hear, "the entire home is an exhibition," you may think of a model house for residences, but the Eco & Ud HOUSE is in a way "a futuristic model house." It envisions lifestyles in 2010, and is filled with home electronics that have not yet been made commercially available. If you think about it, Panasonic's product range is so vast, ranging from the actual houses, wall and flooring materials, kitchens, bathrooms, toilets, and home electronics, that you could build a home. The ability to create a showroom like the Eco & Ud HOUSE is perhaps unique to Panasonic.

The exterior view of the Eco & Ud HOUSE. The building with the large glimmering "Panasonic" Logo is the Panasonic Center TOKYO. It's a bit hard to see, but the building in the front with lights coming through the windows is the Eco & Ud HOUSE.

What the Eco & Ud HOUSE especially proposes in terms of ecology is "energy generation," "energy efficiency," and "energy management." With respect to "energy generation," you can see the "Household Fuel Cell Cogeneration System," which will also be presented at the Eco-Products 2007. And the "Kaze Kamome, Hybrid Tower Wind and Solar Energy System" is also in operation. With respect to "energy efficiency," you will find Panasonic's products you may already be well familiar with. And vacuum insulation materials for homes that have not yet been commercially introduced may significantly contribute to energy efficiencies by increasing thermal insulation properties of homes. And regarding "energy management," Panasonic aspires to save energy without redundancies by managing the amount of energy used in the entire home with the Home Energy Management System (HEMS). Perhaps such system is necessary to efficiently use energy created at home.

"Household Fuel Cell Cogeneration System" placed in the back garden of the Eco & Ud HOUSE. The taller unit on the right is for storing hot water, and the one on the left is for the fuel cell. Energy generated by the fuel cell will be supplied to the home, and the heat generated in that process will be used to boil water. It is drawing much attention as an ecological system that can create energy by using energy efficiently without burning fuel.

The "Home Energy Management System" (HEMS) terminal. It tells you how to well manage the energy in your home by giving examples, such as "It's a great opportunity to run the dishwasher now." The same screen can be viewed on the large screen TV in the living room and the TV in the kitchen. So the system seems to be made readily available in the entire home.

The 103-inch plasma TV, so large, you think it fills the entire wall. You can not only watch TV programs and movies, but also monitor energy and security management from your living room.

The Panasonic Center TOKYO, which serves as Panasonic's communications hub for transmitting and receiving an extensive array of information, is located nearby the Tokyo Big Sight where the Eco-Products 2007 will be held. You will also find the "Eco & Ud HOUSE" standing adjacent to the Panasonic Center TOKYO. Having heard about how both facilities have environmentally and ecologically conscious exhibitions, I went to check them out.

First, I would like to tell you about the ecology corner in the Panasonic Center TOKYO.

On November 15th, 13:00 - the exterior appearance of the Panasonic Center looks shimmering under the cloudless sky. This glass building will appear on the right hand side as you head towards the Tokyo Big Sight where the Eco-Products 2007 will be held from the "Kokusaitenjijo" Station on the Rinkai-line.

The ecology corner is on the second floor. The corner has just reopened on the 6th of October following Panasonic's "Eco Ideas Declaration." If you go up the escalators, sylvan trees and plants enter your sight; it is hard to believe that this is really indoors. This authentic indoor "garden" was created by applying technologies for greening rooftops. The trees planted indoors at the Panasonic Center TOKYO are actually spreading roots in the soil and are growing much in the same way as plants outdoors do (it seems that trees that grow with artificial lighting have been selected). The efforts Panasonic has made to recreate the natural environment to the utmost extent is apparent also from the way water circulates between the trees.

A space so relaxing, you wonder, "Is this really a showroom"? The amount of greenery, the abundantly used wooden materials and the floor tiles also add to the serene atmosphere.

We can easily tell that Panasonic has aspired to create experiential exhibitions where people can see, touch, and experience Panasonic's environmental considerations for themselves. You won't find any panels packed full of explanations that you would ordinarily see. You can learn "where such environmental considerations have been applied" if you ask the staff for an explanation. Since many children also come to the center these days, panels presented as an illustrated book for children may also be found at each exhibition.

This is an "illustrated book" placed in front of the refrigerator exhibit. Although I am a grown up, I can't help but look through the pages. Generally, explanations about environmental issues tend to be a bit supercilious, but this book is a very enjoyable easy read.

This visual exhibition is called "Ecogram." It projects the daily amount of CO2 emitted and the electricity consumed by a family of 4.

Have you ever visited Panasonic's homepage? As you can imagine from the wide range of products Panasonic offers, its website has an enormous amount of content and countless number of pages. To tell you the truth, even I have not visited all the pages yet. The Cyber Showcase Blog is found under "Major Exhibitions" within such website. This page shows the list of major exhibitions that Panasonic has taken part in, and just from the beginning of 2007, you will see that it has been in 14 exhibitions worldwide. Eco-Products 2007 will be the 15th major exhibition that will cap off the year.

A new section for Eco-Products 2007 has been uploaded under "Major Exhibitions." You will find information that will give you a brief preview about the Panasonic booth such as the booth outline, product lineup, and this year's exhibition theme. Please check these pages out, along with this blog as they will be continuously updated with new information as we get closer to the kick-off of the exhibition!

Hi! I am utsunomiya, a writer for the Cyber Showcase Blog. A month has gone by since the Home Care and Rehabilitation Exhibition (H.C.R.) 2007. And now I have been put in charge of writing entries for Eco-Products 2007. I am looking forward to making discoveries and telling you about them asap. I hope to introduce to you practical information that will be useful in your daily lives drawing from my experience as a housewife for over 10 years.

Eco-Products not only introduces environmentally conscious products, but we will also see eco services, environmental technologies, and eco funds exhibited by various companies and organizations involved in eco activities. This year, the exhibition will take place from the 13th to the 15th of December at Tokyo Big Sight. Nearly 600 companies and organizations will take part, and they expect to receive 160,000 visitors.

One of the unique features of Eco-Products is that exhibitors also include NPOs, NGOs, universities, and local governments. And the scene is also somewhat unique with many grade school, junior high school, and high school students who come to the exhibition as part of their class activities. When we think about environmental issues, what immediately comes to mind is what kind of global environment will we be able to bequeath to our children in the future. I can't wait for the exhibition to begin as there may be opportunities to hear first hand what children think about environmental issues.

In comparison to last year, Eco-Products will have more exhibitors and the venue has been enlarged. Perhaps this is an indication of how more and more people are becoming interested in environmental issues. I am sure I will also find many environmentally conscious products and technologies in the Panasonic booth. I will try to introduce to you the latest information in a straightforward way, so please look forward to my entries!