| In 2005, Tokyo was the dioxin capital of the world, a likely carcinogen and emitted byproduct of burning plastic (Braun n.p.). In an effort to reduce the city's environmental impact and community health risk, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government instituted "Tokyo's Big Change: The 10-Year Plan" in 2006 (Nagata n.p.). The 10-Year Plan and Tokyo Vision 2020, the environmental plan subsequently installed by the TMG after the 2011 tsunami and earthquake following the Fukushima disaster, are comprehensive plans that both outline eight major goals on the path to environmental sustainability, urban progress, and economic growth through ecological civility, industrial involvement, and inspired citizen participation ("Tokyo Committed"n.p.; "Creating the future" n.p.). My goal with this research is to examine the societal involvement and rhetorical framework of the 10-Year Plan and Vision 2020, and compare this to current environmental policies and practices in the United States, such as the Clean Water Act, the President's Climate Action Plan, and the Environmental Protection Agency's press release regarding greenhouse gas emissions.;The environmental, economic, and cultural implications and success of the 10-Year Plan and Vision 2020 exemplify its significance as a case study of the collaborative spirit and the progress that can be achieved on a national, and even global, level through communally and commercially inclusive communication On a larger level, my research aims to identify a collaborative model of sustainability that utilizes the economic and cultural environments present within reform rather than holding reform hostage as a declaration of authoritative power. By examining the 10-Year Plan, Vision 2020, and Japan's Fun to Share programs and comparing them with the United States' Clean Water Act and President's Climate Action Plan, I aim to uncover a path to sustainable collaboration, at both the local and national levels, that utilizes communal, industrial, and environmental support as the foundation for progress. Moreover, I hope that my research helps change the current narrative of environmental reform from the dichotomous environment against economy view perpetuated by vacillating political regimes to a symbiotic approach that emphasizes the cultural significance of rhetorically collaborative environmental and economic processes. |
