Center for Collaborative Study with Community Co-hosts the 'Gifu Future Center' with Wanouchi Town.
On November 24, 2024, the Center for Collaborative Study with Community (CCSC), Gifu University and Wanouchi Town in Gifu Prefecture co-hosted the 'Gifu Future Center' at the Wanouchi Town Cultural Hall. The 'Gifu Future Center' aims to solve the challenges faced by the region through future-oriented dialogues among local residents.
The Gifu Future Center's latest event was held as part of the 'Zero Carbon City Promotion and Environmental professional Development Project in Wanouchi Town,' which Gifu University undertook following Wanouchi Town Assembly's "Zero Carbon City Declaration" in 2022.
On the day of the event, eight Wanouchi Town residents and thirteen Gifu University students participated under the theme "Let's Learn and Spread the Word! Don't Miss Out on Starting Energy-Saving Actions at Home!"
In the first half, Assistant Professor ITO Koji from the CCSC gave a mini lecture on the social background leading to Wanouchi Town's "Zero Carbon City Declaration," deepening the understanding of the importance of creating a decarbonized society. Following this, participants conducted energy-saving diagnostics for their homes using the Ministry of the Environment's web application "Uchi Eco Diagnosis."
In the second half, participants engaged in group work to discuss "eco-friendly actions they want to promote" and "reasons why these actions are not widely adopted." They also brainstormed ideas for "nudges," a behavioral science technique to encourage people to take action more easily and shared these ideas with the group members. Some unique and impactful nudges proposed included the idea of a "bath time attack" to encourage efficient family bathing and an illustration of coins coming out of a showerhead to promote water-saving in showers.
In the participant survey, many positive responses were received, such as, "It was very enjoyable to do group work with a wide range of age groups, including students and town residents. I learned a lot and discovered things I wouldn't have noticed on my own," and "I knew that nudges were an important initiative, but I had never had the opportunity to think of specific nudge ideas before, so the event was very meaningful and educational. "
Gifu University will continue to collaborate with the community to work on developing human resources for the realization of a decarbonized society.
