What LOVST Staff Thinks We Can Do Now for the Future of Our Planet This Summer

Hello!
I'm Anne from LOVST TOKYO PR.

It's August, the peak of summer, with hot days continuing. How are you all spending your time?

In summer, many people probably take the opportunity to visit the sea or mountains, places they don't usually get to go.

Spending time surrounded by nature might also increase opportunities to ponder "what we can do to preserve this beautiful nature for the future."

So, this time, I interviewed the LOVST staff about "environmental issues they are currently concerned about!"

◼️ Rising Sea Levels Swallowing Island Nations (PR-Sales / SNS・NANAMI)

The heat is increasing year by year, and recently, I've been feeling guilty about using air conditioning every day.

The main reason for this is my concern about "rising sea levels."

"Rising sea levels" are frequently discussed as an environmental issue, but there are two main causes.One is that the ocean water itself is expanding due to rising temperatures caused by climate change from greenhouse gas emissions, and the other is the melting of glaciers in Antarctica.

Japan, an island nation surrounded by the sea, is predicted to lose 90% of its sandy beaches if the sea level rises by 1 meter. If sea levels continue to rise, there is a possibility that the areas where we live and agricultural lands will be submerged, leading to concerns about food and water shortages.

Furthermore, there are already regions in the world where land has been lost due to submersion, forcing people to relocate to other countries.

As I strive for a sustainable lifestyle, every time I learn about these current situations, I am reminded that I want to live in a more environmentally conscious way.

By the way, simply changing the temperature setting of your air conditioning by 2 degrees can cut approximately 90 grams of CO₂ per day!

Let's try to spend the summer in an environmentally friendly way while also being careful about heatstroke.

◼️ Disposable Plastic Beyond Processing Capacity (PR-Sales Assistant・REN)

Since I was a student, I've been interested in environmental issues and the impact developed countries have on developing countries, so I'm always thinking about ocean pollution and plastic waste.

Among these, I'm particularly careful about reducing my use of disposable plastic products around me.

This is because I became aware of the fact that the waste we produce, which cannot be processed, is brought into developing countries in the form of "waste export," polluting the environment in distant lands, and I felt a sense of crisis about the amount of disposable waste.

Recently, to reduce disposable plastic when cooking, I've been switching my cooking utensils to reusable ones.

I use my own bottle and glass containers, and reusable silicone wraps. The wraps produce no waste and are actually more convenient than disposable ones!

In addition, I try to reduce waste by utilizing recycling bins in town and reusable water bottles for collecting water at supermarkets.

It's hard to see the change in the total amount of waste reduced through small daily efforts, but I believe we should continue to be concerned, thinking that our current lifestyle might be "hurting someone on the other side of the world."

◼️ Household Wastewater Polluting Oceans and Rivers (INTERN・AKARI)

What I'm concerned about is "water pollution from household wastewater."

Many people probably think of industrial wastewater as a cause of ocean and river pollution, but it is actually said that household wastewater has a greater impact.

Since learning this, I've been careful at home not to mix oil into drainage and to use environmentally friendly detergents.

Environmentally friendly detergents are more expensive than regular ones, but I also want to support companies that make such products, so I try to choose them as much as possible.

Among them, my favorite is the New Zealand brand "ecostore," which was born from the desire to "make the water discharged from homes as clean as the beautiful natural water!"

It's made from natural ingredients derived from plants and minerals, rather than petroleum-based synthetic detergents, so it's safe.

When I was a child, I attended a nature school in my hometown of Hokkaido, so nature, such as mountains and rivers, has always been close to me.

I want to continue doing what I can, little by little, to protect our beautiful nature.

◼️ Degraded Remote Mountains and Wild Animals Losing Their Habitats (PR-Contents・ANNE)

What has troubled me in recent years is the conflict between wild animals that have lost their habitats and us humans.

Especially recently, there has been an increase in cases where bears come down from the mountains and are captured and killed, leading to a continuous decrease in the number of wild bears.

Since this is reported daily in the news, some of you may be wondering, "Why are bears coming down to human settlements?"

According to the Japan Bear & Forest Society, the remote mountains of Japan were logged after the war and converted into artificial conifer forests, and these conifer forests are now becoming increasingly degraded without proper management.

As a result, the remote mountain forests that maintained rich biodiversity have been lost, and wild animals that cannot survive in artificial forests have started coming down to human settlements in search of food.

I feel a deep sadness that the remote mountains, which should inherently be a rich place for all flora and fauna, are being destroyed by human activities, and wild animals continue to be sacrificed.

I believe that what we can do to protect the remote mountains is to participate in activities to revitalize them, raise awareness in communities, and provide financial support to organizations carrying out these activities.

◼️ We will implement the "Save the Forest Campaign"!

By recognizing the current situation again, some of you may have thought, "Is there anything I can do?"

Therefore, this time, LOVST TOKYO has decided to launch a donation campaign focusing on the last point mentioned: "Degraded remote mountains and wild animals losing their habitats!"

For one week, from August 15th (Thursday) to August 22nd (Thursday), 3% of all sales will be donated to the "Japan Bear & Forest Society."

Furthermore, during the campaign period, we will be distributing coupons for 10% off all items to allow more customers to enjoy shopping casually!

Please take this opportunity to support the "Bear & Forest Society," which works to protect water source forests and wild animals, through your purchases at the LOVST TOKYO online store.

※Cannot be combined with other coupons