“I try to export Swedish sustainability know-how to improve the environmental situation in Japan.” – How Lena brings the environment closer to Tokyo’s city people and why big is not always bad.

Lena Lindahl, Japan Representative, Sustainable Sweden Association, Tokyo, Japan

“How can I help Japan - a country I have come to love - to move towards a sustainable future?” – That is what Lena Lindahl asked herself before she started an environmental newsletter in 1997. After years of working for the environment through NGO’s and politicians in Japan, Lena thought that she can have the largest impact, when she shows Japanese people what her home country, Sweden, is doing to achieve a role-model function in terms of sustainable development. Apart from writing, Lena organizes more and more exchange trips between the two countries, always including some time to enjoy nature. “People need to experience nature first hand, and not only hear and read about what they should take care of and how,” she explains to us enthusiastically.

Enjoy reading part of our discussion below. You can also read more about Lena Lindahl’s active life and thoughts on how to improve the situation in Japan in our book “MyImpact”.

Lena Lindahl’s selected quotations:
“During my first months in Japan I made masks and costumes for demonstrations against the logging of rain forests. It was fun but not very effective."

"Sweden is pretty much a role-model country for sustainable development. But Sweden is too small. If things change in Japan, that would have a bigger impact on the world. Today I try to export Swedish sustainability know-how to improve the environmental situation in Japan."

“Sweden and its people learned from welfare policies that prevention is better than cure. Swedes had experienced for themselves how preventing problems before they occur reduces the final burden on them, so they applied this same principle to environmental issues."

“Some people in Tokyo don’t really know what nature is; they have never experienced it.”

"I guess my main motivation is the sheer beauty of life, and people, and culture. When people work for something they believe is good, beautiful things come out."

"I connect people, I am a cultural interpreter - maybe that's the most important one of my roles. So, I will continue doing what I am doing, in the future maybe in a more conscious way."

"I think many people in Japan see that big changes are needed to avoid environmental catastrophes, but they are afraid of making big changes because of past experiences. Japan experienced many drastic changes in a short time – World War II, the atomic bombs, and rapid industrialization with many pollution victims. I think people are afraid of loosing control if they let a change process start. "


Some background on Lena Lindahl:
Lena lived in Kyoto from 1982 to 1984. After returning back home to Sweden, she experienced the changes in that country as a result of heightened awareness of environmental issues. At the same time, she felt unable to stand by and do nothing about the Japanese situation - Japanese companies destroying rain forests, ODA causing environmental damage, the issue of nuclear power - and returned to Japan in 1989.
After working as a volunteer for environmental NGOs and as staff to members of the Japanese parliament active in GLOBE, a group of legislators working for the environment, in 1998 she began publishing the Sweden Kankyo (Environment) News to inform people in Japan about constructive and positive steps being taken in Sweden with regards to environmental policy. In addition, she writes and gives lectures to educate people in Japan on Swedish environmental activities and policies, and helps foreign companies and media to understand Japan’s environmental policy.
In 2002 Lena began working with the Sustainable Sweden Association, organizing educational trips called Sustainable Sweden Tours for Japanese speakers. She has found this to be one of the best ways of exchanging experience. She is now representing the association in Japan, bringing the two countries closer in a partnership for mutual learning.

Some background on the Sustainable Sweden Association:
The Sustainable Sweden Association is a non-profit and non-governmental organization founded in 2000. Its aim is to be a driving force in sustainable development (ecological, economical and socio-cultural) worldwide. It has representatives in North America and Japan and an extensive network of people in all sectors of society.
It develops projects in order to find out how collaboration between business, government, science, agriculture, education, environmental organizations and municipalities can result in healthier communities and successful business.
The members of the Sustainable Sweden Association have knowledge and experience gained from working with sustainable development over a period of several decades. This provides a platform for exchange of experiences with the rest of the world. Everything happens in the name of the overall goal – a sustainable earth.

If you would like to engage with the work of Lena Lindahl or get to know more about the Sustainable Sweden Association please visit www.sustainablesweden.org,
or, for more specific opportunities, you are welcome to contact joanna.stefanska@myimpact.ch or wolfgang.hafenmayer@myimpact.ch directly.