Study on promotion of regions through actors' interactive activities concerning economic development and environmental consciousness

本研究的目的是重新考虑在Tomakomai和Omuta的案例中，通过参与者在经济发展和环境意识方面的互动活动来促进区域的可能性，这两个案例都位于日本的外围地区。在Tomokomai，八家公司于2001年建立了零排放活动的公司间网络，以促进当地健全的材料循环社会。这个网络运行得非常好，每个公司都可以减少浪费和物质资源成本。这是保罗·霍肯倡导的自然资本主义的一个很好的例子。但是网络活动对当地社会的影响还不是很大。在大田市，市政府与福冈县政府合作推进了一个生态小镇项目。这个项目的目的是培育所谓的回收公司，促进地区发展。但它的主要活动是寻找一个以RDF为燃料的发电站，这无助于减少来自家庭的废物。此外，事故发生在发电站几次，他们不得不停止它的运行。几个市民团体抗议市政当局的政策。我们可以看到，从事回收业务的当地老牌公司和新成立的公司之间几乎没有合作。总的来说，应该积累社会资本，利用自然资本主义促进区域发展。在Tomakomai，自然资本主义在老牌公司中很强大，但社会资本很弱。另一方面，他们在大摩太很弱。

The purpose of this study is to reconsider the possibility of promotion of regions through actors' interactive activities concerning economic development and environmental consciousness in the cases of Tomakomai as well as of Omuta, both of which are located in a peripheral region of Japan. In Tomokomai, eight companies established an inter-firm network for zero emission activities to contribute to a local sound material-cycle society in 2001. This network has functioned so well that each company can reduce wastes and cost of material resources. It is a good example of natural capitalism advocated by Paul Hawken. But the impact of the activities of the network on the local society is not enormous yet.In Omuta, the city authority has promoted an Eco Town Project in collaboration with Fukuoka prefectural government. The purpose of this project is to foster the so-called recycling companies for the promotion of regions. But its main activity is to locate a power station fuelled with RDF, which does not contribute to reduction of wastes derived from households. Moreover accidents happened at the power station several times and they had to stop its operation. Several citizens' groups protested against the policy of the city authority. We can see almost no collaboration between local established companies and newly located ones engaged in the recycling business.In general, social capital should be accumulated so as to make use of natural capitalism for the sake of promotion of regions. In Tomakomai, natural capitalism is strong among the established companies, but social capital is weak. On the other hand, they are-weak in Omuta.