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5 Comments

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  sharky1 at 06:08 PM JST - 18th July

  They could put kid power to work too...having them pedal as they study. If people had to pedal to run their refrigerators, obesity would become a thing of the past.

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  Disillusioned at 06:25 PM JST - 18th July

  How about a coat of paint, some new desks, adequate cooling and heating, school safety zones on the roads, computers for the teachers and employ cleaners to clean the schools professionally using bleach and other disinfectants? I worked in a public junior high a few years ago and they had one public computer in the teacher's room running Windows 98 that was disgustingly dirty and slow as a wet week, the school's toilets were disgusting cos kids aren't allowed to use real cleaning agents, paint was flaking of the ceilings and there were two kids hit by cars in front of the school in the one year I worked there. Solar power cells! What a joke!

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  presto345 at 01:53 PM JST - 20th July

  I worked in a public junior high a few years ago and they had one public computer in the teacher's room running Windows 98 that was disgustingly dirty and slow as a wet week

  In the teacher's room. That was a very small school, of course. You haven't seen any other schools since, I bet. That aside, solar is the way to go. Solar electricity for residencies and public buildings can easily generate at least 50% of the required energy with a pay back time of 10 to 15 years.

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  elbudamexicano at 11:42 PM JST - 20th July

  Solar powered schools are only the tip of the ice berg! The Japanese government should help all schools get more eco friendly and all regular house holds too. Come to think about it, all Japanese highways should have solar powered lights, to save on lighting up at night.

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  LFRAgain at 12:32 PM JST - 21st July

  Disillusioned,

  "How about a coat of paint, some new desks, adequate cooling and heating, school safety zones on the roads, computers for the teachers and employ cleaners to clean the schools professionally using bleach and other disinfectants?"

  Well, if the local school boards didn't have to piss away billions of yen annually on electricity for schools (and ironically, for things like cooling), then perhaps they could afford that coat of paint, new desks, and computers for the teachers.

  Your past Japanese school experiences are a bit dated. Most staff rooms, at least out here in the deep inaka of Western Japan, are fully networked, have several computers in the staff room, not to mention most teachers bring their own laptops to and from work. Which of course, drives up electricity usage.

  And my kids use some truly noxious cleaning agents to take the grime off. Not that they actually know how to use it effectively, but it's always been there in my 9 years of teaching. And it costs money.

  Solar is the way to go, and starting with energy-hungry public institutions like schools is a great place to start. More power to them! (pun entirely intended)

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