Yokohama Green Valley (Yokohama - Japan)

Yokohama Green Valley is the city’s concept to rapidly promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and foster economic revitalisation by developing an industry focused on environment and improving environmental education through collaboration with citizens. Kanazawa ward, Yokohama’s coastal area, is the model district for the development of this innovative project that will be extended to the rest of the city when it reaches maturity.

The Future Vision of Yokohama is “putting ultimate low-carbon life in practice, developing the environmental and energy industry that the world requires, and creating the environmental education base that represents Japan”. This vision focuses on 3 fundamental pillars – deployment of energy policies (governance), development of the environment and energy industry (business), and education (citizens) – to achieve the sustainable development of the city, and collaboration and citizen engagement are the key elements of this process.

Some of the ongoing projects in the scope of Yokohama Green Valley are the Yokohama Blue Carbon Project (a unique approach that aims to mitigate the effects of global warming using marine resources), local production and consumption of electricity using power consignment, and Kanazawa Ward Coastal Area Energy Management Projects District (an effort to reduce CO2 emissions in the region by analysing efficient ways to save power and energy in the industrial districts of the area).