Kon'nichiwa From Mr. Razem! Philip Razem, Willows Prep’s MYP Coordinator and Assistant Head of School, recently spent 2 weeks in Tokyo and Kitakyushu, Japan, as a recipient of a Japanese Fulbright Scholarship to study Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Mr. Razem collaborated with both American and Japanese elementary, secondary, and university teachers and students to raise awareness of ESD-oriented school programs, enhance ESD-related curricula in both countries, and deepen a sense of global interconnectedness between teachers in Japan and the United States. July 10-14 As the school year begins, Mr. Razem hopes to introduce these lessons into WPS school culture and elevate the entire student body and staff’s knowledge on how a more sustainable future is possible through education. The focus of Mr. Razem’s journey revolved around the city of Kitakyushu. In the 1950’s and 1960’s, Kitakyushu was one of the most productive steel producing cities in Japan. With such rapid production, local water and air quality deteriorated to point of which the city’s river was nicknamed “the sea of death” and locals complained they needed to wash their clothes several times a day due to the “seven colors of smoke” pouring into the sky from nearby factories. Local mothers formed a task force and after only a decade of education, c technological exploration, and government support, the city has completely revitalized itself into what environmentalists call an “ECO-Town”. Fields of solar panels and wind turbines power the city and every ounce of waste is recycled, from milk cartons to old cars. The city has become completely stable, both environmentally and economically. Mr. Razem toured both factories and schools to observe how the city’s transformation is used to educate youth in Japan and all over the world. Also, Mr. Razem was able to learn more about the Japanese education system through collaborative meetings with Japanese educators and students. He stayed with a Japanese host family and submerged himself as deep into Japanese culture as possible. He was asked to deliver the final commencement speech on behalf of the American teachers for US Consulate and Japanese officials. In his speech, he spoke of the lessons he learned from his first experience in Japan: the Japanese emphasis on respect (for history and each other), the importance of teaching all communities about sustainability in the 21 st century, and Japan’s courage to fund and support “ECO-towns” throughout the country.