このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
ゼロ排出
筆者の友人で溶接業を営む森さんは、この不景気で会社の経営もままならず、家も会社も抵当に入れて意気消沈していた。そんな折、筆者はあるアイデアを思いついた
Poor Mori-san felt he was doomed. He needed a new business idea, and fast. When I suggested something new and exciting involving zero emissions, Mori-san became angry.
"Zero emissions is a fancy word for recycling. How can I recycle when I'm not producing anything?" Mori-san was wrong. Zero emissions is not the same as recycling. It means to take something that is discarded and think up a new way to make something useful without using lots of energy for recycling.
To our surprise the perfect product was right under his nose. A quick visit to his factory revealed lots of junk propane tanks used in welding, called bombe. They were lying around all over the place. Mori-san had planned to get rid of them, but it cost money to throw them away.
With a little experimenting, we struck a jackpot of ideas. The caps, with some cleaning and welding, plus a coat of paint, made great looking bombe bells. The large containers cut up made great benches, chairs and even mailboxes. With the addition of red paint and wheels, they made, durable wagons.
Not only were the ideas fun, but everyone who saw them liked them. Orders started coming in by the dozens and then the hundreds. Everyone had new ideas and requests.
Soon Mori-san was making bombe wedding bells, bombe light stands — even bombe Christmas trees. Zero emissions was off and running. Mori-san's business was up and on its feet again and making money. And he was having fun.
But the biggest surprise was when The Loft department store in Nagoya placed an order for bombe bells and requested a 3-meter bombe bell Christmas tree and red mailbox for its Christmas display.
Now Mori-san has applied for a patent for the bells and has established supply routes for old bombes from garbage dumps. He is even talking with major beer producers about using their discarded gas bottles. Zero emissions is turning a profit.
The expression zero emissions is not new; the idea has been circulating around Japan for a couple of years now. Actually one of the themes for the 2005 Expo to be held in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, will be zero emissions. But unfortunately, the concept is often described with long, difficult, textbook explanations.
Simply put, zero emissions means looking at waste disposal problems from a creative and innovative perspective. This simple idea can solve certain waste disposal problems, bolster the economy, and can be a lot of fun! Zero emissions is far from zero benefits.
"Mori-san, you look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders! What is the matter?" Mori-san's welding business was about to go under. He had mortgaged his home and business to the hilt, and the economy was getting worse.
Poor Mori-san felt he was doomed. He needed a new business idea, and fast. When I suggested something new and exciting involving zero emissions, Mori-san became angry.
"Zero emissions is a fancy word for recycling. How can I recycle when I'm not producing anything?" Mori-san was wrong. Zero emissions is not the same as recycling. It means to take something that is discarded and think up a new way to make something useful without using lots of energy for recycling.
To our surprise the perfect product was right under his nose. A quick visit to his factory revealed lots of junk propane tanks used in welding, called bombe. They were lying around all over the place. Mori-san had planned to get rid of them, but it cost money to throw them away.
With a little experimenting, we struck a jackpot of ideas. The caps, with some cleaning and welding, plus a coat of paint, made great looking bombe bells. The large containers cut up made great benches, chairs and even mailboxes. With the addition of red paint and wheels, they made, durable wagons.
Not only were the ideas fun, but everyone who saw them liked them. Orders started coming in by the dozens and then the hundreds. Everyone had new ideas and requests.
Soon Mori-san was making bombe wedding bells, bombe light stands — even bombe Christmas trees. Zero emissions was off and running. Mori-san's business was up and on its feet again and making money. And he was having fun.
But the biggest surprise was when The Loft department store in Nagoya placed an order for bombe bells and requested a 3-meter bombe bell Christmas tree and red mailbox for its Christmas display.
Now Mori-san has applied for a patent for the bells and has established supply routes for old bombes from garbage dumps. He is even talking with major beer producers about using their discarded gas bottles. Zero emissions is turning a profit.
The expression zero emissions is not new; the idea has been circulating around Japan for a couple of years now. Actually one of the themes for the 2005 Expo to be held in Seto, Aichi Prefecture, will be zero emissions. But unfortunately, the concept is often described with long, difficult, textbook explanations.
Simply put, zero emissions means looking at waste disposal problems from a creative and innovative perspective. This simple idea can solve certain waste disposal problems, bolster the economy, and can be a lot of fun! Zero emissions is far from zero benefits.
Shukan ST: Nov. 13, 1998
(C) All rights reserved
- look like you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders
- 世界中の重みを背負っている(大きな心労を抱えている)ように見える
- welding business
- 溶接業
- was about to 〜
- 〜 しそうだった
- go under
- つぶれる
- had mortgaged 〜
- 〜 を抵当に入れていた
- business
- 会社
- to the hilt
- すっかり
- Poor
- かわいそうな
- was doomed
- 倒産する運命だった
- suggested
- 提案した
- involving 〜
- 〜 にかかわる
- fancy word for 〜
- 〜 を聞こえよく言った言葉
- something that is discarded
- 捨てられているもの
- think up
- 考え出す
- To our surprise
- 驚いたことに
- was right under his nose
- すぐ目の前にあった
- factory
- 工場
- revealed 〜
- 〜 があると分かった
- junk
- 使用済みの
- propane tanks
- プロパンガスのタンク
- were lying around all over the place
- そこら中に転がっていた
- get rid of 〜
- 〜 を始末する
- throw 〜 away
- 〜 を廃棄する
- With a little experimenting
- ちょっと試していると
- struck a jackpot of ideas
- すごいアイデアをたくさん思いついた
- caps
- ボンベの上の部分
- plus a coat of paint
- ペンキを塗ると
- containers cut up
- 使いきった容器の部分
- mailboxes
- 郵便受け
- With the addition of 〜
- 〜 を付けて
- wheels
- 車輪
- durable
- 頑丈な
- Orders
- 注文
- by the dozens
- ダース単位で
- was off and running
- 本格的に動き出した
- was up and on its feet
- 上向きになって、(経済的に)立ち直った
- (was)making money
- もうかりだした
- placed an order for 〜
- 〜 を注文した
- has applied for 〜
- 〜 を出願した
- patent
- 特許
- has established supply routes for 〜
- 〜 の仕入先を確保した
- garbage dumps
- ごみ捨て場
- beer producers
- ビール製造者
- is turning a profit
- 利益を生み出している
- has been circulating around 〜
- 〜 に行き渡っている
- concept
- 考え方
- (is)described
- 記述されている
- explanations
- 説明
- Simply put
- 簡単に言うと
- waste disposal problems
- ごみ処理問題
- from a creative and innovative perspective
- 創意ある、革新的な見地から
- solve
- 解決する
- certain
- ある程度の
- bolster
- 強くする
- is far from 〜
- 〜 なんてとんでもない