Kyoto Journal, a publication whose main premise is offer an alternative view of Asian culture, started a fundraising campaign on Indiegogo to finance a publication called Fresh Currents. The publication will come out in print and PDF and will be distributed to key policymakers, local government officials, community leaders, educators and media outlets.
The initiative is a response to the triple meltdown at Fuskushima, when the “myth that nuclear power can deliver us from the long-term hazards of fossil fuels has been shattered,” said the multi-media team behind the project. “Renewable energy, long dismissed as impractical, is being given serious reconsideration,” they added. The idea is to take a fresh look at alternative energy and the potential for its application in Japan.
Supporters of the project are in for a few treats. Those pledging $25 will receive a copy of Kyoto Journal’s digital issue 76 and their names will be listed in Fresh Currents. Those who donate $100 will receive a five-issue subscription of Kyoto Journal and a digital copy of Fresh Currents. Those who donate $300 or more will be mailed an original artwork by renowned Kansai-based artist Brian Williams, besides a limited-edition, hand-drawn gravure etching of an ancient cedar growing in Yakushima.
As we have reported before, in the wake of the nuclear meltdown last year, Japan signaled it would be moving toward renewable energy to replace nuclear energy. It is encouraging to see civil society engaging with the discussion at the crossroads of the country’s energy future.
To find out more about the project, visit Fresh Currents’ page on Indiegogo.
Article by Antonio Pasolini, a Brazilian writer and video art curator based in London, UK. He holds a BA in journalism and an MA in film and television.
