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| Participants of the "no-plug" project in Seoul stack bales of hay into walls of a cafe being constructed at Seoul Innovation Park on Nov. 17. Through the city-backed project, citizens are learning from Japanese inventor Fujimura Yasuyuki how to reduce dependency on electricity and chemical substances in their daily lives. Courtesy of Atelier Non-Electric Seoul |
Citizens learn about low-energy, chemical-free lifestyle from Japanese inventor
By Kim Bo-eun
Despite the dreary weather, over a dozen people gathered outside Seoul Innovation Park to take part in the construction of a coffee shop on Nov. 17.
The cafe is not another shop that can be spotted on any street of the city. It has been designed as to not to use electricity.
The building uses bales of hay as construction material. Its high insulation value eliminates the need for energy for heating and cooling.
After setting up the wall frames and creating the roof in earlier workshops, participants stacked the hay to form the walls.
The construction is part of the "no-plug" project in Seoul, which is a city-backed effort to spread the practice of minimizing the use of energy and chemical substance, to protect the environment and lead to healthier lifestyles.
Fujimura Yasuyuki, a Japanese inventor who set up "Atelier Non-Electric" in Nasu in the northern Tochigi Prefecture of Japan, visits Seoul every month to teach citizens how to create various substitutes for everyday appliances. The bottom line is to make the substitutes as easily and cost-effectively as possible, and to spread the movement.
Since May, citizens have learned to make a water purifier that does not use electricity, a solar food dehydrator and a wood-fired oven. Hay-bale construction was the final workshop for this year.
"Most people think making substitutes lies outside their capacity but this is not true," Fujimura said after the workshop.
"Regardless of age, gender and whether one has an engineering background or not ― this is something anyone can do."
Ryu Kwang-il, 32, came from Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, to participate.
"I developed an interest in the lifestyle after reading Dr. Fujimura's books and watching a documentary," he said.
"In the past, I didn't really think about using electricity but the workshop provided me more time to think about it ― I wish more of these projects would be initiated."
Construction of the coffee shop is set to be completed next June.
"The cafe will not have any artificial lighting _ it will be lit with natural light and candles," project manager Lee Jae-eun said.
"The idea is to provide visitors an experience they are unable to access in a city full of high-rise concrete buildings ― offering them the opportunity to reflect on their daily lives.
Fujimura presides over workshops and lectures in Seoul which are open to the public.
After the workshop, the professor of engineering spoke about reducing the use of energy, and how this is done at Atelier Non-Electric in Nasu.
Kim Kyung-mi, 29, who is one of the 12 citizens selected by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to learn from Fujimura over a one-year period, said it has changed her lifestyle to some extent.
"When I recently moved to a new place, I changed my fridge to a much smaller one. I also realized I don't need a vacuum cleaner, so I clean using a broom," she said.
Another aim of Fujimura's skill-teaching is to help people lead independent lives.
"I had been accustomed to a life centered on consumption, but as I learnt various skills through the workshops, I gained confidence that I can make things myself _ instead of relying on a technician to do the work," Kim said.
On Dec. 16, project participants will promote their activities at Marche@, an eco-friendly market in Seoul.
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