A magnitude 9.0 earthquake triggered waves that inundated more than 200 miles of coastline, killing 18,500 people and setting off a nuclear disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant that reverberated around the world. Ten years ago the town was struck by the most powerful tsunami in Japanese history. Minamisanriku hums with a quiet rhythm, which in itself is perhaps remarkable. Minamisanriku has become a symbol of resolve as it resurrects itself after the 2011 tsunami. Many fishing villages along Japan’s northern coast have an intimate and fraught relationship with the sea. Some of those who work the cobalt waters run bed-and-breakfasts to supplement their income, though fishing has always been the lifeblood of the town. This striking tableau helped make Minamisanriku a popular tourist destination. Similar terrain continues inland through the hills that surround the town on three sides. The craggy inlet that leads into this fishing port is banked by steep slopes blanketed with trees. Saito goes shrimping every day – and has the weathered face and calloused hands to prove it – making his living from the briny waters as generations before him have done in Minamisanriku. Tomoaki Saito is carrying crates from his 20-foot shrimp boat to a small, white truck parked on the quay. It is a Saturday afternoon and many of the people who work the sea have finished for the day, but a few still tend to boats and nets. Still, the temperature is low enough to chill even the hardy fishermen and women who toil on the water off this mountainous stretch of Japan’s northeast coast. A snowstorm warning has been issued but there is no sign of flakes in the slate gray sky. A little competition can go a long way.īlisteringly cold gusts blow in off the ocean and sweep across the boat landing. Now, my girls and I are trying to think up the next challenge. Even I, as a climate journalist, had simply not noticed the plastic coating our lives. Even here, most of the products were wrapped in plastic, from the lettuce to the tofu.“Mama, what are we going to do about cheese?” my little one finally stammered. We persevered that week, if a bit hungrily and with a cheddar craving. (I’d been reporting about plastic for a while – watch for a cover story coming up, or this graphic explainer.)The girls were in.We collected our reusable shopping bags and jars, and drove (I know, I know) to the local food co-op. And while I tell myself that one day these contests may evolve into pro-social habits, mostly I like them because they seem to work, my girls are happy, and I scratch one or two things off the never-ending to-do list. So when I read climate scientist Peter Kalmus’ 2017 book, “Being the Change: Live Well and Spark a Climate Revolution,” I was intrigued. Among many other things, his book proposes personal behavior shifts – using only cash, eschewing industrial beverages, avoiding all packaging – often beginning as a week- or monthlong personal challenge. Over breakfast, I outlined our mission: For a week, I said, we were going to shop without buying any plastic. I have set up contests for making beds and tending the litter box, running soccer drills and practicing instruments. The week began, as do all good weeks with my children, with an official challenge. A family’s competitive streak, after all, can be magically exploited for parental gain.
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