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Environment Family

Chapter Three:"A Ski Trip"

members of the tamaki family

The entire Tamaki family has decided to take a ski trip during the holidays. Since this will be his first ski trip this winter, Susumu is extremely excited about it.

A Shinkansen (bullet train) line platform in Y City. It will take about three hours by Shinkansen to get to the town where the skiing slopes are. "Mom, there's some time left before the train leaves, isn't there?" asks Susumu. "Well, you still have about two minutes," replies his mother. Susumu and his dad, Mamoru, overslept this morning, and did not have time to eat breakfast. Apparently, Susumu has become so hungry that he cannot hold out any longer.

"Then I'll go and buy some box lunches," says Susumu as he takes his mother's pocketbook, and runs off along the platform.
"Oh my! He is still a growing child with strong appetite," remarks Susumu's grandmother, Tamotsu, who has been munching on rice crackers by herself during this time.

Mamoru, who returned home late last night as usual, is already fast asleep in his seat.
"Oh, dear."
Yuko puts her coat over Mamoru in place of a blanket. "Oh my! That's Mamoru. He will always remain like a child who needs his sleep."
To Tamotsu, Mamoru still has the aspect of a child.

Soon afterwards, Susumu returns as the train's starting signal rings.
"Here you are. I bought a lunch for dad, too, and some tea, as well."
Returning the pocketbook to his mother, Susumu finds his father fast asleep.

"Huh? Is dad asleep? What a pity. I bought a lunch for him,"
says Susumu shaking Mamoru out of sleep.
Yawning, Mamoru wakes up from his precious sleep. And after noticing the expressions in the eyes of Yuko and Tamotsu, he sits up straight in a hurry.

Susumu thrusts the lunch and tea toward Mamoru's face.
"Dad, I bought some box lunches. Let's eat."
"Oh, really? Let's eat, then."
Just then, the signal that the train is about to depart sounded. Gradually building speed, the train leaves the platform and heads toward the ski slopes in the north.

The energy consumed by a train

Susumu and his family travel by Shinkansen (bullet train) to go skiing. How much energy does the Shinkansen consume?

data shows that the Shinkansen consumes 133 kcal to transport one person 1 kilometer, which means it needs 1 eu (ecological unit) for approximately every 15 kilometers traveled. A man can walk 40 kilometers a day if he exerts himself. The difference when traveling by Shinkansen allows us to have a comfortable life, but it results in an environmental impact along the way. Let's examine this in more detail.

It should be noted that this energy represents only the amount of energy consumed while a Shinkansen is traveling. A Shinkansen is made of metals such as steel and aluminum, as well as plastics, glass, and other diverse materials. To evaluate the total energy, we must take into account the energy consumed while producing these materials.

Moreover, there is a limit to the expected life span of a Shinkansen car. One must also take into account how the car will be disposed of after its life expires and how much energy will be used for such disposal.

Let's think about the most efficient way of using things, paying attention to the entire life cycle of an item, from production through disposal. This way of thinking is called LCA (Life Cycle Assessment).