SDGs Future City, Hamamatsu
Hamamatsu City, which aims to create a society in which people of diverse backgrounds can live comfortably, ranks first in Japan in terms of happiness among government-designated cities.
The city is proud of its resources as a “National “Miniaturized City” where urban areas and mountainous regions coexist, and its “Yaramaika spirit”, which has given rise to a number of major corporations, and has taken a leading role in creating an environmentally friendly city.
In order for Hamamatsu City to overcome unexpected crisis events and achieve sustainable development, I would like to focus on resilience first.
School lunch system as a safety net for children
Due to prevent the spread of coronavirus, all schools were asked to close until the end of May. With this closure, no school lunch was provided to school children.
・A huge amount of food was wasted.
・School children lost a chance to have a well-balanced nutritious meal. →Disordered eating habits caused their poor physical conditions. Family budget has tightened because of food expense increase at home.
→Some children suffered from weight loss because of malnutrition.
Government of Finland, which advocates egalitarianism, continued to provide school children with free school lunch even while all schools were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
What can we do before the next big wave of the Covid-19 comes?
Alternative school lunch system must be immediately established, for example providing grocery to take home, or cash and food coupons.
