The School of Human Science and Environment was established in April 1998 as a faculty of Himeji Institute of Technology, one of the predecessors of the University of Hyogo. It was the first school in Japan to include both \\\"environment\\\" and \\\"human\\\" in its name, breaking down the traditional barriers between humanities and sciences to pioneer a new interdisciplinary academic field. To commemorate this occasion, various events, including a commemorative ceremony, were held. Among them, we were pleased to introduce the “Food Future Extension Lecture.”
On Thursday, December 7, a symposium commemorating the 25th anniversary was held in the auditorium of the Himeji Campus for Human Science, jointly with the Expert Course of the “Food Future Extension Lecture” conducted by the Food Science and Nutrition Course of the School of Human Science and Environment It was attended by students and the general public.
The symposium began with opening remarks by Professor Kaoru Sakamoto, Director of the Research Institute for Food and Nutritional Sciences and the School of Human Science and Environment.
After opening remarks, Dean Yoshimura gave a lecture titled the “25th Anniversary of the School of Human Science and Environment and Research for Achieving the SDGs”. Dean Yoshimura stated, “the School of Human Science and Environment is committed to education and research on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as to various other initiatives for the next 100 years. He stated that the School of Human Science and Environment will continue to make changes and progress in its future education, research, and social contribution activities, while carrying on its philosophy. (Photo)
The keynote lecture was given by Prof. Rie Akamatsu of Ochanomizu University, who spoke on the theme of “The Earth and Our Health from the Viewpoint of Food from two perspectives: what we eat and how much we eat. Also, what can we do for the health of the earth and ourselves?” Professor Akamatsu opened his lecture by saying, “I am also a registered dietitian, and I specialize in behavioral change in terms of how to lead a healthier diet, but recently we have come to an age where we must give dietary advice not only for our health but also for the global environment. Against this background, we have been conducting research for the past five years, incorporating the environment as well.” he said. In his speech, he also addressed the fact that while it is recommended to eat without leaving any leftovers from the viewpoint of reducing food loss, there is a large amount of leftovers in the restaurant industry due to the large amount of food per meal served by restaurants and the difficulty of maintaining an appropriate weight while using restaurants, saying, “Restaurants that serve meals also need to learn more about the SDGs and to promote the SDGs to consumers. He suggested that “it is important for restaurants serving meals to learn more about the SDGs and for consumers to voice their opinions to restaurants to create an environment in which they serve the right amount of food and order the right amount of food.” In closing, Professor Akamatsu said, “I believe that we can improve global warming from our immediate surroundings. I hope that everyone will start with what they can do to improve the situation.”
In the roundtable discussion that followed, titled “What We Can Do for the Global Environment and Human Food and Health (Present to Future),” Professor Akamatsu and Associate Professors Naoki Masuhara, Yuichiro Oku, and Makiko Nakade of the School of Human Science and Environment took the stage. (Photo.)
Finally, Professor Mikiko Ito of the School of Human Science and Environment gave closing remarks. Professor Ito said, “We have been thinking deeply about the relationship between daily food and food health in the Food for the Future Extension Course and other courses, but I believe that this symposium provided a new perspective on how this relates to the global environment and how daily health can change it. This symposium is being held jointly with the Food Future Extension Course, which is now in its 13th year, and has hosted a wide array of lecturers been attended by a large number of participants. The course is scheduled to be held again next year, and we hope that the general public and students will participate,” he concluded his remarks. (Photo)