Fourth-year university student Aruha Hamamura begins and ends most days on his surfboard at Kounohama Beach along the coast of Mie Prefecture¡¯s Shima Peninsula, an area known for the Grand Shrines of Ise and the ama freedivers who ply the nearby waters in search of ocean creatures including the region¡¯s famed pearl oysters.
When not surfing or studying, he works part-time as a barista at a coffee stand in CO Blue Center, a beachside complex that also houses a sauna, an ecologically oriented library and information clearinghouse, a marine agri-tech company and spaces for art exhibitions, satellite offices and co-working. Hamamura lauds CO Blue for its flexible working conditions, but he was also drawn to the center by its eco-friendly ethos of addressing problems such as ocean plastics, deforestation and the looming food crisis.
One initiative that particularly excites him is Re:COIN, a program that upcycles plastic beach trash into ¡°coins,¡± which can then be redeemed at nearby businesses. The more beach trash you bring to CO Blue, the more coins you can get in return.
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