Sustainable urban homes which provide food and a healthy environment for residents are needed in communities afflicted by aging populations, disappearing farmland, and children unable to connect with the natural world.   5ivePlanets is demonstrating an affordable eco reform of a small home in Nishiya Town in Yokohama.  The interior of the home was renovated by removing walls to create an open plan with better air flow and natural light.  A greenhouse addition on the western wall houses an Aquaponics system to provide fish and vegetables for the home.  Additional energy saving techniques, insulation and thermal paned window increase the efficiency of the house and reduce fuel consumption.  All natural materials are used without the home with minimal chemicals to avoid toxins and create a healthy home interior.

Check here for updates and new pictures of the ongoing reform which was began in the fall of 2010. Below, one of our interns proudly displays a homemade bamboo shovel handle made from bamboo growing on the property!

In order to allow our members to share information and learn from each other we have aso set up an interactive members site at http://www.5iveplanets.ning.com. Become a members and meet our community!

Buy a Koi Nobori and send us an email via message2Tohoku@gmail.com with a message you would like to send to children who are living in shelters in the affected prefectures. Our volunteers will write your message on a white Koi Nobori and we will fly it in Yokohama’s Port on

Some well-known environmentalists have speculated that by 2050, if we don’t change current lifestyle and development trends that we may need the equivalent of 5 planets or more to support the growing demands we are placing on our fragile Earth. This is not an assessment backed by solid science but

Internships available for application from….

The Headquarters of 5ivePlanets is a house in Asahi-ku, Yokohama generously donated by the Ogura Family. The Center which is due to open in May 2011, will feature an interpretive center introducing the potential of aquaponics and biochar as technologies that have the potential to enhance food production capacity in