On Friday, February 6, 2026, the “Campus Planetary Health Rediscovery Project (Planetary Health Campus Walk)” was held at the Bunkyo Campus of Nagasaki University.

This project, titled the “Campus Walk,” was launched under the theme “Creating a Campus that Contributes to the Earth and the Community.” Its purpose is to encourage participants to walk around the campus they see every day and reexamine it from the perspective of planetary health.

For example, participants walked the campus while considering questions such as: “What should a campus look like if it is designed to address global challenges such as climate change, ecosystem changes, and disaster risks?” and “What would a campus look like if it prioritized reducing environmental impact, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing disaster resilience?” By reflecting on these issues, the project aimed to help participants see planetary health not as someone else’s concern, but as a personal responsibility.

On the day of the event, 11 students and 8 faculty and staff members participated. The participants were divided into three groups and walked along three pre-designated routes. Observing green spaces, areas around buildings, and shared spaces from a planetary health perspective, they toured the campus for about an hour while sharing their insights and identifying issues.

Figure 1 Campus Walk

Figure 2 Students sharing ideas with Trustee Atsuko YASUTAKE (second from the right)

After the walk, the participants moved to a lecture room where each group organized their observations. Through group presentations, they exchanged ideas and discussed. The students categorized the identified issues into short-, medium-, and long-term goals based on the time required for resolution and submitted their proposals to the Facilities Department.

Selected Student Proposals:

• Although there is a thicket where badgers live, the area could be expanded to provide more hiding spaces, and fruit-bearing trees could be planted to protect the ecosystem while promoting coexistence between wildlife and people.
• Plastic waste is often discarded without proper separation. Posters with illustrations explaining how sorted waste is recycled and its positive environmental impact could be placed near trash bins.
• An unused space next to the cafeteria could be lent out as a garden to grow vegetables, helping visualize resource circulation and promote food and agriculture initiatives.
• Since there are few roofs or shaded areas across the campus, planting trees around benches and other areas could create more shade, allowing students to spend time comfortably even during the summer.

One of the participants, Mr. Masataka INOUE from the Graduate School of Integrated Science and Technology, commented, “I’m glad we were able to share a vision of the future that Nagasaki University should strive for. I hope we can further deepen discussions on long-term issues, generate more ideas, and present our proposals to the President.”

Associate Professor Sho SASAKI of the Structural Engineering Program, Faculty of Engineering, who also participated, reflected on the initiative: “When students become aware of issues close to them and incorporate solutions into the campus they use every day, it leads to creating a campus where simply walking around allows you to ‘feel planetary health.’ In doing so, students begin to see the broader goal of realizing planetary health—still a relatively unfamiliar concept to many—as something personal, encouraging them to take their interest and act.” He also expressed hope that, by experiencing and recognizing the University’s efforts in their daily lives, students will develop a stronger sense of empathy for planetary health and eventually take the initiative to explore solutions themselves.

Nagasaki University will continue striving to transform its campus into a place that contributes to the Earth and the local community, creating opportunities for students to work together toward the realization of planetary health.

Reference: Nagasaki University Planetary Health Special Website https://www.plh.nagasaki-u.ac.jp/