Mottainai Grandma

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is through conservation — living small and smart. Japan has a strong tradition of conservation, but it's also a country that likes the good life. And the good life requires electricity and lots of it.

Although a single hotel room in Japan can have four remote controls, a talking bath and heated toilet seats, a new popular children's book called Mottainai Grandma sends a different message about energy conservation.

Mottainai roughly translates as "Don't waste." In the drawings, Grandma looks a little stern with her hair up in a bun and cane in hand. And there's no avoiding her eyes. Mottainai is an old Buddhist word. Kawanishi says it also ties in with the Shinto idea that objects have souls.

"The whole idea that we are part of the nature, and should be in a very harmonious relationship with nature is very much a deep part of Japanese psychology," Kawanishi says.

In Japan, it's cool to be environmentally friendly. Many streets are lined with trash bins for recycling.

There's also Wangari Maathai, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. She's not Japanese, but rather, from Kenya, Africa. But she has become a kind of a celebrity in Japan, teaching the Japanese about their own word.