リンゴの木の成長過程で切り落とした幹や枝を使って、はんこや箸などにアップサイクルしている川口伊知郎さん。活動拠点の長野県安曇野市はリンゴ畑の多い地域。切り落とした幹や枝には節が多く、加工するのが難しいため、薪として活用されていた一部を除いて、そのほとんどは焼却処分されていました。環境にやさしいモノづくりは、地道にコツコツと続けていく中にあるということを伝えていきたい、と語る川口さんの思い描く未来とは？

Mr. Ichiro Kawaguchi upcycles the trunks and branches pruned from apple trees as they grow, transforming this wood into items such as stamps and chopsticks. His base of operations is located in Azumino City, Nagano Prefecture, a region renowned for its numerous apple orchards. The pruned trunks and branches have many knots, making them difficult to process； therefore, most of them were incinerated, except for a small portion that was used as firewood. Kawaguchi wants to convey that environmentally friendly craftsmanship is something that is achieved through persistent and steady effort. What kind of future does he envision?