Why eco magazine? Why now?
It has been 10 years since I first published a magazine targeting creators called +81. The theme of +81 is to introduce creators who we consider important to the world, but at the same time, we are aiming for our interview magazine to be an important resource for art, which will remain as documentation, 50 years, 100 years from now. I've often thought of producing a book that will still be read 50 years from now and I couldn't help but wonder, "what will the world be like then"? Rosy-hued images come up only to be replaced by cruel, tragic images. Which images do human beings choose? I was stunned when I began to realize that it won't be people 50 years from now who will choose the way to go, it is we who are now living who choose.

Today we live in a design era. Yet at the same time, we hear about ecology or the environment every day. When people think about the environment and design at the same time, the word, "environmental design" pops up in your head and stimulates your preconceived ideas and narrows the possibilities of activities. During the first week of November, 2005, there will be many events held such as Design Tide, Tokyo Fashion Week, Design Week, and 100% Design. Many creators and journalists will come together in Tokyo from all over the world. I wonder, and I expect, what they think of design and environmental issues and what they will say about them. How are these two problems perceived in foreign countries, I wonder.
As I think about that, some questions are raised in my mind. How many people have read all of the Kyoto Protocol? What about the issues concerning industrial waste? What about the problems between South and North Africa? I began to think to myself, "Why don't I make something that can be seen and read about what we want to know, what we need to know?" That was the beginning of "E code".

If the earth were only one year old, the history of humans would be even less than a second. We humans, as latecomers, are now destroying the earth. I went to the Sahara Desert this August. I was in awe, standing in the wilderness of the great Sahara and the cruel nature of the land. I call +81 a magazine that inspires people. I meet creators in person and am moved by their work and concepts, and my task is to convey what I feel to readers, I believe. I have already met more than 800 creators all over the world.
Of all the creators I have met, the greatest and the most inspiring, the most mesmerizing creator was nature. When I realized that, an irresistible feeling of respect arose in me and it led me to believe that what we are doing to the earth is inexcusable and unforgivable.

If a design lacks a concept, it would be just lines. If you pursue a concept in design, you soon begin to ask yourself, "Why does this design need to exist?" "What is the purpose?" You go further and begin to ask yourself, "Who is it that existence can be here for?" and "What is it that we are made to be living for?"
It's been 15 years since I established my company and it's been 10 years since the first publication of the magazine. I am grateful that I've always been supported by people in this world. I believe that I've always worked with a sense of mission. Now that I've finished editing this issue, I truly feel that we are given existence by the earth, and our purpose of living is to live with nature in harmony. The spirit of +81 is to inspire people. I hope that, by sending out "E code", as many people as possible will take time to think about issues and our purpose. Our next publication will be released on Earth Day in April.

Satoru Yamashita, "E Code" Director