[Available for interview] Local elementary school students release young ayu fish

Green Co-op Community (Headquarters: Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City; Representative Director: Yoko Hidaka; hereinafter "Green Co-op"), a general incorporated association composed of 16 co-ops mainly in Western Japan, along with Green Co-op Consumers' Co-operative Union and Green Co-op Milk Co., Ltd., will jointly conduct a release of young ayu fish by local elementary school students with the Yamakuni River Fishery Cooperative (Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture) on Tuesday, May 12, 2026.

Scenes from last year's release (May 2025)

This initiative aims to improve understanding and interest in environmental conservation of the Yamakuni River by releasing young ayu with local elementary school students. This year, children from Nakatsu City Misato Elementary School and Nakatsu City Shimogo Elementary School will participate and release young ayu. At the end of the activity, there will also be an experience of tasting grilled ayu, allowing them to feel the blessings of nature.

[Background of the initiative]

Green Co-op has been supporting the Yamakuni River Fishery Cooperative's "Yamakuni River Environmental Conservation and Fish Breeding Protection Activities" since 2024. This year, approximately 3,000 young ayu fish are scheduled to be released. Green Co-op will continue its efforts in releasing living organisms, aiming for coexistence between the community and nature.

Green Co-op's initiatives to protect the rich nature of the Yamakuni River https://milk.greencoop.or.jp/saveyamakunigawa/

[Event Outline]

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM (Cancelled in case of rain)

Location: Release point behind Green Co-op Milk Co., Ltd. (along the Yamakuni River) 1237-1 Uso, Yamakuni-machi, Nakatsu City, Oita Prefecture

Participants: Misato Elementary School 3rd graders, Shimogo Elementary School 4th and 5th graders (20 children), 4-6 accompanying teachers, Oita Prefectural Government Northern Development Bureau, 2-3 Nakatsu City officials, 10-12 Green Co-op related personnel

Organizers: Green Co-op Consumers' Co-operative Union, Green Co-op Milk Co., Ltd., Yamakuni River Fishery Cooperative

Content: ① Young ayu release experience (individual release using buckets) ② Tasting of grilled ayu and interaction

[Green Co-op's Symbiotic and Circular Dairy Farming Project]

Green Co-op is promoting the "Symbiotic and Circular Dairy Farming Project." We have established a system to stably supply safe, secure, affordable, and delicious bottled milk. In July, "Yabakei Farm," a dairy farm with a scale of 1,000 cows, is scheduled to open in Yabakei-machi, Nakatsu City, establishing a circular agricultural system integrating feed, farm, factory, and distribution.

Green Co-op's Symbiotic and Circular Dairy Farming Project https://milk.greencoop.or.jp/

Organization Overview General Incorporated Association Green Co-op Community 1-5-1 Hakataekimae, Hakata-ku, Fukuoka City Representative Director Yoko Hidaka https://www.greencoop.or.jp/

In 2018, the "General Incorporated Association Green Co-op Community" was established with 16 consumer co-ops and various organizations, including Green Co-op Consumers' Co-operative Union, Green Co-op Social Welfare Corporation, and Workers' Co-operative, across Kyushu (Fukuoka, Saga, Nagasaki, Oita, Kumamoto, Miyazaki, Kagoshima), Kinki (Osaka, Hyogo, Shiga), Chugoku (Tottori, Okayama, Shimane, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi), and Fukushima. They have been active as consumer co-ops rooted in each region, sharing and cooperating as if they were one Green Co-op. Starting from a mother's desire to "let children eat safe and secure food," they aim to enrich each region. Keywords: