For Someone Else? For Yourself? What Does It Mean to Do Something "Good"?

At the Seven-Eleven Memorial Foundation, we use donations collected at 7-Eleven stores to support environmental conservation, disaster recovery, and civic environmental activities. But I think even small acts—like reaching out to someone in need—can be "good."

And I think that being on the receiving end of that kindness is reassuring. For me, "good" is choosing actions or things that feel right to me. For example, using bathwater for laundry saves water. Despite that it might shorten the lifespan of some type of clothes.

There’s no single right answer. I try to choose what feels "good" to me.

If you overthink it, it becomes exhausting. I agree with that.

At Denny’s, we have a program called mottECO that lets customers take home leftover food in eco-friendly containers to reduce food waste. But if you ask me what I do personally, that’s a difficult question.

I have two young children, and they often teach me things. Honestly, sometimes when I slack on separating garbage, they’ll say, "Dad, that’s not how you throw it away!" It made me realize that I need to set a better example as an adult.

I helped develop the SustainaSmile app for Seven & i Group employees. It shares Group sustainability activities and makes learning about the SDGs easy. If using the app changes even one person’s perspective, that’s a "good" thing, too.

I’m actually a heavy user of the app! I even enjoy it with my kids. They learned how to separate garbage, thanks to the app.

Thank you, knowing that something I made helps others feels like a "good" thing. In my personal life too, I try to notice when someone needs help and act accordingly.

When "SDGs" first became a buzzword, I felt somewhat distant from it. But as my kids and nieces grew, I started thinking more about their future. If we don’t act now, they’ll end up paying the price. These days, I at least try to separate PET bottles properly...

I think that’s "good". My husband washes and dries plastic containers before throwing them away. When I first saw it, I thought, "Wow, his consciousness is impressive." But then I started doing it too because I shared the same feeling that it was better this way.

Small actions that feel natural can still be "good" for the environment.

It would be nice if there is something we can do little by little as an extension of our daily lives. For example, like reading articles or taking quizzes on the SustainaSmile app, can help shift your mindset.

And connections matter too. After I joined my current department, I participated in the "Seven’s Forest" project* for the first time. It made me feel more familiar with environmental activities.

I grew up in an industrial area with serious water pollution, so my school emphasized environmental education. Even so, I was not very conscious of taking the initiative in tackling environmental issues.

Like Shinohara, my kids changed my perspective. Now I enjoy using the app with them and having conversations like this. Maybe this is not just a simple coincidence.

Since I started using the app, I’m surprised by how interested I have become in sustainability.

You earn in-app points by studying, posting, or playing quizzes, which makes it fun and game-like. And the points you collect are donated to the Seven-Eleven Memorial Foundation.

The app launched in March 2024, and after a year, employees’ points were collected and donated for the first time this year. The amount exceeded our expectations, which made me so happy.

It feels like all the effort we put in over the past year to encourage use really paid off.

For the record, I earned about 10,000 points last month alone! I’m competitive, so I’m always battling at the top ranking.

As a developer, I’m incredibly happy to hear that!

The app also has simple communication features, like reacting to other people’s posts. It’s not just about "using" the app—it can also be a place for making "connections."

To make that happen, we want to make it easy and approachable. Simply saying "Our company supports SDGs" isn’t enough to get busy employees to open the app. We need to create an environment where sustainability feels integrated into daily work.

No one can predict how our actions today will impact future generations. That’s why it’s important to build up small "good" actions in our everyday lives. If we walk in the same direction together, it will lay the foundation for the future.

Exactly. Even if the next generation is okay for now, at some point, it could be too late. That is why I believe that we need to make efforts to delay the impact. I would like to continue to do what I can do, which is for now, using the app with my kids!

I think that small things add up to make a big change. My role is to share what the company is doing. Maybe people don’t feel connected to sustainability because they just don’t know about it yet. Since I was assigned to my current department, I have realized that the company is involved in such a wide variety of activities.

That is why I would like to create opportunities for people to learn about them first, which will lead them to take a step forward.

In our childhood, we saw many fireflies and could sleep without air conditioning on summer nights. But it seems that children today cannot imagine that. I hope that one day, they will get to experience that.

And maybe when everyone naturally starts thinking about the next generation, the SustainaSmile app will no longer be needed. That’s fine because that will surely be a signal that a "better sustainable future" is about to begin.