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It's not often school kids harvest their lunch from a garden. But that's exactly what one class of kindergartners are doing -- picking vegetables they planted months earlier.

They bring them to their mothers, who then show them how to turn nature into a meal.

The lesson is as much about nutrition as it is about the environment.

"It is very important for children to start ecological education at an early age, especially considering the future of the earth," Mitsuhiro Nagatsuka, Eiko Kindergarten Director.

The roots of the ecological movement In Japan are based in thousands of years of Japanese culture, which emphasizes man's relationship with nature.

You can see this relationship by looking at the country's landscape. A densely populated archipelago, Japan has no room for landfills and has to import nearly all of its energy needs.

Orlando Camargo has to think every time he throws something out. Raised in New York City, he's grown accustomed to elaborate environmental initiatives, like the recycling program, in the more than 25 years he's lived in Tokyo.

"That concept of not wasting is something that I think is very different because it exists in everything you do and live in a daily environment in Japan," said Camargo.

Of course it's not just fed by the culture, but forced by the oil crisis of the 1970s and the recession of the 1990s. Japan is now considered one of the world's most energy-efficient countries. But according to a well-regarded Japanese environmentalist, it's still way off course.

"Japan imitated the United States. Japan does not have a balance between economic growth and ecological sustainability. That's what I think," said Professor Yoshinori Yasuda.

Japan's overall carbon dioxide emissions have reached record highs over the past few years. In Tokyo, CO2 levels in 2005 were seven percent higher than in 1990.

Tokyo officials say they're now taking aggressive steps to cut CO2 by 25 percent by 2020. Just last year, the city implemented a cap and trade system targeting 1,300 office buildings and factories.

"We don't have time to wait for the national government to act," said Tokyo Bureau of Environment Director Takeshi Aritome.

Professor Yasuda says Japan needs to get back in touch with its past, a past that included a stronger appreciation for community.

"The relationship between people and people must be restored. This is the first step in regaining a harmonious relationship between people and nature," said Yasuda.

In some parts of Tokyo, cooperation is alive and well. In Ikebukuro, residents get together on weekends to cook and to sell local produce and food.

At a local kindergarten class, parents view education as a way to change habits and not waste resources.

"We live in the age where we must cherish what we already have," said one mother.

At the moment, the children see a tasty meal. But down the road, their education could create something much more satisfying.