Environmental Leader

In an effort to cut back on electricity usage and CO2 emissions, office supplies manufacturer Kokuyo Co. opened a “garden office” on the rooftop of its headquarters in Tokyo last week, Mainichi Daily News reports.

The company is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions by 56 tons a year, with 10 percent of it through the garden office. About 140 Kokuyo employees will work for 90 days a year in the garden office, or about a third of their annual work days. That even includes winters, when they will stay warm with blankets.

The garden office features electricity outlets and wireless LAN systems, as well as moveable solar panels.

Japan has also been pushing a CoolBiz program during the summer, which calls for thermostats to be raised to 82 degrees Fahrenheit in order to conserve energy. One physiology professor said that “82 degrees can be comfortable only if you’re thin, naked and stay still.”