Kokuyo opens office in rooftop garden to help reduce CO2 emissions

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Office supplies manufacturer Kokuyo Co. opened a “garden office” on the rooftop of its headquarters in Tokyo on Thursday in a bid to cut back on electricity consumption and reduce carbon dioxide emissions, company officials said.

Kokuyo aims to reduce its overall CO2 emissions by 56 tons a year, about 10 percent of it through the garden office.

The company also hopes that it will increase work efficiency. “Workers can work more efficiently in a natural environment. I hope it will lead to changes in employees’ mentality,” Kokuyo President Akihiro Kuroda said.

At the company’s headquarters in Shinagawa, some 140 employees of Kokuyo and its affiliates are expected to work in the garden office for 90 days a year — about a third of their annual work days.

Electricity outlets and a wireless LAN system have been installed on the rooftop so the workers can use computers.

Trees have been planted and a manmade pond has been installed on the rooftop in a bid to reduce intense heat in the middle of summer. Moreover, moveable solar panels have been installed like eaves to block direct sunlight.

Workers will be allowed work indoor when it rains. In winter, however, they will be expected to try and work in the garden office, staying warm with blankets.