Cool Biz but not cool enough by Tony Green

Image of Japanese worker 

One of the latest attempts by the Japanese government to save energy has been to the increase temperatures on Tokyo’s trains and office buildings with the intention of lowering their energy input.

One method the government had elected to persuade the generation to adapt to warmer trains during Tokyo’s notoriously hot summers is allow business people to forgo the typical suit and tie and go with a shirt sleeve shirt common referred to as “cool biz”. The Japanese Ministry of the Environment (MOE) began advocating the “Cool Biz” campaign in summer 2005 as a means to help reduce electric consumption by limiting the use of air conditioning.

The Cool Biz dress code advises workers to starch collars so they stand up and to wear trousers made from materials that breathe and absorb moisture.

As a show of support all of the government leaders practiced Cool Biz. Former Prime Minister Koizumi was frequently interviewed without a tie or jacket, and this produced a significant advertising effect.

Yet many still wear suits and ties for business reason as old customs are difficult to change. Even those who favored the idea of dressing more casually became self-conscious during their commutes when they were surrounded by other commuters who were all wearing standard business suits. In addition, many government employees stated they felt it was impolite not to wear a tie when meeting counterparts from the private sector.

Another method implemented by the government is designating one of the cars as a "weak" car which is maintained at a higher temperature with the intention of reducing energy consumption. During a summer rush many commuter choose not to sit in this car.

Which brings me to the question of whether minimizing our energy footprint energy ever provide sufficient motivation to modify the way we live our lives? Is a little inconvenience enough reason to warrant to change the method we are accustomed to conserving our energy?

As a measure the impact, in 2006 the MOE estimated that the campaign resulted in a 460,000-ton reduction in CO2 emission which is the equivalent volume of CO2 emitted by about 1 million households for one month.

I guess business will never be cool enough yet the concept where only executives and old school salesman wear suits and ties for the reason they are unnecessary has worked brilliantly in Silicon Valley for more than the 10 years I since I moved there.