Japan Pledges to Save the World With Hawaiian Shirt Initiative Named "Super Cool Biz"
Super Cool Biz Louisa Lim/NPR At Japan's Environment Ministry offices, the employees conform to a new energy-saving dress code known as Super Cool Biz (what, you have a better name?). Super Cool Biz (which I will refer to by its full name as often as possible, for obvious reasons) is an effort to tamp down Japan's skyrocketing energy consumption, largely through cutting out excess air conditioning--and the hotter offices required a change in the traditional Japanese dress code, from full suits to eye-catching and naturally cooling Hawaiian shirts. Pioneered by Masahiro Sato, the Environment Ministry's Super Cool Biz actually incorporates a few different tactics to lower energy consumption. Lights are dimmed if used at all, half of the elevators have been shut down, and instead of pumping notoriously energy-hungry air conditioning throughout the building, Super Cool Biz mandates open windows and an internal temperature kept at a balmy 82 degrees. Of...