Green your Tokyo Business Trip

I came across and interesting article today at EcoFriend about Tokyo’s Green Parking facilities, so I thought I’d share it with you all.

Now, Tokyo is not the greenest city in the world. In fact, going there can leave you feeling downright depressed about the environment. That’s what happens when you put that many people in a single location. However, next time you’re jumping a jet to Japan for a business trip, take advantage of Metropolitan Expressway Co’s green parking areas.

The recently renovated Yoyogi parking area has a green focus, and hopeful other Tokyo parking areas will follow suit. Pull your rental car into the lot and feel a bit better about helping Mother Nature.

What is a parking area? For those of you who haven’t traveled to Tokyo before, a parking area is similar to a rest stop. However, they are usually bigger and have bus/train stops, so you’re allowed to leave your car there for the day and travel into the city. These parking areas are found on the major toll roads outside of the city.

At Yoyogi, they have solar and wind power generators used to power free cell phone charging stations, green vending machines using heat pumps instead of chloroflurocarbon, and Low-E glass windows that keeps the facility the right temperature with less heating/cooling. In addition, the bathroom is state-of-the art and includes water-saving urinals and toilets and the pavement in the parking lot is made with non heat retaining material.

Inside, you’ll find an eco-friend menu in the facility’s restaurant. Food is produced with local ingredients grown on low pesticide farms and the chopsticks are reusable and washed with the forks and spoons instead of being the kind you throw away.

It’s not perfect, but it is great to see a private company taking charge and greening their facility. You can see pictures and read more here.