Like most countries, Japan is struggling with the desire to be more “green” in order to reduce pollution and the urge to escape rising energy costs. While embracing concepts like cool biz — which means allowing politicians and businessmen to dress more casually so they’ll be more comfortable with the air conditioning set at a higher temperature — are one possible answer, the extreme heat and humidity of Japan makes this less than a perfect solution. One answer the Japanese have evolved is called midori no kaaten, or a “Green Curtain” of plants that grows on the outside of buildings, providing cooling shade as well as more oxygen for the air and the general feeling of well-being that comes from having living plants around you. The way it works is this: you take a pre-made wire frame and plant vines that will crawl up the frame until you have a wall of greenery shading your windows from the sun. They’re popping up all over Japan this summer, and it sounds like a great idea to me.
