KYOCERA Cuts Energy Use with “Green Curtains” of Foliage Company provides D.I.Y. instructions for eco-friendly activity on new Web site

As part of its environmental protection activities, the Kyocera Group is growing viney plants to form “Green Curtains,” which are erected over trellises to shade portions of the windows and outer walls of manufacturing and office buildings at 20 locations in Japan, Thailand and Brazil. The curtains create a screen over the windows, preventing direct sunlight from raising the temperature of office interiors — thus reducing loads on energy-intensive air-conditioners — and through photosynthesis, the plants help preserve the environment by absorbing CO₂. The company has also created a special Web site with do-it-yourself instructions to help encourage more people to take up the eco-friendly project at their own homes and businesses.
(http://global.kyocera.com/ecology/greencurtains/index.html)

Green Curtains at Kyocera Group facilities in Thailand

Kyocera’s Green Curtain effort began at its Okaya Plant in Nagano Prefecture, Japan in 2007 as part of its energy conservation / global warming prevention activities. The program has since been adopted at other Kyocera Group locations in Japan, and this year expanded to Thailand and Brazil.

A Green Curtain can block strong summer sunlight from shining directly through windows and heating interior spaces. This helps conserve energy by reducing the need for air-conditioning.

Before and after of Green Curtain at the Kyocera Tanakura Plant in Fukushima, Japan

This year, Green Curtains grown at Kyocera Group locations stretch a total length of 725m (2,379ft), covering a total area of 3,043m² (32,750ft²) — an increase of roughly 4 times the area of last year. Throughout their annual growth cycle, these Green Curtains will absorb an estimated 10,651kg of carbon dioxide (23,481lbs. of CO₂),* or roughly the same amount as 761 cedar trees**.

The recently launched Green Curtain Web site provides an overview of the eco-friendly activity with photos and illustrations showing how to grow your own Green Curtains, complete with a list of materials and instructions for planting seeds and building trellises.

Tasty and Healthy Benefits of the Green Curtains

The goya (bitter gourd; a traditional summer vegetable of Okinawa), cucumbers and peas that form the Green Curtains are harvested by Kyocera employees and commonly served as part of a special lunch menu in employee cafeterias. Goya, which is rich in nutrients, is widely used as an ingredient for the prevention of fatigue in the hot summer months in Japan. Moreover, the employees have enjoyed watching the plants grow and harvesting the vegetables.

Scenes from the Kyocera Group facilities
View of the Green Curtain from inside the building	Harvested goya (bitter gourd)	Vegetables from the Green Curtains are served in the employee cafeteria

* CO₂ absorption (3.5kg) X Area of Green Curtain (m²) = Volume of yearly CO₂ absorption. (Source: Rural Culture Association Japan)
** One cedar tree absorbs 14kg/year of CO₂. (Source: Forestry Agency of Japan)  

CSR Activities (Society and Environment)

Kyocera Group Green Curtain Activities