In order to attain these goals, Asahi’s head offices in Tokyo, Osaka, Seibu and Nagoya, along with the Hokkaido office, have striven to conserve energy at their offices and facilities. The company advocated a “cool biz” campaign to limit the use of air-conditioning and cut down on wasteful energy consumption, and conducted in-house training in conserving energy and raised environmental awareness, encouraging its employees to make individual energy conservation efforts. The plants nationwide undertaking printing for the company have obtained ISO 14001 certification, an environmental management system, thus improving the environment.

The Asahi Shimbun has a keen awareness of environmental issues. More than half a century ago, the company had already dispatched reporters and technicians to Japan’s Antarctic research expedition team that was sent out in 1956, which was International Geophysical Year (IGY). The company has continued offering all-out support ever since.

Notable among Japanese teams’ achievements was the discovery of the ozone hole over Antarctica in advance of the world community. Their work contributed to revealing global environmental changes.

Meanwhile, as a newspaper company, The Asahi Shimbun has continued to give multilateral coverage of environmental issues that are becoming global issues. Especially in recent years, the company has been conducting extensive reporting focusing on the South Pole and the North Pole, which are said to be areas most seriously affected by the consequences of global warming.

The Asahi Shimbun is conducting on-site newsgathering in the island nation of Tuvalu that is on the verge of disappearing underwater as a result of the effects of global warming and in the Galapagos Islands that are threatened with sweeping changes. The paper is mounting an environmental campaign in its pages entitled “Strange Changes Strike the Earth.”

We established the Forest Culture Association in 1978 in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of The Asahi Shimbun, under which we have promoted a wide variety of activities aimed at “harmonious coexistence of people, mountains and trees.” Furthermore, we started the “ Environment for Tomorrow Prize” to honor individuals, organizations and companies seriously contributing to improving and protecting the environment, and also host symposiums on environmental issues.