New Initiatives Adopted to Reduce Environmental Impact

NTT East Group has been implementing new initiatives to reduce environmental impact since June 2009.

NTT East Group Act Green 21 Campaign Launched to Encourage Environmental Preservation Activities by Employees
NTT East Group is encouraging employees to engage themselves in environmental preservation activities including undergoing the Eco Test certification,^*1 registering in the Our Home's Minister of the Environment program,^*2 using eco-bags, and participating in local cleanup activities.  It is also implementing its own measures to reduce environmental impact such as participating in the Tanabata Lightdown^*3 program sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment.  In addition, the fifth day of each month has been designated NTT East Group Environmental Day and June of each year was made NTT East Group Environmental Month to raise environmental awareness among employees.

Proactive Measures for greening of the Head Office Building
At the head office building,  a solar electric power system and LED lighting have been installed.  In addition, a “green roof” has been installed on the low-rise wing of the building.  The “Green Potatoes”^*4 program was implemented in parts of the green roof and was integrated into community programs including a harvest festival jointly held with the local community.

*1 Certification Test for Environmental Specialists, sponsored by the Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

*2 Sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment.

*3 A campaign sponsored by the Ministry of the Environment that designates Tanabata (the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar) as Cool Earth Day and encourages people to turn off all lights, including illuminations, for the two hours from 8 pm to 10 pm.

*4 A registered trademark of NTT Facilities, Inc. It is a method of rooftop greening that uses aero-hydroponics to grow sweet potatoes, which are easy to cultivate.

New Company Established to Encourage Employment of Disabled Persons

The NTT West Group has made efforts to increase employment opportunities for disabled persons in the past, but the desire to work by disabled persons has been increasing, and in response, it established NTT West Lucent Corporation* to encourage increased employment of disabled persons.  NTT West Lucent began its operations on September 1, 2009.
NTT West Lucent is working to expand employment opportunities for disabled persons who have trouble commuting by providing work that they can perform at home. The work includes digital map production, maintenance and office support work that promotes the effective use of information by digitizing stored records such as internal documents to enable the use of search functions.

* The name of the new company adopts the English word “lucent”, which means “shining,” and incorporates the idea of a brilliant company and employees.

* As of September 1, 2009

Beginning the trial for Japan's First Service for Reading Newspapers on a Television

Beginning the trial for Japan's First Service for Reading Newspapers on a Television
NTT Communications launched a six-month trial beginning September 29, 2009 of “The Mainichi Daily News × DoTV”, Japan's first such service that displays images of the main pages of The Mainichi Daily News newspaper for reading on a DoTV.  DoTV is a television service that facilitates use of the Internet on digital televisions.  The trial is open to the public and can be used by accessing DoTV on Sharp Corporation's Internet-capable AQUOS LCD televisions.

The fine texture and detailed text of a newspaper can be accurately reproduced on the latest high-definition digital televisions.  The newspaper images can be enlarged on screen through simple operation of the AQUOS television remote control.  In addition, a narration function will read aloud four or so of the leading articles.  These functions provide for even greater enjoyment of The Mainichi Daily News newspaper which is acclaimed for its easy on the eyes easy to read large prints.
This service is a first step, and going forward, efforts will be directed towards the browsing of other newspapers and magazines, and towards realizing the TV distribution of a variety of information provided by other print media.

Supporting Safe and Convenient Use of Electric Vehicles through IT

NTT DATA is participating in the 2009 Electric Vehicle Expansion and Environment Development Trials conducted by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.  Preparations are being made for implementation of the trials in January through February 2010.
NTT DATA will provide Charging Service Centers by linking chargers installed by numerous companies and local governments thereby allowing registered users to use any charger with the aim of verifying the effectiveness of such a program.  More than 10 companies including NTT Group companies plan to assist the program.
The information and experience gained from the trial will be used in the future with the goal of contributing to the development of charging facilities, as a social infrastructure, that corporate and individual users of electric vehicles can utilize safely and conveniently through IT.

Developing TOUCH WOOD Prototype Using Domestic Surplus Wood

In collaboration with the “more trees” project*, Olympus Corporation, and Sharp Corporation, NTT DOCOMO developed a mobile phone prototype made with the surplus wood of trees culled during thinning operations essential to maintain healthy forests.  The prototype named TOUCH WOOD uses authentic cypress, and the problem associated with wearing out of the wood has been solved thanks to special three-dimensional compression molding technology developed by Olympus Corporation.

The prototype production has used authentic cypress culled from the Shimanto forest (a forest managed by the “more trees” project) in Japan's Kochi Prefecture, and as a result, each phone features its own distinctive grain patterns and beautiful natural coloring.
This is a new commercial use for culled wood, which traditionally has had only limited applications.  This revitalization of the forestry business is thought to promote the conservation of mountain, river, and ocean environments.

* A global reforestation project that was founded by musician Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, Shinichi Nakazawa, Moichi Kuwahara and others and began its activities with the support of more than 100 persons worldwide.  The project uses its simple, strong message of “more trees” to convey the importance of living with forests.