LONDON — When it comes to energy efficiency and a greener future, Japan has got itself very well-organized these days — some would even say over-organized.
Ties are discarded in the office and shirt sleeves rolled up, with air conditioners turned down in summer. Householders scrupulously sort every bottle, bottle top and waste item into a number of categories, every product and activity has its "eco" label, recycling is everywhere, super-economical vehicles pour from the factories, roads and streets are spotless (except for cigarette butts), cleaner and better infrastructure systems are in place, and greener buildings have sprung up.
In short, a better environment all round is visibly taking shape and the grubbier aspects of 20th-century industrialization are fading away.