Disclaimer: machine translated by DeepL which may contain errors.
"Gingko” contributions of the Environmental Support Team at Koishikawa Botanical Garden
Kanako Takeda (Project Specialist, Public Relations Office)

With members of the Koishikawa Botanical Garden Environmental Improvement Team wearing matching blue uniforms (back row, from left: Coordinator Sachiko Abe, Coordinator Hisako Sato, and Director Atsushi Kawakita of the Botanical Garden)
The Graduate School of Science's Botanical Gardens (Main Garden and Nikko Botanical Garden) has an "Environmental Improvement Team" consisting of employees with disabilities. The Nikko Botanical Garden Environmental Improvement Team's activity "Nikko Botanical Garden's D&I Declaration: Finding Our "Can Do" in the Work of the Entire Botanical Garden" was awarded the Executive Vice President's Award for Best Business Improvement in FY2023.
This time, as part of the "Let people know about our activities working for the disabled," which was the topic of discussion at a meeting held in the summer with Academic and Administrative Staff with disabilities hosted by the Barrier-Free Promotion Office, the ginkgo nut from the ginkgo trees in the Botanical Garden, which the Environmental Improvement Team of the Koishikawa Botanical Garden (main garden) is working on, will be used in a variety of activities on November 11, 2024 (Mon.). The ginkgo nut, which was collected from the ginkgo trees in the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, will be presented to Director Takane Ito and two others of the Center for Diversity Inclusion and Co-Creation on Monday, November 11, 2024, and to Executive Vice President Kori Hayashi on Thursday, November 28, 2024. In addition to the ginnan, the Environmental Improvement Team prepared and handed over a book on how to cook ginnan easily and "I'm going to work (15) Work at the Botanical Garden," published by the Saitama Welfare Association. When we set up the environmental maintenance team at Koishikawa Botanical Garden, we thought about protecting fruiting plants such as quince, ginkgo biloba, and Japanese apricot," said coordinator Sachiko Abe, "and it has been more than ten years since the team started distributing fruiting plants to visitors. Atsushi Kawakita, Director of the Botanical Garden, said, "I would be happy if this event provides an opportunity for the activities of the environmental maintenance team, which works actively in nature, to be widely known. On the other hand, the Botanical Garden's buildings are old and leaky. I hope that the working environment itself will be improved so that these employees will have more opportunities to play an active role," he concluded.
The Graduate School of Science and Faculty of Science will continue to promote the employment and activities of employees with disabilities.