D I G E ST E D I TO R
Starred Selection
People Power
BENJAMIN PARKS
WINE
The Club’s wine collection received stellar marks at the annual World of Fine Wine awards for 2020. CHOP Steakhouse’s selection was named the best medium-sized wine list in Asia and was awarded three stars for a sixth consecutive year. Three stars reflects a “great wine list” that comprises a “very good mix” of producers, vintages, styles and formats, among other criteria. In addition, American Bar & Grill earned one star for its wine list for a fourth straight year. The London-based World of Fine Wine magazine launched its awards in 2014, and its panel of judges is made up of eminent wine critics and writers. NJ E V E N TS
TARO IREI
Rising to the Occasion
Organizing a celebration as significant as a bat mitzvah can be stressful at any time. Doing it in a pandemic year throws up an additional raft of considerations. But when Member Jonathan Tischler met with the Club’s event organizers, he found an “incredibly responsive and accommodating” team determined to help him make the party for his 13-year-old daughter, Emi, a memorable occasion. The April event in the Manhattan rooms was just that. It was also, Tischler says, a chance “to gather with friends and family for the first time in a long while in a safe and comfortable environment.” For seamless and safe celebrations, contact 03-4588-0308 or banquet@ tac-club.org. NJ
6 | INTOUCH
The words “greenhouse gas emissions” typically evoke images of car-clogged highways or coal-fired power stations belching clouds of noxious pollutants. We don’t tend to think of glass-sided skyscrapers or pristine city business districts. But as innocuous as they appear, buildings are a major source of global carbon dioxide emissions. According to the UN’s Environment Program, emissions from the construction and operation of buildings account for 38 percent of all energy-related CO2 emissions. For a period in 2011, the relationship between buildings and power consumption became starkly evident across Tokyo and other Japanese cities. Following the shutdown of the country’s nuclear power plants in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster, the government asked its people to drastically reduce their electricity use to prevent blackouts. The summer of power-saving setsuden saw office buildings, department stores, stations and households turn lights off and thermostats up. The collective effort was remarkably effective. That July, the amount of electricity supplied by the 10 major utilities dropped by nearly 9 percent, with outages averted. Over the last decade, the need to reduce emissions and avoid irreversible damage to the climate has grown ever more urgent. In this month’s cover story, “Building Green,” we look at the challenges—and opportunities—facing the Club on its road to greater energy efficiency and sustainability. With the climate change clock loudly ticking, we could do worse than to look to 2011 for lessons in determination and resolve.
