Keio Plaza Hotel (Shinjuku, Tokyo; President: Katsumasa Wakabayashi) is launching a staff-led forest conservation initiative called 'MODRINAE' (Modori-nae / Seedling Return), developed by Somanobase Co. (Tanabe City, Wakayama; CEO: Tokika Okugawa), as part of its 55th anniversary commemorative programs in 2026.

The initiative reflects the hotel's philosophy of 'returning what we use back to the forest with our own hands.' Staff will grow seedlings from acorns over approximately two years, then return them to mountain forests, creating a new cycle connecting urban life with nature. Six seedling-nurturing units — five log-type and one ladder-shelf-type — will be installed at staff-accessible locations including in front of the employee cafeteria.

The project embodies the hotel's action guideline 'We nurture the Plaza (public space),' which emphasizes social contribution and environmentally conscious management. Beyond environmental conservation, it aims to foster cross-departmental staff connections and build community trust. Grown seedlings are collected by Somanobase and replanted in abandoned plantation sites in Wakayama Prefecture and elsewhere.

Somanobase, founded May 25, 2021, in Tanabe City, Wakayama, aims for 'zero human casualties from landslide disasters' by nurturing the relationship between forests and society through forestry expertise combined with disaster prevention, social business, finance, and creative knowledge.

Project detail: https://modrinae.somanobase.com/

FACT BOX

  • Source: PR TIMES
  • Category: sustainability