Name : Chisato Nakatsugawa
Department/Position : ESG Consulting Division, Intern
Area of Expertise/Assigned Duties：Creating documents and presentations, conducting research, and supporting public relations.
University: Showa Women’s University
Major/Studies : Sustainability Business
Reason for Joining Green Carbon: “I wanted to gain practical, hands-on experience and learn how the sustainability concepts I’m studying at university are being applied in a real-world business context.”
Hobbies/How I Spend My Days Off : Watching soccer, exploring new foods, watching Japanese comedy shows, and taking my dog to the dog run.
Student Activities/Organizations :
Member of the “Sakura Girls Secondary School Project,” an initiative to support a girls’ secondary school in Tanzania.
Social Media: www.linkedin.com/in/chisatonakatsugawa35
Q. Please give us a brief introduction of yourself, including your career history.
My name is Chisato Nakatsugawa, and I am a fourth-year student at Showa Women’s University.
My interest in the environment began at a young age. When I was in elementary school, I joined an after-school program run by a major retail company that focused on experiential learning about environmental and social issues. I also had many opportunities to connect with nature, so I grew up with the natural conviction that protecting the environment was simply the right thing to do.
My focus shifted for a while in middle and high school. I dedicated myself entirely to the marching band, and we were fortunate enough to compete in the national championships every year.
Upon entering university, I initially studied business and English, which included a year of studying abroad in the United States that broadened my international perspective. In my third year, I officially declared my major in Sustainability Business, where I now research topics like ESG and the SDGs. I’m also a member of a student project that supports a girls’ secondary school in Tanzania through cultural exchange and other activities.
As for my hobbies, I’m a passionate supporter of my local soccer club, though I try my best not to let the match results affect my mood too much! I also have a Standard Poodle, and we love spending our weekends together at the dog run.
Q. Why did you decide to work at Green Carbon?
Through my research on sustainability, I realized I wanted to do more than just learn; I wanted to tackle real-world environmental challenges. That’s what led me to apply to Green Carbon.
Having been exposed to environmental issues and the concept of sustainability from a young age, my long-term goal is to become a professional who can contribute to a sustainable society through business. I felt that joining Green Carbon would be the perfect first step to gain practical experience in the environmental business sector.
Q. What kind of work are you involved in? Could you describe your responsibilities?
I’m involved in a wide range of tasks, including creating documents, conducting research, supporting public relations, and handling back-office duties.
When creating presentation materials, I’m constantly learning how to develop content that is clear and compelling from a client’s perspective. My research tasks are a great opportunity to deepen the knowledge I’ve gained at university and truly make it my own. Recently, I was assigned to research certifications like “L-boshi” (a Japanese government certification for companies promoting female empowerment), which has allowed me to engage with the broader aspects of ESG, not just the environmental field.
In public relations, I’m in charge of planning and posting interview articles like this one and managing our various social media accounts. I’m still new to corporate social media management, but I’m learning a lot with the support of my team. Through these interviews, I get to hear about the backgrounds of our employees and interns and learn how they’ve grown through their experiences at Green Carbon, which is incredibly inspiring. It’s a joy to work alongside people who are so driven and share a common goal of making the environment better.
Q. What do you find most rewarding about your job?
I see Green Carbon as a true social business that balances solving social issues with economic viability—it not only improves the environment but also brings new profits to farmers. Being a part of that mission is what I find most rewarding.
Q. What challenges do you want to take on in the future?
Green Carbon is my very first internship. My immediate goal is to become proficient and reliable in handling all my assigned tasks. I am committed to improving every day by carefully incorporating the feedback I receive from my supervisors. Additionally, my university research is on the “Impact of the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) in Tanzania on its Domestic Economy,” and I hope to apply the insights from that research to my work here at Green Carbon.
On a more personal note, since I didn’t focus as much on traditional studies in high school, I want to spend more time building my foundational knowledge by reading books and studying things like Japanese idioms and proverbs (laughs).
Q. Finally, do you have a message for people who want to work at Green Carbon?
My life’s motto is, “It’s better to regret something you have done than something you haven’t.” Today becomes the past tomorrow and you can never get it back, so I try to live every day without regret.
Before starting this internship, my days were a routine of university projects and a part-time job. While that was fulfilling in its own way, I couldn’t shake the desire to get involved in environmental work while still a student. That’s why I took the leap and started working at Green Carbon in my fourth year of university.
If you have a passion for solving environmental problems and are even the slightest bit interested in Green Carbon, I strongly encourage you to apply!