National Sweater Day - February 17, 2011

This Thursday February 17th is National Sweater Day. The idea is to turn down the thermostat by 3 degrees, put on a sweater and make a difference.

According to the World Wildlife Foundation, if all Canadians turned down their thermostat by 3 degrees over the winter, we could save 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide a year. In other words, reducing 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide is equivalent to taking 350 000 cars off the road. I think that’s pretty remarkable, and it’s such a simple solution.

There are many things we can do to reduce our carbon emissions. We can choose to drive less, and find alternative ways of transportation. We can lower our heat, and/ or air conditioning. We can stop idling our vehicles. Draft proof your house, hang dry your clothes, wash them is cold water, purchase a more fuel efficient car, or ride your bike instead. By eating less meat we are helping our environment, by buying local foods, we save on our carbon output. We can use a man powered lawn mower to save on emissions, and we should be using reusable bags for our shopping needs. These are just a few things we can do to slow down the climate change. They are just simple things, that go a long way.

Climate change is the biggest environmental threat in the world. Now is the time to raise awareness - every day. So, this Thursday, I am going to don an extra sweater and turn down the heat - at work and at home. (On a side note, this winter I did not turn up the heat as much as I have in the past. I usually like to be able to walk around in shorts in the winter, but this year, I chose to just dress a little warmer, and put an extra blanket on my bed.)