Today is National Sweater Day! I think this is being celebrated all over, but I wanted to share with you how it's going down in Canada! Today people are turning down the heat by 3 degrees and wearing sweaters as a way to support the idea of "rethinking our energy consumption and using energy in a more conservative way." Source
I can't say it any better than the Canadian World Wildlife Fund website does here:
"About half of Canada's ecological footprint is the result of carbon emissions from transportation, heating and electricity, all of which contribute to climate change. We need to aggressively reduce Canada’s carbon footprint by implementing measures that would slow greenhouse gas emissions, like increasing energy efficiency standards and promoting alternative sources.
Turning down the thermostat by three degrees can make a big difference in fighting climate change. In fact, if every Canadian turned down their thermostat in the winter, we could save 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide per year. That's like taking 350,000 cars off the road.
There are cost savings too. Heating and cooling accounts for about 60% of home energy costs. Lowering the temperature by 3°C for eight hours a day, say while you are at work, can reduce your heating costs by up to 4.5% - that's about $150 in savings a year. As a rule of thumb, you can save 2% on your heating bill for every 1°C you turn down the thermostat overnight."
I like to think we participate in Sweater Day every day, as we keep the heat pretty low, and use our woodstove to warm up at night. Admittedly we started doing that to save money, but it does feel good to know that we are being a little easier on the environment too!
Are you celebrating Sweater Day today? Do you have any other ideas for reducing your carbon footprint?
Edit: We didn't even know it, but Winston organized a special sweater day and made this awesome logo!
