National Sweater Day

National Sweater Day at RRU is brought to you by the Office of Sustainability.

What is National Sweater Day?

National Sweater Day is a WWF campaign, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited, calling on Canadians to turn down their thermostats at home and work, and show their support for this event by wearing a fun sweater.  National Sweater Day takes place on Thursday, February 9 across Canada.

Why is WWF having this event?

National Sweater Day is about valuing energy: it's a chance to think about how we use energy, and how we can play an important role in fighting climate change by using it wisely, not wastefully.  It is designed to help raise awareness and change behaviours around energy consumption in Canada. With so many Canadians looking for ways to help fight climate change in their everyday lives, reducing energy consumption is an effective way to take action. This event will show Canadians how simple actions can have a big impact.

What are the environmental benefits of turning down the thermostat?

Energy creation and consumption are among the biggest causes of carbon emissions, which lead to climate change.  In Canada, heating buildings is a major source of energy consumption, so turning down the thermostats by a couple of degrees can make a big difference in fighting climate change.  If every Canadian turned down their thermostat by two degrees in the winter, 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide could be saved each year - the equivalent of taking about 350,000 cars off the road.  Turning down the thermostat can also help Canadians save up to 4.5 per cent on their heating costs, an average of about $150 a year.  We're asking Canadians to take the first step and turn down their thermostats for just one day - to start!

How can Canadians take part?

National Sweater Day is open to anyone and everyone - individuals, families, schools, and businesses.  Participants are invited to:

• Turn down their thermostats and break out their favourite sweaters
• Sign up for a reminder call at sweaterday.ca
• Spread the word and invite their families, friends and coworkers to join them
• Plan National Sweater Day activities for their families, colleagues and community family and communities
• Learn more about how to reduce their carbon footprints at wwf.ca/community

For more information about National Sweater Day and how to get involved, please visit www.sweaterday.ca or www.facebook.com/wwfcanada.