Put on your coziest sweater for the WWF’s National Sweater Day

WWF Canada

Written by: Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of the Environment
As Ontario’s Environment Minister, I am excited to take part in WWF’s efforts to get Canadians to think differently about how we use energy, and how we can play an important role in fighting climate change by conserving energy.
Greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change come from a number of sources, including the power plants that light, heat and cool our homes. Since 1948, the temperature in Ontario has increased on average 1.4 degrees. This may not seem like much but even small temperature changes bring big changes in weather patterns.

: In anticipation of WWF’s National Sweater Day on February 6, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited; David Miller, the President and CEO of WWF-Canada; Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Sonya Fiorini, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Loblaw Companies Limited remind Canadians to turn down the heat and put on their sweaters to support action on climate change and energy conservation. © The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ontario Ministry of the Environment
In anticipation of WWF’s National Sweater Day on February 6, presented by Loblaw Companies Limited; David Miller, the President and CEO of WWF-Canada; Jim Bradley, Ontario Minister of the Environment and Sonya Fiorini, Senior Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at Loblaw Companies Limited remind Canadians to turn down the heat and put on their sweaters to support action on climate change and energy conservation. © The Canadian Press Images PHOTO/Ontario Ministry of the Environment

Putting on a sweater and turning down the heat are simple actions that can help make a difference in greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, if every Canadian turned down their thermostat in the winter, we could save 2.2 megatonnes of carbon dioxide per year — equal to taking 350,000 cars off the road.
Some other ideas for conserving energy:

  • Use less water. There’s a close connection between water use and energy use. Many pumps and equipment are needed to get water to your home and to heat it up.
  • If you haven’t done it yet, replace all those old lightbulbs with new compact fluorescents or LED lights. They last and last and save you money too.
  • Install power bars for all your appliances and turn them off when you aren’t using them.
  • Turn off the lights, TV’s, radios, and your computer and monitor when you aren’t using them.
  • Leave the car at home and take public transit, carpool, walk or bike.

National Sweater Day is a great reminder that even small efforts to conserve energy can combat climate change.
National Sweater Day is made possible through partial proceeds from the sale of plastic shopping bags in Loblaw banner stores across Canada. Since 2009, Loblaw Companies Limited has donated one million dollars annually to WWF, for a total of six million dollars, to support activities that engage Canadians on climate change and other conservation issues.