10,157 stitches: a great day of sweaters and energy conservation

A big thank you to everyone who turned down the heat and put on a sweater for National Sweater Day! More importantly, yesterday was a great day of interesting conversations and actions devoted to energy conservation and climate change. Canadians from communities across the country shared their stories and selfies with us, all adding up to 10,157 stitches and the completion of our virtual sweater.
We loved seeing all the fun photos coming in with #SweaterDay. Here’s a few fun ones:
Geoff Molson
UN Climate
Tanya Kim
The WWF campus club at Queen’s University created a giant sweater cutout and asked students to sign their names as a commitment to taking action on climate change. Other schools like the St. Joan of Arc Catholic SS in Mississauga, Ontario, used the day as an opportunity to learn about climate change. They had a lunchtime screening of March of the Penguins and a Skype session with two scientists talking about the impacts of climate change on the Arctic.

National Sweater Day at Queen's University
National Sweater Day at Queen’s University

Loblaw Companies Limited turned down the heat and employees donned funky sweaters in over 400 stores across Canada.
National Sweater Day at Loblaw Companies Limited.
National Sweater Day at Loblaw Companies Limited.

Other companies such as Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, Ivanhoe Cambridge, Teva Canada supported National Sweater Day through turning down the heat, holding sweater parties and raising funds for WWF.
Dixie Outlet Mall
Check out DIY enthusiasts hard at work at this sweater knit-a-thon in Montreal, Quebec.
Knit-a-thon in Montreal, Quebec
Knit-a-thon in Montreal, Quebec

And thanks to everyone who weighed in on which sweater our President and CEO, David Miller, should wear for his first National Sweater Day. If you missed the winning sweater, you can catch him wearing it here on Breakfast Television.
David Miller
 
When I look at the 10,157 stitches that completed our virtual sweater and all the activities and conversations it represents, it is overwhelming evidence that people are taking action on climate change and thinking about our relationship to energy usage. Climate change is one of the biggest environmental challenges facing us today, and tackling this means tackling how we produce and use energy. I encourage you to take a moment and check out this contest of developers who have built apps to have consumers engage with smart meter data on their household energy consumption. It’s a great example of innovative solutions and creative thinking that is required to help us rethink energy.
 
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.