Even though Wiarton Willie wriggled out of his groundhog burrow and predicted 6 more weeks of winter, to walk around balmy Toronto, it’s hard to tell if winter even started yet. Tomorrow, Feb 3, calls for a near-tropical 11 degrees Celsius. Expect to see Canadians in shorts.
Fittingly, it’ll cool down to around zero on Thursday, February 4th for National Sweater Day. The 4th is a big day as it’s also World Cancer Day. So though we’d like you to wear a sweater for climate-change battling reasons, you can take a no-hair selfie with our friends at Princess Margaret and show your solidarity with cancer patients. Since there’s a virtual-shave option, you won’t even catch a chill.
There is a link between cancer and air pollution, which brings us back to the sweaters. This event is a good one from the WWF (the wildlife ones, not the wrestling ones). It simply asks you to turn down the heat and put on a sweater. Seriously, even though you don’t see it like you do lights, heating uses a lot of energy – around 80% of household totals around here. So if you wear a stylin’ sweater, or the ugliest one you can find, you can turn down the thermostat a couple of degrees, save all those nasty green house gasses and remain comfy and cozy.
If all Canadians lowered their thermostats by just 2 degrees Celsius this winter, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 4 megatons – that’s equivalent to shutting down a 600 mega watt coal-fired power station or taking nearly 700,000 cars off the road! – World Wildlife Fund
Speaking of taking cars off the road, it’s also Carpool Week. As we’re SmartCommmute members at UHN, any staff are welcome to log in their carpool trips this week to have a chance to win a trip for 2 from VIA Rail. Not at UHN? No problem … see if your workplace is a member, or encourage them to join in (though I’d like to win that trip, thanks)
So enjoy yourself as you put on a sweater, turn down the heat, grab some friends to share a ride and take a no-hair-selfie (not the driver … focus on the road please).
… and you thought January with Resolutions was busy :).
P.S. a new event for UHN staff from our friends at Wellness (so you can relax in a bath after all the other craziness)…
Feb 11: Let’s Make It – DIY Soaps & Bath Salts
- 12:00-1:00pm, TGH Oasis Wellness Centre (1NU168)
- $20/person, all materials included.
- Email wellness@uhn.ca to register
Join this fun and interactive workshop and learn to craft your own soap and bath salts! You’ll use organic and fair trade sourced butters (Shea/coca/mango) and oils (olive oil/coconut oil/sweet almond oil). Use an array of essential oils, herbal blends and salts from the Dead Sea for your custom creations.
Talkin' Trash With UHN 