According to the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF), more than a million Canadians have shown their support for limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius by turning down their thermostats by the same amount (or more) and wearing their favourite sweaters to stay warm.

In efforts to reduce carbon footprint, BCIT encourages all to take part in WWF National Sweater Day. This initiative aims to raise awareness about climate change and energy conservation. Through the years, BCIT has hosted many Sweater Day and Cool Campus events to focus on this issue. In 2021 we saw extreme weather events—from heat domes and fires to devastating floods, extreme cold, and destructive king tides—touch our whole province. Wearing a sweater and turning down the heat is one way to help save energy and lessen the impact of climate change.

SEE MORE: BCIT partners with industry on virtual clean-energy training platform for First Nations communities

Every little step counts towards saving energy

The BCIT Energy Team is always looking for ways to save both natural gas and electricity. For example, turning off office lights, closing blinds, and shutting off computers, equipment, and space heaters are all ways to save energy.

As a result of these simple acts, BCIT has saved an enormous amount of energy. In order to track savings,  BCIT developed the Energy Dashboard so the team can see live data that shows energy savings throughout the campuses. “We are one of the most metered post-secondary institutes in BC,” says Colin Chan, Associate Director, Facilities. “We are excited that this dashboard not only helps with our internal GHG reduction efforts, but it also facilitates staff and student engagement in energy management.”

Planning for the future

As we think of the future, the BCIT Campus Plan makes a commitment to more energy efficient spaces. The new BCIT Health Sciences Centre (HSC), set to open in the spring of 2022, is one of the most sustainable facilities on campus. For instance, the building uses innovative geo-exchange and heat recovery systems to keep the air comfortable year-round. Above all, the HSC puts health and wellbeing at the forefront, as it is designed to meet the WELL Standard for construction.

Ultimately, energy efficiency and GHG emission reduction are factors that will help slow climate change. And this is why BCIT committed in our Sustainable Development Goals to reduce building energy consumption and support the development and use of energy from clean and renewable resources.

We can all play a part in this. So, on February 3, turn down the heat and wear a sweater in support of climate action.

Share your sweater selfie on social media and tag #BCITSweaterDay for a chance to win a warm BCIT hoodie of your choice.