Today is “Sweater Day”, organised by the Veronica Foundation to draw Brno citizens’ attention to the issue of unnecessary energy spent on heating a house or an apartment. Photo credit: Veronica Foundation
Brno, Feb 4 (BD) – The Veronica Foundation, founded in 1992, focuses on the protection of nature, landscape and climate, and it operates mainly in the South Moravian Region. Through simple grants and inspiring events and projects, it encourages active people, organisations and communities to change the environment around them for the better.
For the fourth year, the Brno foundation is organising “Sweater Day”, originally established in Canada and taking place in many other countries, to draw particular attention to the unnecessary use of energy to heat houses and apartments. The event encourages people to turn down the heating and therefore lower the temperature in their homes by one degree for this day and to dress warmer at home in winter. This year’s Sweater Day falls on Friday, February 4th.
More than 68% of all energy consumed by Czech households is used to heat houses and apartments. “In the interior, we can comfortably have a temperature of 20 to 21 degrees,” explained Helena Továrková, the director of the Veronica Foundation. “In the Netherlands or in the UK it is common to have the temperature a degree or two less, and wear a sweater in the office or at home in winter. Simply by turning off the heating and reducing the temperature in the room by one degree, people can save up to five percent on heating costs.”
These steps will not only help the wallets of Czech households, but also the planet. “In addition to saving natural resources, the climate and our own wallet, people will see benefits to their health,” added Továrková.
The foundation organised a special competition on social media from January 31st until February 4th, asking participants to post photos of themselves in sweaters to promote the reduction of energy spent on heating. The organisers will then draw three winners from the submitted photos to receive a prize, and all participants will receive a discount coupon to use in the Veronica Foundation’s stores.
