Paws for Reaction

Happy International Polar Bear Day!
Take the #ThermostatChallenge

It is perfect polar bear weather here in snowy Ontario! February 27 is International Polar Bear Day and this is such an important day because it’s about so much more than these beautiful bears. Climate Change is destroying these animals’ habitats and glaciers are melting at a faster pace than ever recorded in history. These polar bears need our help.

Polar Bears International is asking everyone to take a stand for International Polar Bear Day by taking the Thermostat Challenge to save energy for polar bears. How do you take the Thermostat Challenge? I’ll let Polar Bears International tell you how below:

“Turn down the heat a degree or two and enjoy hygge, or winter coziness, for polar bears- put on your fuzzy slippers and a comfy sweater, light candles, sip a hot drink, or bundle up for a walk in the snow.
In summer, set your air-conditioning thermostat higher.
Install a programmable thermostat for year-round savings- and take additional energy-saving steps like insulating your home and weather-stripping windows and doors.
Show how you're taking part by posting photos on social media with #PolarBearDay, #ThermostatChallenge, and #Hygge. You can also share our special pre-made images!
Make it a community-wide challenge! See our Thermostat Challenge Toolkit for tips and ideas.
Also check out our Heating and Cooling Infographic, which shows how individual actions scale up to make a BIG difference."

Photo by tableatny via Foter.com CC

Polar Bears International also urges people to sign a petition for “A Fair Price for Carbon” explaining that “we need to greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to solve the problem of climate change- a problem that extends beyond polar bears and the Arctic to affect all wildlife and people, too.” According to their experts, the surest way to achieve this is to set a fair price for carbon pollution.

The petition states that “by including the true cost of carbon in the price we pay for fossil fuels, we can speed up the transition to a renewable energy future. Not only will this reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, it will improve human health, reduce pollution, and strengthen the economy at the same time.”

Fossil fuels appear to be cheaper than they actually are and if the cost of fossil fuels was truthfully reflected we would have no choice but to make a global change to renewable energy. The renewable technology already exists but our ability to use it on a global scale won’t happen if fossil fuels are so easily attainable. I am signing the petition- will you? This International Polar Bear Day reminds us how much we all rely on each other to survive on this planet- and that we need to make a change for the future.

#PolarBearDay, #ThermostatChallenge #Hygge www.PawsForReaction.com