21 September, Zero Emissions Day

Everything we do, such as riding in a car, cooking spaghetti, drying our hair or taking a shower consumes some amount of energy and directly or indirectly emits a small amount of gases that contributes to the greenhouse effect. For example, an average 1,200 grams of carbon dioxide is emitted to produce the energy absorbed by a dishwasher for one hour of operation. One hour of PC use generates 143 grams of CO2. Watching TV for an hour emits 123 grams, the refrigerator emits 209 grams per month. To bring people’s attention to the importance of every small action to save energy and help combat climate change, Canada and Nova Scotia established Zero Emissions Day, better known as ZeDay, in 2008. It is celebrated on 21 September and is a good opportunity for each of us to think about how we can save energy in our daily lives and reduce our impact on the climate.