Jobs and green growth: Canadians celebrate Energy Efficiency Day

Wednesday, 02 October 2019 08:13.PM

Today, Canada is celebrating Energy Efficiency Day, an opportunity to salute the workers from coast-to-coast who help homes and businesses cut energy waste, save money, and reduce emissions.

Since 2016, the first Wednesday of every October has been celebrated as Energy Efficiency Day in the United States, where the sector currently boasts 2.3 million jobs nationwide in manufacturing, construction and other fields.

It is estimated that 436,000 Canadians — roughly one in 50 — are working in the energy efficiency sector, in diverse fields such as construction, manufacturing, wholesale trade, professional and business services, utilities or other services. According to research published this year by Calgary-based ECO Canada, a nonprofit that trains and certifies environmental professionals across the country, employment in the sector grew by 2.8 percent between 2017 and 2018, which is almost three times the growth rate of the rest of the Canadian economy.

"There are so many reasons for professionals working in energy efficiency to stand up and be proud of their work," said Corey Diamond, executive director of Efficiency Canada, which initiated the Canadian celebration this year by obtaining pledges from over 100 organizations across the country to plan awareness-raising activities. "When you work in energy efficiency, you're working to help save families and businesses money, all the while cutting down on our collective carbon footprint."

The 100-plus organizations celebrating the Canadian Energy Efficiency Day event includes companies, universities, local governments, and nonprofit organizations. The full list of signatories is available here.

SOURCE: Efficiency Canada