From Sweater Day to Earth Hour, everyone has a story

By Megan McGillicuddy
I had heard stories about how P&G’s Green Team worked with Menkes, their property manager,  to embrace the power of Earth Hour last year, so I knew if anyone could make National Sweater Day a success, it would be them.
When Trish Crowe-Grande from P&G’s Green Network invited me to be a judge for their Sweater Day contest, I was excited to get out from behind my computer for a few hours to see how months of hard of work around the WWF offices would translate into practice. Would this whole Sweater Day idea really catch on like Earth Hour? At the very least, there would be cake!

When I arrived at the P&G offices (which were three degrees colder than usual), people were hurrying in and out of the elevators wearing – you guessed it – SWEATERS. Not only had Trish and her team promoted Sweater Day in their offices, they worked with Menkes to bring the whole building on board!
I headed to the cafeteria. When I saw the cakes, and I knew we were off to a good start. They were huge, delicious, and donned with edible versions of the Sweater Day poster. Then, the sweaters started to arrive in every shape, size and colour you could image. These people were out to win! Out of the 150 people in attendance, there were about thirty contestants and even the sceptics were drawn into the fun.

Sporting my own special sweater (which my husband described as “a real gem”) I proudly took my place at the judges table with the four fellow distinguished judges: three representing P&G’s leadership team, including their president Tim Penner, and Elena Muto representing Menkes. In addition to the contestants promenading (or in one case, cart-wheeling) in front of the judges, each contestant told the story of their sweater. And something magical happened… this fun and wacky event revealed a very personal and meaningful side.
Every sweater told a story: the legend of a love story told through knitted pictures by a people who honoured the earth and the animals who inhabited it; a sweater made and worn in honour of a parent who had passed; a sweater made by reusing old sweaters; a sweater made from recycled materials; a sweater that finally got out of the closet after 40 years as it was too ugly to wear but too good to just throw away; sweaters that represented the journey of a life or a special relationship;  a “cute” sweater that was made with love and sweaters that were from a memorable era  that were fun to wear again.

In my opinion, all of the contestants were winners; but the real prize goes to Trish, the P&G and Menkes teams. They organized a big Sweater Day event that successfully engaged employees in a fun and meaningful way, leaving a lasting impression without losing the point – dropping your heat by 3 degrees and throwing on a fun sweater can help the planet.
Just like every funky sweater told a personal story, Sweater Day brought attention to a story that affects all of our lives: the story of our planet. Together, by increasing awareness and taking meaningful actions on Earth Hour, Sweater Day and every day we can protect our environment and give this story a happy ending.