On February 5, 2026, the Lycée Français d’Oslo took part in Warm Sweater Day, an initiative promoted across the AEFE network to raise awareness about energy consumption and climate challenges.
This date was not chosen at random. It refers to the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement signed on December 11, 1997, during COP3 in Kyoto, Japan, and implemented in 2005 after ratification by at least 55 countries. The treaty aimed to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases — including carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide — by at least 5% between 2008 and 2012. It marked one of the first major international commitments in the fight against global warming.
To commemorate this milestone in environmental history, Milieuzorg Op School (MOS) in Belgium, supported by the Flemish government, launched Warm Sweater Day. The idea is simple: lowering the heating by one degree does not significantly affect comfort — provided we wear a warmer sweater. Reducing indoor temperatures by just one degree can lead to energy savings of up to 7%. A small gesture, but one with meaningful impact when adopted collectively.
Initially very popular in Belgium, the initiative has gradually crossed borders, spreading to France and Canada, and is now part of a broader international awareness movement. Many schools, companies, and public buildings take part by symbolically lowering their heating and organizing educational activities around climate change.
At the Lycée Français d’Oslo, energy sobriety is already part of everyday practice. The school buildings are not overheated, and energy consumption is carefully managed throughout the year. It was therefore not necessary to lower the heating further on this particular day. Nevertheless, students took part in the initiative by wearing their winter sweaters, as they naturally do during the colder season.
Beyond its symbolic dimension, Warm Sweater Day provides a meaningful educational opportunity to remind students that ecological transition relies on lasting habits and repeated actions: adjusting heating, choosing to cycle, consuming local products, and reducing energy use in daily life.
Warm Sweater Day thus aligns with the environmental commitments promoted within the AEFE network and across the ZENOS zone. It helps raise students’ awareness of global climate challenges while highlighting practical, accessible actions for everyone.
Because good habits are built day by day.
