It’s getting warmer, hot even. It’s supposed to exceed 30°C in Toronto today—a nice, but slightly uncomfortable temperature if you’re anywhere but at the beach.
It’s one of those days when I’m glad I live in a developed country where air conditioning is not only available, but expected. There. I said it. I am a sinner among you. However environmentally terrorizing, air conditioning is a luxury that I happily take advantage of.
Now that my dirty laundry has aired, I need to say something important. There are limits. I repeat: there are limits. Air conditioning was created to make people comfortable, not cold. As I sit in my office—a.k.a. the refrigerator—my jacket is on. There is a literal breeze in here, except it’s constant and hardly refreshing.
Image from sangrea.net
I know my boss occasionally reads this blog…so I will give him a shout out along with a plee to fire the person who sits next to (and controls) the thermostat—a man who claims his long sleeve collared shirts make it unbearably hot in the summer. It’s a fair statement, except that it’s now colder in here than when it was outside in the winter. I think said man is secretly sadistic and likes to see me suffer—a fireable offense.
If he is, in fact, telling the truth about office dress codes, I wonder if we’ll start to see businesses adapt their expectations to suit the actual weather and not the artificial environment we create at the expense of Mother Nature. If mandated clothing is what is keeping businesses from reducing their GHG emissions, I think it’s fair to re-examine what is appropriate office attire.
Be advised, I am not arguing for mesh t-shirts or running shorts—then no one would be able to concentrate—all I’m saying is I don’t want to unpack my wool sweaters for June.
May 21, 2009 at 11:41 am
Here’s another morsel to add to the chill known as ‘office wear’ … why is it that in most places girls can wear a skirt with no hose and/or sandals, yet guys can’t get away with dress shorts and nice sandals? Not everywhere, but in many places this is indeed ‘the code’. I won’t stretch that thought to girls wearing sleeveless tops and guys wearing tank tops, but you get the drift.
And speaking of drifts… Overly air-conditioned places are a pain for many reasons – not just the environmental ones as you’ve pointed out.
One of issues is that moving in and out of widely varying temperatures isn’t good for you. Not only that, but spending the day in an over-cooled office actually hampers your ability to adapt to changing temperatures… i.e. it throws off the body’s natural ability to acclimatize.
As for those who insist on trying to get an office down to 19C rather than attempting to adjust themselves (attitude and clothing) I’d say… ’suck it up princess we’re going for 23C and you’re going to like it.’
May 21, 2009 at 11:56 am
You’re right, Jack. I forgot about the health factor. I read once that AC also prevents the body from burning regular calories because the body isn’t working like it should (especially when asleep).
Unfortunately I don’t have absolute control in my work environment–something that should be up for review! haha!