NAWILIWILI — Leonora Carlos fished out a lighter from under the counter and proceeded to light one of the candles on her tray. The time was 7:45 p.m. and once the tray of candles was lit, Carlos lifted it deftly
NAWILIWILI — Leonora Carlos fished out a lighter from under the counter and proceeded to light one of the candles on her tray.
The time was 7:45 p.m. and once the tray of candles was lit, Carlos lifted it deftly and entered the main dining room of Asia Tang.
There she placed one candle on each of the tables, stopping to chat with diners who wanted to know what was taking place.
Others enjoyed their meal and company, oblivious to what was taking place at their table.
Bessie Fulgencio, the owner of Asia Tang appeared and visited each table.
“This is Earth Hour,” she said. “We have a sign outside the door that explains that at 8 p.m. each night, we will turn off the main lights in the restaurant in an effort to make a different in global climate.”
Bessie said the act was inspired when her husband Teri happened upon the Earth Hour Web site while working on the Internet one day.
After reviewing the site, he was inspired to make a difference and came up with the idea of trying to lessen the restaurant’s dependence on electricity.
That was two weeks ago.
According to the Earth Hour Web site, in 2007, Earth Hour was a Sydney, Australia event which has grown to become a global movement in 2008.
On March 31, 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a global statement about the greatest contributor to global warming, coal-fired electricity, by turning off its lights.
More than 2.2 million Sydney residents and more than 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2 percent energy reduction, the Web site states.
In 2008, 24 cities from around the globe joined Sydney in celebrating Earth Hour at 8 p.m. on March 29.
The Earth Hour Web site was created to take a stand against the global climate change threat facing the planet, and uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.
But the Fulgencios’ action goes beyond making a difference in global warming as Bessie said most customers appreciate the conversion of the restaurant to a more intimate atmosphere.
“It’s romantic,” she said. “When customers find out why we’re going to do the dimming of the lights, they usually agree.”
Inspired by one of the tips and suggestions on conservation and the environment, Bessie said they decided they would do this year-round for as long as the restaurant is open.
With the practice being in place for just two weeks, it is too early to determine what impact it has on lessening its dependence on electricity.
“As far as I know, we’re the only restaurant or business on Kaua‘i that’s doing this,” Bessie said. “But our customers like it and Teri says it makes a difference.”
• For more information, visit the Earth Hour Web site at www.earthhour.org.
