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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday March 21, 2008 - 19 Oakville residents asked to dine out by candlelight By Krissie Rutherford OAKVILLE BEAVER STAFF Two local restaurants are shutting down the lights and firing up the candles to celebrate Earth Hour, an initiative that will see countries all over the world go lights out to raise awareness of global climate change. For Seasons Restaurant and The Twisted Fork, getting involved in the hour-long lights-free initiative from 89 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 was an easy decision. "It's something my son's learning about in school, and so if a family business can help and sort of show my son and the town we're supporting it, that's terrific," said owner and head chef of The Twisted Fork, Michael Killip. "I'm certainly willing to help out on that front." Plus, Killip says, "one hour of candlelight dinner on a Saturday evening sort of fits the bill. Simply turning the lights off for an hour makes everything very intimate." The chef is looking at changing some items on the menu, to create "features that evening on the romantic side," he said. Mayor Rob Burton approached both The Twisted Fork and Seasons Restaurant to encourage them to get on board. Seasons Restaurant owner George Couto not only accepted the challenge, but has turned the one-hour event into an eveninglong goal. "We're actually hoping to do a candlelit dinner for the whole evening, not just for the hour," said Couto. "Even our kitchen is going to be shut down in terms of power. We'll be using different alternatives for lighting." And in terms of cutting down all electricity, Seasons has it covered. "Everything we do here is on gas anyway, so it's just the setting of the whole restaurant, the ambience," said Couto. "That's our game plan, to create a whole different ambience for the evening." The owner also mentioned he was happy to help out Burton, who has waged a "friendly competition" between Oakville and Burlington to see who can reduce the most energy over the course of Earth Hour. "I said I'd be more than willing to help contribute, and hopefully he wins the competition between Oakville and Burlington," Couto said. "We're doing this for the town, and for the cause." Both Couto and Killip encourage other restaurants to get involved. "This just brings community awareness, and what better way to do it through the intimacy of an hour's dining," said Killip. "We want to encourage the rest of the town to sort of jump on board and show their support." The mayor echoed that point. "Offering candlelight dinners is a great way to participate in the campaign, while providing your customers with an enjoyable experience," said Burton. "The Twisted Fork and Seasons have already embraced the opportunity, and I am looking forward to many more joining the list." The Town of Oakville, City of Burlington and Region of Halton have all committed to reducing their energy use. For more information on Earth Hour and energy savings tips, visit www.oakville.ca. Restaurants and businesses that would like a poster to display to show their support can e-mail mayor@oakville.ca. If your restaurant or organization is planning an Earth Hour event to which you would like to invite the public, send your event information to editor@oakvillebeaver.com with Earth Hour in the subject line. Beauty & Day Spa T he time is right, to pamperyourself... First interfaith environmental conference for youths An interfaith youth environmental workshop will be held on Saturday, March 29. "All youths are welcome to attend Oakville's first-ever, interfaith youth environmental workshop," said Mervyn Russell, chair of the Oakville Community Centre for Peace, Ecology and Human Rights (OCCPEHR). The conference will be held from 24:45 p.m. in the Auditorium of the Oakville Public Library, Central Branch. "We are offering a global overview and then four smaller sessions focusing on climate change, food, water, and fuel," said Russell. Keynote speaker Jasmine Kwong of the Faith and the Common Good will provide a global overview. Facilitators for four sessions include Liz Benneian of Oakvillegreen speaking on No more fill-up: the future of oil; Valdene Elscholz of KAIROS on Feeding the Family: Food and the Land; Julia Koller of Environment Hamilton on Climate Change; and, Dr. Mohiuddim Munawar of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans on Water, Supply and Demand. Those interested in attending should register in advance, though they can pay the $10 registration fee at the door. To pre-register, contact 905-8495501, atinfo@oakvillepeacecentre.org or OCCPEHR, PO Box 52007, Oakville, ON L6J 7N5. 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