Quiet

by Mary Ann Wilson

What’s more romantic than a candlelit evening? A candlelit evening inspired by a shared environmental conscience, that’s what.

Last year, millions of Australians participated in the first annual Earth Hour to raise awareness about, and to actively combat, climate change caused by global warming (if you still think that global warming “isn’t real,” better pull your head out of the increasingly hot sand real quick, and hope that right-wing of yours can fly you and your descendants to another planet). This year, at 8 p.m. next Saturday, March 29, 2008, millions of people worldwide will accept the Earth Hour “challenge.”

I put the word “challenge” in quotation marks (twice, even) because the concept could not be simpler or easier: shut off your lights for one hour. That’s it. Such a small gesture can be all it takes to really get you thinking about your personal environmental impact and responsibility, but Earth Hour is far from a gesture alone. According to its website (www.earthhour.org), “[i]f the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour [2007] was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.” Small effort, big results.

Hey Torontonians, when was the last time you went to the CN Tower? For couples who are looking for a place to celebrate a late Valentine's weekend, why not take it to the top of the world- literally! Through February 15-18, there's a buy-one-get-one-free pass (see website for details) up the tower. For a light meal and refreshments, spend some time at Horizons Café, located at 1136 feet on the Look Out level.

Every year, foodies can count on two things:  Summerlicious and Winterlicious.  Starting off the year just before Valentine’s Day, Winterlicious 2008 promises to be even bigger, with better selections and popular chefs such as Claudio Aprile of Colborne Lane, Didier Leroy of  Didier, Guy Rubino of Rain, and David Lee of Splendido.  This year, 121 restaurants are participating in the event, and it is gaining ground as one of  the most successful and anticipated annual events in Toronto.

The event is sponsored by local restaurants in the Toronto area that all offer prix fixe menus at a set cost of $15-20 for lunch and $25-35 for dinner.  If there was ever a time try out all the most prestigious restaurants in Toronto, the Winterlicious (and Summerlicious) season is it!