HONG KONG – Greenpeace called for a three-minute lights-out at 8 pm on August 8 as part of its anti-pollution campaign here.
Power companies told a daily they did not detect any change in power usage. Greenpeace said it was satisfied still with the turnout because it was a “useful start” in highlighting energy issues in daily lives.
Operations of hotels went on as uninterrupted but it did not mean that these were unconcerned to environmental issues.
“We did not participate in it last night. As a hospitality provider running the service 24 hours and for safety and security reasons, we feel that it is inappropriate for us to turn out the lights. Having said that, we have been doing a lot in preserving the environment, and the green awards that we have attained our good testimony of our environmental efforts,” said Kowloon Shangri-La director of communications, Patsy Chan.
The Symphony of Lights Show across the harbour from Shangri-La went on as scheduled.
Among the prominent participants in the lights-out was the Legco Building in Central. In nearby happening place, Lan Kwai Fong, there were bars and restaurants which switched to candles during the requested three minutes.
The most prominent non-participant was Chief Executive Donald Tsang, who had earlier told the daily that the lights-out could harm Hong Kong’s standing as an international metropolis and tourist destination.