Tyler also called his parents in Connecticut. Cheever Tyler, a corporate lawyer and former board chairman of the New Haven Chamber of Commerce, gave his son some old-school advice.
"Nathan has enormous principle and unlimited energy, but he needed a way to distribute his product," he said. "I told him he had to get the mayor and the chamber onboard. They were good partners to have."
By August, Rob Black, the director of public policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, joined the team, and introduced Tyler to a restaurant owner who temporarily lent the group a vacant space in the Mission District.
Black also introduced Tyler to Mayor Gavin Newsom and Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, who passed a resolution sponsoring the event and naming Oct. 20 Lights Out San Francisco Day.
On that night, the Golden Gate Bridge will turn off its decorative tower lights. The lights of Alcatraz Island will also be shut off, as will those of various city and county office buildings. The San Francisco Restaurant Assn. is promoting romantic candlelight dinners.
Gus Murad, owner of the restaurant Medjool, doesn't think one hour of darkness is enough. "I'm going to go for eight hours," he said. "Mother Nature has given us so much, it amazes me we can't give just a little bit back."
Businesses such as Gap and Yahoo, as well as nonprofits including the International Dark Sky Assn., have signed on to publicize the event. Tyler is working with Safeway stores in the Bay Area to advertise it on the back of store receipts and on a public address system broadcast inside stores.
Pacific Gas and Electric and Yahoo donated the 110,000 compact-fluorescent light bulbs. "I ask my team: How can we make energy efficiency sexy?" said the utility's spokesman Keely Wachs. "Nate has done exactly that."
Tyler mostly has focused on recruiting the younger generation. He attended Green Drinks -- a social gathering for environment-minded professionals, spending $250 on cocktails while urging people to spread his message.
To reach children, he plans to tour local schools in a biofuel-run bus.
He also wants to post on his website pictures of the worst offenders among office buildings that leave lights on at night.
Not everyone is receptive. Some gas stations, for instance, refuse to take part, saying they need lights on for safety.
Tyler hopes to cut energy use that night by 15%, monitoring the savings with the help of the utility company.
And he's already planning a Lights Out America event for March.
The other day at his donated storefront space, he opened an overnight envelope bearing a $10,000 donation from Esurance. He beamed.
"Sweet," he said.
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john.glionna@latimes.com
