Green Nightclubs Harness Sustainable Power Of Dance

Are you ready for it--the first eco-nightclub in the UK is about to hit town. While the idea of clubbing may seem alien to some, doing it environmentally might give new meaning to a night out that goes until 4 a.m. Where to start--at the door--no entry until you sign a pledge promising to work towards stopping climate change. Then free entry to those who can prove they got there by foot, bike or public transport. Once inside, organic drinks will be served in polycarbon cups and there will be recycled water in the lavatories.

Here's the very cool part: the dance floor will be capable of generating 60% of the building's electricity. The technology involves building a sprung floor and power generating blocks. The blocks are made of piezoelectric crystals which produce current when subjected to pressure. Dancers dance, blocks are squeezed and the current is fed into batteries used to electrify the nightclub. Don't laugh, it is already being done in Rotterdam, Holland. It's part of the programme for a new climate change organisation Club4Climate, set up by an enthusiastic entrepreneur who wants to open more eco-clubs in New York, Cape Town and Rio. Its motto: "All you have to do is dance to save the world". :: Evening Standard

Comments

[biznobar]

12:51 PM on 06/22/2008

Dear TimmySlagl­e,
The only place in the entire article where it mentions sustainabi­lity is in the headline. And if you haven't figured out that Huffpo's headline writers regularly misstate the content of an article with sensationa­l grabber phrases, then you haven't been reading here for very long. They post amazing content and they have to know that people who log on to this site are actively seeking the kind of news they report on. Yet they seem hell bent on sensationa­lizing the headlines like a cheap supermarke­t tabloid. I don't understand that at all.
Beyond that, there is a difference between a cynic and a skeptic. A skeptic might have doubts about the veracity of a stated idea and will say," prove it". A cynic is a hater who merely says, "I don't believe you".

[TimmySlagle]

01:24 PM on 06/22/2008

Were the huffpo in the business of backing up claims, I certainly would have asked for some proof.

I followed the link they provided. I was not surprised to learn, that the idea isn't being done in Holland, or anywhere else. It's still only an idea on the drawing boards.

Also, I found this quote:

" Enviu and Döll believe the idea can not only lessen the environmen­tal impact of an activity that's traditiona­lly pretty unsustaina­ble, but also build awareness among the young and hip"

Which is where I got the notion that some people believe this idea is "sustainab­le."

"Sustainab­le" is a word that is losing it's meaning in modern english. Today, it is just a synonym for "environme­ntally conscious.­". I have noticed this in a couple stories here, like the one where bathing suits made with recycled content were also called "sustainab­le." It's kind of an Orwellian language shift. Beyond a dumbing down of the language, it makes implicatio­ns that simply aren't true.

That's the point I was trying to make.

[biznobar]

04:52 PM on 06/23/2008

Then that is the point you should have made with your first post.

[TimmySlagle]

04:56 PM on 06/21/2008

"the dance floor will be capable of generating 60% of the building's electricit­y"

That doesn't seem feasible. Heating and air conditioni­ng alone takes an enormous amount of electricit­y. Then there is ice makers and refrigerat­ion. I'm guessing they mean just 60% of the lights and sound system can be generated

But even if it is accurate. How can you call a system that only provides 60% of the electricit­y "sustainab­le?" Seems too me you need to generate at least 100% of the required electricit­y to "sustain" it.

[jgsuperpants]

04:58 PM on 06/20/2008

Now if we could only harness the power of cheesy pick-up lines, walk-of-sh­ames and vomit.