Seen in Contagious Newsletter
Club4Climate
Who would have thought that nightclubbers are a conscientious lot? Or that during the funky house-fuelled throes of an early morning, your average caner feels a deep-rooted sense of guilt about what their hedonistic pursuits are doing to the environment? Not us. However, apparently this breed does exist and in order to cater for them as well as convert a whole new generation, the ‘world’s first ecological nightclub’ has opened in Kings Cross, London.
Located at Club Surya, the Club4Climate initiative was masterminded by the self-appointed Dr Earth, aka 35-year-old multi-millionaire property developer Andrew Charalambous. Working on the principle that ‘environmental awareness and hedonism are not mutually exclusive’, he has personally invested £1m (€1.25m) making the venue completely self-sustaining and eco-friendly. Contagious was invited to the press launch last Thursday of last week, so naturally we scooted along to see if Club Surya’s eco-credentials stood up. And maybe to try an organic cocktail. Or five...
Undoubtedly the most impressive jewel in the Surya crown is a dance floor which uses piezo crystal technology to convert the kinetic energy of the dancers’ footsteps into re-useable power for the rest of the club. At the launch it was put through its paces thanks to a break dancing demo from a local group of suitably street-looking young chaps. A meander around the rest of the venue reveals small information plaques on the wall, detailing the various eco-initiatives being put to use. For example, the sound system is powered by wind turbines and the flat screen TVs, by solar panels on the roof. The urinals in the Gents' toilets are ‘dry-flush’, meaning that approximately 90 gallons of water will be saved every night and regular lavs even use harvested rainwater...
There is no doubt that these features are impressive, although we were left a little non-plussed by some of the interior design; the walls clad in newspaper cuttings and old CD’s and the chandelier made from biro pens just felt more like a 4th grade art project than a trendy London nightspot. However, the bar area constructed using rustic looking reclaimed timber was rather beautiful and the organic drinks, despite being slightly radioactive in colour, were extremely tasty.
All profits from the Club4Climate initiative will be going to Friends of the Earth, despite representatives from the organisation insisting that Club Surya is not necessarily compatible with their policies on low-carbon living. However, as Dr Earth's website states: ‘Friends of the Earth in no way supports or endorses the activities of Club4Climate but we’re going to give them the money anyway.’ How noble - stubborn perhaps, but noble nonetheles...
www.club4climate.com
