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New eco-nightclub where the dancers generate electricity
Katharine Barney, Evening Standard18.06.08
Britain's first eco-nightclub is to open in King's Cross.
The venue will sell organic spirits served in polycarbon cups and will be powered with renewable energy.
There are also plans to install a recycled water system to flush its lavatories and an energy-generating dancefloor, which would harness power from the pounding of clubbers' feet and convert it into electricity.
Although entry to the club costs £10, those customers who can prove they travelled there by foot, bicycle or public transport will be allowed in free.
Before they are let in they will be asked to sign a pledge promising to work towards curbing climate change.
The club, due to open on 10 July, is based at Bar Surya in Pentonville Road, which is owned by property millionaire and Tory donor Andrew Charalambous.
Mr Charalambous, the head of a new climate change organisation called Club4Climate, said he hoped to use clubbing to inspire young people to tackle global warming.
"This is a new way to draw in the young generation," he said.
"It's a sexy and fresh approach as opposed to the way young people feel they are preached to by other more 'grown-up' charities.
"Our aim in opening the country's first ecological club is to get as many people as possible involved in saving their world.
"There is no greater platform than clubbing to reach out to young people. Having an energy- generating dancefloor is a very exciting and interesting idea that we have been talking to people in Rotterdam about. Such a dancefloor could generate about 60 per cent of the building's energy."
Mr Charalambous, a Greek-Cypriot who owns 1,000 properties in north London as well as land in Europe, hopes other clubs in the capital will follow his green lead. "We can be too arrogant and think we can save the world ourselves when it actually takes a little bit of effort from everyone," he said.
During the mayoral election he printed 200,000 pro-Boris Johnson leaflets in Greek in support of the winning Tory candidate's campaign.
Club4Climate has also been involved in projects to plant one million trees and plans to set up a holiday destination that is entirely self-sufficient by
2010. But when it tried to donate its profits to Friends of the Earth, the offer was turned down, with FoE saying it wasn't happy that Club4Climate appeared to encourage international flights.
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