Power to the Floor

Posted by: Amisha Ghadiali

I love the idea ‘Dance to save the world.’ It seems to me that the best way to make effective changes in the world is to make the things we love more sustainable. And make us love being sustainable. After all one of Futerra’s rules for behaviour change is ‘make it a pleasure’.

Club 4 Climate is the brainchild of social entrepreneur Andrew Charalambous otherwise known as ‘Dr Earth.’ The home of Club 4 Climate is the ‘World’s first Eco-Club’ - Surya. In Sanskrit this means the sun and the sun-god, which makes me think of life-giving radiant brilliance.

The thing that makes Surya different is the energy-generating dance floor, which harnesses power from the movement on the floor and converts it into electricity to run the club. Genius.

Last night I went to an event in the venue. I walked in hoping to love it, but as I started walking around seeing what they had done, I grew increasingly disenchanted.

There is a lot going on in terms of decoration and little touches, and you can tell that much thought has gone into it. Things I loved included a chandelier made out of biros and some information plaques on cycling that triggered conversations about the cycling training that Camden Council is offering.

But there were a few things that concerned me. All around the venue are little plaques on reclaimed timber giving you information about different eco-aspects of the project. They seem to be pointing out the good work the club is doing, and I think are also designed to inspire people. In the toilets, the sign next to the tap claimed that the automatic taps were designed to reduce water waste. However the tap came on so fast, that when I had finished washing my hands, the sink was already half full. Something I wouldn’t have noticed if the sign hadn’t been there telling me otherwise. I was also disappointed when I went to the bar, hoping to pick from a selection of eco-cola and organic juices. Instead I was greeted with a selection of Britvic drinks. Although not a crime, it struck me as inconsistent with the much hyped values of the club.

Dr Earth asserts that "We must use platforms like Surya, like Club 4 Climate, to reach our young generation,” that “There's no more universal language than music itself." I totally agree with this and am always looking at more effective ways to communicate with people, especially young people, but I am worried that they have taken the ‘eco-talk’ a little too far to effectively engage with them. The most obvious example of this is the wall near the toilets that has facts about the world on it such as “6 children die every second….” I think this will confuse people and put them off. Are they meant to be enjoying themselves and feeling good for generating electricity or feeling guilty whilst sympathising with the world’s social problems?

I think there is a lot of potential in this concept; it’s just that sometimes people forget that subtlety often has the power to make something more effective.

1. ed said on 01 Aug 2008 07:46:50
   
   I still think he looks like Dr Evil
2. Energy Saving Fairy said on 10 Aug 2008 22:33:54
   
   This is the worst club in the world - here's my review:The proprietor clearly demonstrates his contemptible cynicism and ignorance of environmental/ethical issues with charming touches such as giant plasma screens adorning the walls, a chandelier attempting to demonstrate innovative recycling made from brand new biros and Cristal Champagne on the menu for £350 a pop. Surya claims to generate electricity to power the club by harnessing the kinetic energy from movement of the dancefloor but, having inspected in thoroughly, I'd love to know how they are managing to extract energy from a solid concrete floor. I suspect this is an audacious lie.There is a bizarre display of potted plants in a cubby hole under a sign that reads "Hydroponics, the new horticulture, in which plants can be grown without soil or daylight under hydroponic light.� These plants, which are in soil by the way and not a hydroponic system (whereby plants are grown in water), reside under a massive, inefficient light. Of course, how stupid of me - I was thinking that daylight was an environmentally friendly way of growing plants when all along what I really needed was a whacking great multi-kilowatt lamp to be truly green.Even if you are not bothered by this hideously hypocritical, poorly executed gimmickery and require another reason not to visit this dump, I can furnish you with an excellent one. The toilets cubicles are see-through. Yes, you did read correctly, the toilet cubicles are made from frosted glass! Using those facilities was one of the more humiliating experiences of my adult life.Finally, what kind of psychopath is comfortable with being reminded that "every three seconds a child dies from poverty" by a plasma screen on the wall, whilst joyfully bowing to the twin gods of self-indulgence and consumerism in the name of fun ... not me mate.

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