Dancing to Save the World

Design Week reports the launch of a yet another venture to save the world - this time, we're going to do it by dancing.

New London club Surya opened this week - the city's first "eco-nightclub" - by an organisation called Club4Climate. Alongside serving organic and fairtrade beverages in surroundings furnished from recycled materials, the venue features a dance floor that can generate electricity from people dancing.

Although the idea sounds intriguing, and I agree that all venues need to examine their energy use and procurement to do their part, my immediate reaction is that Surya will go the way of most of London's expensive concept clubs. People won't give a monkeys about the magic dancefloor or the sustainability of the venue - clubbing in London is all about location, who is playing, and where your mates are going.

My replusion at the whole idea is actually centred around Club4Climate's ten point mission statement, which sounds like it has been ripped out of some early nineties rave manual and is about as effective at saving the planet as Madonna and JT's latest call to arms. The whole cause is being championed by Austin Powers' cast reject Dr Earth - the sustainability movement needs icons, but Dr Earth certainly isn't the posterchild we have been looking for.

Club4Climate are also promising a "eco-friendly holiday destination" island, which further points to the likelihood that the whole venture is one giant, opportunistic, greenwashed turd.