Nightclubs energize for green generation

MIAMI

It’s 2 a.m. on a Saturday, and clubgoers will dance to fluorescent lights and the pulse of techno music. Most are blissfully unaware that their favorite nightspot consumes 140 times the energy of an average household.

It’s an ironic pastime for a generation driving hybrid cars and crusading against global warming, and perhaps is the reason environmentally friendly dance clubs are the latest green trend.

Eco-chic clubs offer everything from dance floors that generate electricity to stationary bikes that power the disc jockey’s booth, but it’s hard to tell how energy-efficient green clubs are.

“Without them providing an estimate of energy reduction or environmental impact, it seems like hype to me,” said Glenn Hill, a Texas Tech University professor who specializes in sustainable architecture.

Not so, say the owners. Home and Guest House owner John B. has ruled Manhattan’s night life with over-the-top decor and Broadway-worthy special effects. But his latest club, Greenhouse, is all about conserving.

The venue, slated to open in late summer, is applying for LEED certification, a designation granted by the U.S. Green Building Council for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.

The space will be made mostly from recycled materials and has the feeling of a glitzy nature preserve, with a huge waterfall and a ceiling made of live plants.

“I don’t necessarily think just because something is green or energy saving or recycled means it isn’t going to be luxurious,” he said.

At Chicago’s Butterfly Social Club, employees pedal away on a bicycle to power the DJ booth and drink machines. They also use solar panels and make most of the drinks instead of buying canned drinks, which creates an excess waste of cans, cardboard boxes and advertising, all of which carry extra costs, owner Mark Klemen says.

He built the club, which opened in April, out of waste products such as clay and straw, and says one of his mantras is not to recycle more but to use less.

At his less eco-friendly sister club next door, “at the end of the night we have 19 trash cans full of bottles. Yeah, we recycle them, but where are they going?” Mr. Klemen said.