Thursday, March 20, 2008

Nightlife Going Green

Nighttown -- a concert venue in Rotterdam that is now bankrupt -- will reopen as a high environmental-friendly club renamed Watt.

They're expanding the capacity to 1400 people, but more interesting are the sustainable aspects of the makeover:

  • Solar panels;

  • Windmills;
  • Rainwater used as flushing water for toilets;

  • A 'greenwall': a wall from which plants literally grow;

  • Energy-efficient LED lights;

  • An energy-generating dance floor;

I especially like the last one: it's a product developed by Sustainable Dance Club, a Rotterdam company. Here's an impression, and here's how it's supposed to work.

I have been to Nighttown quite a few times, and I do hope that when it reopens as 'Watt', that they will program a couple of bands I'd like to see, so I can check out the venue, as well. Planned reopening date is September 4 (typically, guitarist Mike Watt played in Nighttown back in April 3, 2005: almost exactly two years ago).

Anyway, this is one of those things that make me optimistic.