19 Apr 2010

Cycle for your supper at Danish hotel?

A while back I was asked to support treadmills for prisoners - putting them to use to create energy - see my blog on that here - I didn't support the move but now I hear that a major hotel in Denmark is paying guests in meals to cycle to create energy.

Photo: a pedal washing machine on show near Cirencester

From today guests at the The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers are to be invited to saddle up for their supper and jump aboard bicycle-powered generators - if they can produce 10 watt hours of power to the hotel they will be given a free meal. That's possibly about 15 minutes of cycling.

One commentator from SchNEWS Writes: "The aim is to get guests matching or beating the return from the hotel's solar panels - although whether that is overstating the potential return from either or both methods compared to the power demands of a 366-room 'international' standard hotel is not dwelt upon."

As I noted recently in a letter to Stroud Life some 37% of locals in Copenhagen actually cycle to work every day. The hotel spokeswoman said that they feel the bicycle will work well since the city is strongly associated with it and it’s a symbol of their green profile. Indeed they plan to roll it out to all their hotels if it is successful.........but while we can welcome green measures and that this hotel is striving to become carbon neutral - 'luxury with a green conscience'...there is still a point about questioning the consumption and lifestyles.....but hey save that for another blog....

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