Green Saddles And Free Meals

A hotel that uses its guests as a source of renewable energy? Only one thing comes to mind and it’s not pleasant! Don’t panic though, it’s not part of Kubrick’s wicked imagination or some horror movie you will be taking part in if you visit the Crown Plaza Copenhagen Towers. Especially if you are aware of your duties towards mother earth (or you’re just looking to get a free meal!), the ‘green’ hotel offers environmentalists a way to offer clean energy in exchange for soothing exercise and snacks.

The hotel, in order to achieve its goal of becoming carbon neutral, is already operating on an ‘environment-friendly’ basis, using a geothermal (ground source) heat pump and solar (PV) panels among other renewable and sustainable sources. “In terms of energy production and consumption, the cooling- and heating system is very unique for the hotel. The water that is used for heating in the winter is recycled for cooling during the summer…” However, guests are encouraged to use the electric bikes found in the hotel’s gym so as to generate supplemental energy and contribute to the building’s main supply. The iPhones attached to the bikes are used to record the amount of power generated. The free meal voucher courtesy of the management is yours once you reach the 10Wh power threshold- this means pedaling for approximately 15 minutes.

Although the hotel’s power standards cannot be met based on the electric bikes alone, the management persists to their idea as a starting point for public engagement in relevant experimental attempts and various energy-saving initiatives as a means to make people realize the valuable nature of energy.

“The bikes invite the guests to move in new ways that benefits their personal health and well-being as well as the environment at large. On one hand, the biking represents a symbolic sustainable act. Yet, on the other, it also presents that the socio-eco-awareness now also applies to the service sector.”