Revel with a cause at Surya

Marrying my hedonistic side with the nagging sense of guilt that I should be doing more to save the planet is something I've never been able to do. I like polar bears and don't want to see them go - but neither can I manage to relinquish my jet-set weekends in Ibiza, buying new clothes or driving. The eco movement can be very dreary sometimes.

So when my editor asked me to visit the world's first eco-club, I was intrigued. Was there finally a way of partying and keeping it green at the same time? I had my doubts.

Surya claims to bring sustainability to the heart of the dance floor. Its owner Andrew Charalambous, a millionaire Tory donor and head of the climate change organisation Club4Climate, hopes the club can blow away the lentilmunching image of environmentalism and open new avenues of thought as to how we can change our behaviour and save the planet.

We visit on opening night when it is packed with press and invited guests. In the upstairs bar, large and roomy with big windows looking out onto King's Cross, it looks and feels like a normal hip bar. But its eco credentials are impressive. All the timber is reclaimed, the paint is ecologically friendly, the curtains and cushion covers are made from hemp, the granite and marble are sourced on a free-trade basis and all glass, cardboard and plastic are recycled.

Solar panels power the club's plasma screens and provide energy for many of the lights and a wind turbine on the roof powers the ozone-friendly air conditioning system and the CCTV.

You can even get stuck into the drinks list with a clear conscience. There's Freedom organic beer - brewed across town in Wandsworth - on sale at £2.50 a bottle, and organic red and white wines from Italy at £5.75 a large glass.

But the star of the show - the dance floor - is downstairs. It's the most innovative part of the club and harnesses the motion of dancers to generate power. It uses the concept of piezoelectricity, where materials rub together to generate a charge - in this case, crystals in blocks under the floor which create an electrical charge when squashed - which is then fed into batteries. It's normally used in cigarette lighters, but Surya is the first venue of its kind to use the electricity generated to power light as well as the air purifier and ioniser.

After celebrity endorsement from Jade Jagger, Coldcut's Matt Black and (slightly less groovily) shadow environment minister Greg Barker, the party kicks off. And what better way to celebrate saving the world than with a fantastic break dance display, while old-school hip hop kings Coldcut spin classic b-boy funk.

One Motion, a crew from south London, perform on the dance floor while we take in the club's interior. The walls are lined with old CDs that ref lect light, along the stairs are collections of painted old cans and bits of carpentry and a display by the loos (which are low-flush with batteryoperated taps to save water, of course) extols the benefits of growing plants with hydroponics.

With the show over and the professional party people arriving, among them Big Brother's Aisleyne and former Sugababe Mutya, we ask Magneto from One Motion if the floor feels any different to perform on. "It feels a little bouncier for some reason, that's all. And I think the club is a great idea," he enthuses. I also manage a quick chat with Mr Charalambous, the self-styled "Dr Earth" and I'm delighted to find that he agrees with me about my lifestyle. "Club4Climate isn't about telling people not to do things," he says. "We're not saying don't drive, don't fly. It's about bringing people together to make a change. It's better that a million people make a small change, than a thousand make a sacrifice. And nothing brings people together like clubbing." With a happy heart, I make my way upstairs for another drink where the bar is full of people discussing the club's uniqueness before they head down to test the dancefloor for themselves. Dan Williams, Jade Jagger's boyfriend, is spinning a set of upbeat electro tunes, and Queens Of Noize soon take over on the decks.