Stef van Dongen and Alijd van Doorn have partnered to offer consultancy services to clubs that can help them save money as well as helping the planet.

Their research found that an average club, open just three nights a week, consumes 150 times the energy a family of four would in a year.

"There's a need in clubbing for a new layer of experience and sustainability could be that," Van Doorn said.

"Clubbing is very consumerist. It's perhaps the ultimate consumerist activity. So I think the time is right for it to make changes."

A good example of environmental clubbing is Worm, an arts complex with a club, cinema, record shop and studios.

"We opened in November 2005 with a plug-and-play construction to slot into disused buildings using 90% recycled materials and without even knocking in a single nail,” said founder Mike van Gaasbeek.

The walls are made from estate agents’ boards, the toilets from oil drums, the seat from old cars, and the door handles from bicycle handlebars.

The only non-recycled items are the fire safety doors and emergency exit signs.

But van Dongen and van Doorn want to take things to another level.

New techniques they are working on include modelling the interiors of clubs on Roman ampitheatres, creating a natural form of amplification that reduces electricity used by soundsystems.

They are also working on lighting systems based on low-power LEDs used for car tail-lights.

The clubbers themselves are also seen as a potential resource.

A method has been developed to extract water vapour in the air coming from clubbers sweating and use the water to flush toilets.

Cleverest of all is a dancefloor that can turn the dancers' movements into electricity.

"The key is to utilise the interaction of clubbers with the environment," according to van Dongen.

"I love dancing and know that in the clubbing community you're forced to try to connect sustainability to self-interest and playfulness, somehow. I think the best way to do that is to make them part of the solution."