While we have heard of people singing for their dinner, pedaling for one, is a new concept - Especially, when you are a guest at a four-star hotel. But that is apparently what guests at the recently opened Crowne Plaza in Copenhagen, are being offered in exchange for a free dinner!

The program, which started on April 19th, entails bikers to pedal on stationary bikes that have been hooked to the hotel's electricity generators. An iPhone attached to each bike displays the energy output or wattage, which is first stored in a battery in the bike and then distributed to the hotel's main electricity supply.

The hotel awards the biker a $44USD meal voucher for every 10watt hours of electricity generated (approx 10-15 minutes of biking) - A very generous offer given that it takes about 100watt hours to power a 100W light bulb for an hour!

While the hotel chain has only set aside two bikes for this fun experiment, they plan to add more and even expand the program to their other hotels all across Europe, if it is successful.

This is not the only 'green' initiative at this Crowne Plaza, which opened its doors in November 2009. One of a handful of certified 'green' buildings in Denmark, all the energy utilized in this 25 story, 366 room hotel, is derived from renewable energy sources.

Groundwater based heating and cooling systems helps reduce energy consumption, by 90%. In addition, the building's sunny surfaces are fitted with solar panels, estimated to generate 170,000KW of power every year. Also, everything in the hotel ranging from lights to hand dryers, has been selected, based on its energy consumption. Another great example of a corporation doing its share, to help our environment!

sources: wired.com,gizmag.com, visitcopenhagen.com