| Human-Powered Gyms: For Your Health and the Earth's |
| Saturday, 22 October 2011 | Victoria Cho | Article |
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Sustainable gyms have already appeared in Hong Kong, Australia and Oregon—and are spreading to Europe and other parts of the world. Using generators connected to exercise bikes and treadmills, the gyms are able to power themselves by harnessing energy from their members’ workouts. The First Sustainable Gym “One person has the ability of producing 50 watts of electricity per hour when exercising at a moderate pace, which means that to prevent 12 liters of CO2 from being released into the air, a person needs to produce the same amount of electricity by exercising on the specially setup machine for one hour. If a person spends one hour per day running on the machine, he/she could generate 18.2 kilowatts of electricity and prevent 4,380 liters of CO2 released per year. So exercise can improve not only your health but contributes to a greener environment.” The company has set up 13 machines in its main club and plans to expand into other Hong Kong locations before going international. Other Sustainable Gyms In Australia, retired professional boxer Danny Moran introduced the generator-connected cycling machines at Surry Hills Boxing Gym. He encourages membership by reminding locals of Australia’s status as the second-fattest nation in the world and as the biggest carbon emitter per capita. By joining his gym, people combat obesity and block carbon emissions. How’s that for a great combination punch? How It Works Buy Your Own If you prefer running over cycling, see Woodway’s energy-conserving treadmills. Their completely sustainable model, the EcoMill, contains a battery charged by the treadmill’s movement. Other Uses of Human Power Even if a sustainable gym or dance club doesn’t exist near you, and you aren’t yet ready to invest in a human-powered appliance, let these machines inspire you to reduce your carbon footprint and improve your health in other ways. For instance, you can save the world’s energy by using your own—through biking or running to work, and taking the stairs instead of an escalator or elevator. Your body and the Earth will thank you, and so will future generations. Help the Earth, Spread the Word: Share this article with family and friends by clicking on the "Email This" or "Share This" links below right. Additional resources: Comments
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Written by Don Carpenter , October 12, 2011
Good article and a fascinating idea! I'm going to forward it to some entrepreneurial engineering friends of mine.
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I must confess that when I saw the title I thought it was a review of bodyweight exercise programs like Charles Atlas or something.
Written by kattothyrst , June 29, 2011
I find this a great idea, never really thought about the potential for a gym, for example to generate some of its own power requirements from the exercise routines of its members. It's one of those "nice" set ups where through our own activity (to improve or maintain our good shape) we can give something back to neutralise our impact. I wonder what you could power at home. Just find the best ellipitical for home use and find a handy electronics sngineer!
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As we desperately search for alternative energy resources, one market has managed to capitalize on perhaps the most available and efficient source of energy around—humans.
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You may save some burning of Coal, but you do not reduce CO2 by exercising.