Going to the gym and using a treadmill is part of many people’s daily routines. Most focus on the results they will get after their exercise, but many don’t realize the amount of electricity they are using to get to their goal weight. However, with self-powered gyms people won't waste energy--they will create it.
Human-powered gyms have become a reality in Hong-Kong, Australia and Oregon. The green gyms use machines that capture energy created from a person’s workout and use it to power the entire gym’s generators. This means everything from the elliptical machines to the lights and the sound systems are powered by working out.
According to the mind behind sustainable gyms, Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota, a person who spends one hour per day running on a machine
could generate 18.2 kilowatts of electricity and prevent 4,380 liters of carbon
dioxide from being released annually. So people who utilize a self-powered
machine will not only benefit themselves physically, they will also benefit the
environment. How is that for a workout incentive?
The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon is one example of a sustainable gym. Its goal is to eventually be 100 percent sustainable and after a year has already reduced its carbon emissions by 60 percent.
Another energy efficient option for runners and gym users alike are self-powered machines that recharge themselves. Although they may not power the entire gym, these machines are self-replenishing and offer a guilt-free workout that produces no carbon emissions.
Stay tuned for my mini documentary on the George Washington University's quest to bring this type of treadmill to the school's Health and Wellness Center.
And for more innovative ways to save energy look at this mini-doc.
Going to the gym and using a treadmill is part of many people’s daily routines. Most focus on the results they will get after their exercise, but many don’t realize the amount of electricity they are using to get to their goal weight. However, with self-powered gyms people won't waste energy--they will create it.
Human-powered gyms have become a reality in Hong-Kong, Australia and Oregon. The green gyms use machines that capture energy created from a person’s workout and use it to power the entire gym’s generators. This means everything from the elliptical machines to the lights and the sound systems are powered by working out.
According to the mind behind sustainable gyms, Italian inventor Lucien Gambarota, a person who spends one hour per day running on a machine
could generate 18.2 kilowatts of electricity and prevent 4,380 liters of carbon
dioxide from being released annually. So people who utilize a self-powered
machine will not only benefit themselves physically, they will also benefit the
environment. How is that for a workout incentive?
The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon is one example of a sustainable gym. Its goal is to eventually be 100 percent sustainable and after a year has already reduced its carbon emissions by 60 percent.
Another energy efficient option for runners and gym users alike are self-powered machines that recharge themselves. Although they may not power the entire gym, these machines are self-replenishing and offer a guilt-free workout that produces no carbon emissions.
Stay tuned for my mini documentary on the George Washington University's quest to bring this type of treadmill to the school's Health and Wellness Center.
And for more innovative ways to save energy look at this mini-doc.