Portland's Green Gym Harnesses Human Energy
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While it may not appear to be so - Thanks to all the equipment and television screens, not to mention the bright lights, constant air-conditioning or heating, gyms are big energy users - A little ironic when you consider how much energy people expand whilst working out. Though there has been some sporadic attempts to harness the energy, nobody has taken it to the level of Portland-based Green Microgym.
The gym, whose mission is to help people not only look good, but also do good whilst exercising, is equipped with specially configured exercise bicycles that captures the energy created while pedaling and channels it to outlets which power other equpment in the gym.
The 3,000 sq.ft. facility does not give its 200 plus members any discounts for the energy they help generate, but they do give out bragging rights in the form of green cards, which, depending on the watts of energy generated, helps members earn gift cards from local merchants.
The gym estimates that an average workout generates about 37.5 watt hours just enough, to power a phone for a week. Despite all the energy generated by its members and additional green energy captured by the Solar Panels that line its roof, the gym is not completely carbon neutral, which means it still depends on conventional electricity. But, according to the owner, if all the equipment inside the gym is used at the same time, it can generate 10 times the energy needed to run the entire facility, at that given moment.
As Green Microgym gets ready to open its second location, many other gyms in America are following it's lead by installing machines that harness the human energy that gets generated vigorously inside their premises every day.
Sources: Treehugger.com, Inhabitat.com
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111 Comments
- Kianna <3over 11 yearsI think it is so smart that when people pedal with exercise bicycle it channels other equipments in the gym. This change helps save electricity and money. I think spreading this idea to other gyms is a great idea!
- Grantover 11 yearsDoing this can help all of the obese or overweight people. If they were to make this product cheap enough to make lots of people but it; it could help them have a way easier life for in the future. If i were riding the bike i would be on it all day because I watch TV. all day when i get home from school. Plus a lot of obese/overweight people play video games and watch TV. to get to the place that their in so having a bike attached will solve lots of peoples problems.
- Kalen over 11 yearsThis is a clever way to get people moving and to save some money. Whoever came up with this idea should open more than just one other facility. Not only does it conserve energy, but is provides entertainment. I'm surprised no one has thought of this before. I also respect the fact that they also use solar panels for a majority of their power. I wonder if they use the same type of idea to power anything else. This opens a new idea for gyms and other businesses.
- Aliciaover 11 yearsi think it is a great idea but I think more gyms should have this. It is good for people and the environment. Its good for people because most people who need to workout likes to watch tv so it would be good for them to power the tv while working out. Also it good for the environment because it creates most of their energy.
- angel over 11 yearsthis is awesome that they did that because if you stop pedaling the TV or other equipment turns off this will motivates them to move. i think if they put this in every gym people will start losing more weight. why didn't they think of this sooner? i wonder what they will make next?
- random studentover 11 yearsI think this is a great idea and that more gyms should do this. This would really help on their electricity bill. I wounder if this is going to be a popular thing now. If every gym in the world did this i wounder how much energy we would save.
- XD TREY [-.-]over 11 yearsI thought this was really cool and if only we had that in america so people will want to go to the gym
- ---> lukeee <--over 11 yearsthis is very smart. we are now starting to see how much energy we consume and we are now trying to limit that. i hope this will be the future gyms because this isw an incrdebly smart idea. i am very happy :)
- Dylanover 11 yearsThis should happen to a lot of other gyms. i like this because, it motivates people to work out more. The Green Micro place gym is really smart of thinking of this idea. It also saves energy and people can watch television while working out. It's the best of both worlds. I want to know if it uses Solar power or how it works to make television work? The thing that i don't really like is how you can be helping your body but hurting your brain. Other than that this was a very interesting article.
- Trevorover 11 yearsThis is the smartest thing I have ever seen. Not only are they saving money, but they are making people work out to watch Television. Hopefully other Gyms around the word do this. That was great thinking by doing this. I really liked this article. Maybe the can make this so people in their house can use it
