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
- Beach Bunnyover 10 years:o Amazing
- Beach Bunnyover 10 yearsSuper cool ! I wish I had one
- WAZ up !over 10 yearssounds super fun
- WAZ up !over 10 yearsgo green energy
- Selenaabout 11 yearsWow,totally amazing, But what would happen if It was raining, I mean, like what if it had a battery shortage and maybe catch on fire? But I digress. Seriously, like, I need to shake the hand of that person that invented it. Really great.
- Mandoabout 11 yearsThis is a tv watchers dream. Usually they out of shape too. It's crazy That everybody exercised on bike it would generate enough energy for 10 times the amount it needs. It's cool that they thought of that.
- ?????about 11 yearsI thought this article was amazing. How could they get the energy from peddling a bike to start and watch a TV. It is really amazing how they can do that. This is also a good way to save energy and to get exercise too. I hope that these could one day be in every gym in The U.S.
- Andyabout 11 yearsWow i can't believe that there is a machine that harness raw energy from humans. I hope that it comes here it must cost a lot of money to make that why haven't other gyms it's smart that they make people create energy plus solar panels
- *Hannah H-B*about 11 yearsGyms are big energy users? I can understand that now, but with our generation, our people don't regularly put down their gaming controller, to go run a mile, although i'm not sure what it's like in Portland. But, I do admit that this was a very smart idea, and i'm glad at least someone is trying to help our planet. One thing that troubled me though, is I do go to the gym sometimes, and as a kid, I don't know if it would take more energy to make the electricity, than I could offer, unless it's like how little energy LED lights use. Is there another workout machine that, we could somehow use our own energy to power it? Maybe a treadmill?
- Lilliana about 11 yearsI wish there was a gym like that in in Arizona. That would be amazing. To see, and try that would be a great challenge if you where to be a Personal Trainer or a coach to try with you team. It also tests your fast abilities and how fast you can move
