by Dale Chappell

Created on: June 26, 2008   Last Updated: June 28, 2008

A Gym Powered By You The Green Power Plant

You pedal your stationary bike towards shedding unwanted pounds and improving your health, but hit the brakes; the energy you use to look and feel better could soon also be saving the planet.

Although in its infancy, a Hong Kong businessman has harnessed human power to light the way for gym patrons who are environmentally conscious. The Human Power Project at California Fitness, Hong Kong is the brainchild of San Francisco born Doug Woodring. He developed the idea after years of extreme sporting and a life of being a friend of the environment.

"I've trained my whole life, and many megawatts have been wasted," Woodring told the Wallstreet Journal. "I wanted to do something with all that sweat."

Converting today's sweatshops into power plants is becoming more practical everyday. In many cases small generators are already incorporated into the base technology of commercial exercise equipment to supply the power to the sophisticated computerized monitors. Similar to the small generators we attached to the wheel of our bicycles to power the headlight as children, the new equipment can be adapted to power a wide variety of readily available consumer products.

The average stationary bike enthusiast generates between 75 to 150 watts of electricity per session, enough to power a LCD flat screen television or radio, a ceiling fan, and enough LED lights to brighten the room.

Too impatient to wait for your neighborhood Pump Up the Planet Gym, an enterprising do-it-yourselfer can buy plans from David Butcher of Los Gatos, CA via his website for $50, complete with a CD full of assembly photographs and MPEG movies. Although similar system can be purchased assembled for $550.00, David Butcher assures us that all parts can be purchased at hardware stores and bicycle shops for about $230.

The wheels are already in motion and gaining momentum. Ellen Degeneres recently hosted a group of spinners as they pedal-powered a television and a couple of lights during the taping of her program. To see the efforts of California Fitness, the Asain and US chain of fitness clubs that is currently testing the green based technology, check out the news feature created by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post.

With over 30,000 fitness centers located across the US, the combined energy produced by paying members is enough to power a small city. A single spin class creates enough energy to power two modern homes, yet no one has yet to tie their Stairmaster into the power grid.

In the near future, the green gym will enhance the human-hamster power with natural lighting, solar power, and an internal power grid complete with battery storage capacity to become self-sufficient. Naturally, as the technology continues to become more efficient, the excess energy will be sold off to the power company reducing the use of fossil fuels. The next time you step onto that treadmill you could be preventing 4,380 liters of CO2 from corrupting our delicate atmosphere.

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David Butcher Plans for home generator
http://www.los-gatos.ca.us/davidbu/pedgen/p lans.html

The Electric Gym Network
http://www.electricgym.net/products.html

Ellen Degeneres Show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvL7V3HgwQ

South China Morning Post Green Power Plant Video Feature
http://www.revver.com/video/203517/go-green-w ith-this-light-gym-workout/

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