Green gyms go one step further than most sustainable buildings and use exercise equipment that produces electricity. Companies such as Green Revolution have kinetic power generation devices that are retrofitted to existing fitness bikes and produce electricity as someone works out on the equipment.
A typical group cycling class with about 20 bikes has the potential to produce up to 3.6 Megawatts (3,600,000 Watts) of renewable energy a year. This is equivalent to the amount of power needed to light 72 homes for a month while also reducing carbon emissions by over 5,000 pounds.
Ref : http://egreenrevolution.com/me_pressrelease.aspx?setting=3
The Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon uses this technology along with a holistic approach to conserving and producing energy. The following quote from a gym member encapsulates my speculation about using a digital feedback loop in order to motivate people to work out harder at my fitness park at the Howard Smith Wharves site.
Shoshana Zeisman, an academic adviser who lives six blocks from the Microgym, said the club’s “green features sold me as much as the location.” The Team Dynamo, which includes a digital display of the amount of watts produced, “is awesome,” Ms. Zeisman said. “It’s one more thing to motivate you.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/fashion/25gym.html?_r=2&ref=fashion&oref=slogin
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