It began with the image of a hamster on a wheel ...
How human energy is powering fitness centres in the US and UK
So often, when we talk about global warming and the climate crisis, people think about ‘big picture’ solutions. And there are definitely such solutions, whether it is regreening a huge drought-stricken area of China or bringing water back to parched Indian villages.
But there also are increasingly small things that we can do, and I have been reading about them with interest. They are partially about changing individual behaviours and partly about new business solutions.
The first story, in fact, came from a classroom assignment in a climate solutions course at Brown University, in Providence, Rhode Island. Elina Pipa, a student from Athens, Greece, thought about the university’s fitness centre. “I had this image of a hamster on a wheel generating energy, and I thought, ‘Why not us?'” Pipa said.
She investigated options and discovered SportsArt, a firm that manufactures gym equipment that converts human energy into power, as well as the fact that it was already happening at Ohio State University and Monkton Stadium in England.
Pipa’s research showed that by replacing just half of the gym’s cardio machines with energy-generating equivalents, the fitness center could offset roughly two percent of its electricity needs.
Brown’s gym now houses a set of SportsArt cardio machines that harvest kinetic energy from workouts and feed it straight into the building’s power supply. “It’s like you’re a human power plant,” explains Elina. “When you hop on one of these machines, you’re not just doing something good for your body—you’re doing something great for the planet, too.”
The gym already has eight of these energy-generating machines, but soon 17 additional machines will have joined the fleet, increasing the total to 25.
“When you see that even your gym equipment can make a difference, it shifts your perspective,” Pipa says. “It makes you realize that everyday actions can have a real impact on the environment.”
That was the impetus behind South Tyneside Council’s decision to install green gym equipment in Monkton Stadium in Jarrow, England. The region has pledged to become carbon neutral by 2030. Monkton Stadium hosts regional and national events and is home to various sports clubs including Jarrow and Hebburn Athletics Club.
“The ECO-POWR line featured in the fitness center at Monkton Stadium converts up to 74% of human energy into usable electricity that is returned to the grid without the need for any special wiring. It just plugs into a standard outlet and gymgoers generate electricity during every movement, making workouts more meaningful than ever before,” said Ruben Mejia, executive vice president, SportsArt Americas.
Gym users can see how much energy is being generated—and how their healthy workout is having a positive impact. The SA WELL+ system is displayed on a TV screen, which allows members to understand how their workout is returning energy to the grid and how their increased efforts help to reduce overall energy consumption from the building.
The SportsArt G660 Treadmill is the first treadmill to have its carbon footprint independently certified and has the potential to be carbon-negative within its expected life cycle. That means it will produce enough clean energy to offset more carbon than its certified footprint, for an overall positive impact on the environment.
And it is not just universities and recreation centres that have found ways to generate energy this way. The band Cold Play has been working to reduce the environmental impact of their shows since 2021, setting an example for musicians globally.
In collaboration with BMW, Coldplay created the world's first mobile rechargeable show battery, which can power the entire show using 100% renewable energy, regardless of location.
The audience helps generate power. Kinetic floors harness the energy generated by fans’ dancing and movement, and electricity-generating power bikes allow fans to actively participate in charging the show batteries by pedaling.
The band’s 2021 Music of the Spheres tour made a significant commitment to reducing the tour's direct emissions by more than 50 percent, as EE Power reported in 2023.
That same year, England’s Famed Glastonbury Festival met all its power needs through renewable energy sources and fuel, demonstrating a collective dedication to minimizing environmental impact within the music festival landscape.