Calories come off and lights come on

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Calories come off and lights come on

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-gym25-

2008aug25,0,5207333.story

By Stuart Glascock, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

As Adam Boesel pedals an exercise bike, he sends power to a generator

that converts his workout calories into electricity. Across the room

in his small eco-friendly gym are half a dozen energy-efficient

treadmills. On the roof, solar arrays gather more natural energy.

In Boesel's new gym, people will not only slim their waistlines, they

will also shrink their carbon footprint.

Welcome to people-powered exercise for a small planet.

Boesel says the Green Microgym -- which is to open Friday in the

eclectic Alberta Arts district of northeast Portland -- is the first

fitness center in the country to use solar power as well as human-

powered cycling and cardio machines to generate renewable energy.

" We are creating a neighborhood gym that is as comfortable and

effective as any other, " he said. " At the same time, our members are

doing their part to help the Earth. "

Boesel recently showed off the Human Dynamo prototype, an exercise

machine consisting of four spin bikes attached to a small generator.

As he pedaled one of the human-powered bikes, a digital readout

showed the amount of watts, a measure of power, that he was producing

by pedaling and turning an arm crank that strengthens the upper body,

he said. As many as four riders can propel the prototype system,

which can produce 200 watts to 600 watts of energy an hour.

It's not only the exercise machines that exude green -- so does the

entire gym, which is about 3,000 square feet. Yoga enthusiasts can

practice sun salutations on cork-lined floors. Cardio fans can jog,

run intervals on treadmills or spin on recycled rubber flooring.

The 37-year-old fitness entrepreneur revels in his belief that he has

designed an ideal energy-efficient gym that will appeal to a new

generation of young, healthy and environmentally-conscious

Portlanders.

Most gyms are energy hogs, with sweeping floor space, high heating

costs and hot showers always steaming in the locker rooms. Boesel

doesn't know how much energy the solar arrays and human-powered

equipment will produce, but he expects his fitness center to use

about half the energy of most gyms its size by providing as much as

40% of its energy needs. His goal is to have the gym run solely on

the energy it generates.

In years past, when fitness companies looked at human-powered

machines, they calculated there wasn't much energy savings, said Mike

Taggett, owner of Henry Works in El Paso, which designed the Human

Dynamo prototype.

" Yes, it isn't a lot of power, but it is better than nothing, and

there is gratification in actually doing something during your

workout, " he said.

The gym also features treadmills that use nearly one-third less

energy than most of their counterparts because they have energy-

efficient, self-regulating, brushless motor drive systems that run

more cleanly than traditional motors. And they'll be switched off

when not in use.

Although one gym in Hong Kong and another in Australia have prototype

systems that harness some human power, Boesel's gym is believed to be

the first to integrate such equipment and eco-philosophy into its

business model.

Green Microgym uses only energy-efficient lighting, ceiling fans and

televisions. It has a mostly paperless membership system. Its five

elliptical machines are non-motorized and don't require electricity;

Boesel is working on getting them hooked up to generators.

Gym members will be asked to either turn off or lower lighting

systems and fans when not in use. Boesel said many commercial gyms

could save electricity by turning off treadmills when not in use, but

most don't.

" I've noticed in the past year or two that more club owners are

becoming more interested in going green, " said Pamela Kufahl, editor

of Club Industry's Fitness Business Pro magazine, based in Overland

Park, Kan.

" People in general are paying more attention to being more

environmentally friendly, " she said. " Club owners and their staffs

are aware of this and they know their members are too. "

The trade magazine in recent months has detailed the efforts of

YMCAs, military fitness centers and university recreation centers to

go green, as most have focused on installing water-efficient toilets

and recycled floor products. But none have attempted to energy from

human exercisers and use it to power a gym, Kufahl said.

So far, about 50 people, eager to sweat it out and still conserve

energy, have signed up for membership at Green Microgym. Most of them

live in the neighborhood, which is another green advantage: no

parking lot, no energy-consuming showers.

" It appeals to people who want to walk or bike to the gym and then go

home and shower, " Boesel said.

Maggie Vail, 34, works within easy walking distance at Kill Rock

Stars, an independent record label. She signed up because she liked

the proximity and the green ethos.

" It's the perfect business for Portland, and the timing is perfect, "

she said. " It's time to be more conscious about everything we do. "

The new business fits in nicely with Portland's young, urban and

environmentally mindful culture, said Ethan Seltzer, an urban studies

professor at Portland State University.

" There is tremendous interest in our community in energy

conservation, alternative transportation, fitness and healthy eating

and lifestyles, " he said. " We have a large and growing population of

college-educated, 25- to 35-year-olds, and they are here because they

care about being green, need affordable places to live and want to

create, not just consume, the local culture. "