The other day we were ranting and raving about the wasted energy opportunity gyms have. All those people working away on treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical machines could be generating power to juice up the very buildings they're in. As if on cue, New Scientist came in the mail with a great roundup answering dumb eco questions. One of those dumb questions concerns the validity of our rant. It turns out there is such a gym in Portland. The Green Microgym opened in August and features specially adapted machines that can generate 1000 watts.
For those who don't live in the northwest there's Pedal-a-Watt, a stand that turns your regular road bike into a stationary bike. As you pedal your bike's rear wheel spins a generator. The generator consists of a spinning magnet within a coil of wire. As the magnet spins electricity flows through the coil, which can then be used immediately or stored in a battery.
