Energy Generating Treadmills

Energy Generating Treadmills

Posted by Jackie Game on

Waiting for Industry and government to take needed Climate Action can be as painful as watching a glacier melt...

That's why I think it's so empowering to see the impacts individuals can make.  And, in case you didn't know, there are A LOT of individuals on our planet - over 4 BILLION!

So imagine the impact if we all took a simple action like Elina Pipa, a Brown University student who helped convert a student gym into a 'hamster wheel' of energy generation.

What started as a theoretical class assignment, soon became a real-life solution, when Pipa partnered with Sports Art, a company that makes cardio machines that actually put energy back into the grid.

Pipa gamed out a few different scenarios with the goal of producing enough electricity to match the solar panels already in use.

"The middle scenario, which assumed that Brown would replace half of its cardio machines with the energy-generating versions, would offset 2% of the building’s electricity—equivalent to the solar panels already in place."  (Fast Company)
And based on the success of the project to date, Brown is planning to expand its investment in the energy producing, Cardio Machines, with the potential to off-set the building's energy consumption by more than 4%!

What's exciting for me, is not whether Cardio Machines will solve our climate crisis', but how it demonstrates the impact we can make at the individual level.
Doom scrolling can take a toll.  We know there's a problem, but what can we do on a personal level to really make a difference?

Well, based on this example, I'd say A LOT!  Especially when we spread the word about our actions.

Case in point...  This past spring I took a small action I've been procrastinating on for 3 years and started converting my lawn into a pollinator garden. 

Then I made a short video and posted it on Instagram, which has since been viewed more than 200,000 times. 
Have you taken a small but impactful action?  Share it with me and maybe we can post it on our feed to give it more legs.

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