Sweating sustainably

The large amount of the people that go to the new Academic Student and Recreation Center at Portland State University make the gym environment an ideal setting to get some exercise, while converting their energy into, well, more energy.

As the Vanguard reported earlier this month [“Human Hamsters,” May 13], “Students who have been using the elliptical trainers in the new rec center have also been powering the electricity in the building, thanks to a new system called ReRev.”

It only takes a 30-minute workout on a machine at the gym to produce up to 50 watts of electricity, which is then tapped into the building’s electrical system, all while not only saving energy, but also making something such as a simple workout more sustainable. Thirty minutes on an elliptical could power a light bulb for two-and-a-half hours, or your cell phone for six.

How does this even work? Kinetic energy that is produced during a workout is converted to DC (Direct Current) and sent to the ReRev System, which then converts the DC into AC (Alternating Current), the form of electricity used by homes and businesses.

In other words, exercise machines are hooked up to generators that feed power into the building’s own electrical system. This makes renewable energy that sustains the building—and the environment in the long run.

Working out at the gym is no longer just a feel-good gesture for your own body, it now produces enough power to pay for the electricity that allows people to use the machines. This is one of the greatest ideas that PSU has been able to apply, because not only are you getting health benefits but you are also creating clean energy while you are getting energy and relaxation yourself.

According to sophomore Kylie Rappe, who works out regularly at the gym, the new ReRev system makes her work out harder, pushing her more. “The new system makes me challenge myself to work harder because now I can measure how much energy I create,” Rappe said. “I have personal goals and every time I go it makes me want to work harder than the time I did before.”

Perhaps another benefit that ReRev creates is that it keeps people thinking. While knowing they are generating energy, it is a good way to have people think about, and possibly make, more eco-friendly choices in other parts of their life. Parts of their life that they may have never associated with sustainability—areas such as exercising.

Nearly 40 million people belong to more than 26,000 health clubs in the United States today, according to the International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association. Imagine if every one of these health clubs installed the ReRev system. If you can figure that each one is producing enough energy to sustain an entire house that would mean that at least 26,000 homes would be “off the grid” in the entire nation.

Seven or eight years ago, nothing similar was even thought of—and now all the skepticism has finally been able to create something that is a huge benefit for people and gives everyone an incentive to go to the gym for more than just feeling good.