Green Gym

We hit the gym to do our bodies good, but what about doing good for the environment? With their bright lights, plastic machines, and humming motors, most gyms aren’t so ecofriendly. By joining a green gym and evaluating your personal gym habits, you’ll feel even better about your workout ☺

BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Cut down on fossil fuels and pollutants. Maybe even turn your working out efforts into electricity!

BENEFITS FOR YOUR HEALTH: You can help reduce your own exposure to harmful pollution and harsh chemicals if you join a gym focused on protecting the health of the environment and its clients.

Cost: Medium.

Time and effort: Medium. When checking out a prospective gym, don’t be shy, just ask some basic questions.

Questions to Ask Your Prospective Gyms:

1. How do you power your gym?

Does the gym invest in renewable energy? Does it have solar panels? Wind turbines? Gyms have an awesome potential source of energy that’s not available to most other buildings – human power! American fitness centers house about 8 million to 10 million exercise machines that could be generating power as we exercise… and some are!¹ About 80 gyms across North America are already human-powered.² At Portland’s Green Microgym, patrons generate about 25% of the gym’s power.³ On an energy-producing exercise bike, the average user generates enough energy in 30 minutes to power a laptop for 10 hours or to charge a cell phone 35 times.⁴

          2. How do you save energy?

Are the lights controlled with motion detectors? Are they fluorescent? Does the gym turn off televisions, stereo, and exercise machines when not in use? Do the treadmills have energy-efficient motors?

3. Do you clean with eco-friendly products?

Does the gym provide cloth towels or disposable wipes? What chemicals do they use to clean those sweaty workout mats? Make sure they’re plant-based and non-toxic.

4. Are the gym bathrooms environmentally friendly?

Look for automatic faucets, hand dryers, and dispensers that ration soap and paper towels. Is the toilet paper recycled? Are the towels made of organic cotton?

5. Do you recycle and compost?

When you spot a trash can, look for a recycling bin nearby. Does the gym donate its used equipment? Do they compost their paper product waste such as paper towels and cups?

Things You Can Do to Make Your Gym Habits More Sustainable:

1. Is this gym close to work or home? Even a green gym isn’t green if you’re driving 30 minutes to get there. Try to find a gym that you can easily walk or bike to, and if not then try to take public transportation.
2. When the weather’s nice, jog outside, or pedal to the gym.
3. Find a workout partner who lives nearby and carpool to the gym. You’ll spend less on gas, and your friend will encourage you to stick to your exercise plan.
4. Bring a stainless steel or BPA-free water bottle instead of buying a bottle of water that you end up throwing away after one use.
5. Resist the urge to buy new workout clothes. Any t-shirt and an old pair of shorts will do. At the end of the day, your clothes will be sweaty anyway.
6. Save water by packing your own towel to shower with at the gym. After use, hang it in the sun to dry, then use it again.
7. Don’t carry your sweaty clothes home in a plastic bag, which many gyms still offer for convenience. Chances are you already use reusable bags in the supermarket, so why not reserve a few for the gym?
8. Stay motivated, especially if you belong to a human-powered gym. How many cell phones did your workout charge today?
9. If you already belong to a gym that’s not as eco-friendly as you’d like, make your voice heard. Tell management what changes you’d like to see, and encourage other members to do the same.
10. If you’re interested in ways to work out without going to a gym, read here!