Harnessing the Energy of Exercise

Have you ever been at your local fitness facility with your uncharged iPod and looked around at all the people alongside you on treadmills and bikes and got to thinking: "How strange is this? I mean, really... all the electricity required to run these machines and all this human energy gone to waste? There's got to be some room for greenprovement here, no?"

Well I have. All the time actually. And apparently the masterminds behind a new system at the Copenhagen Crowne Plaza Hotel have too. They've connected exercise bikes to a generator that harnesses approximately 10 watt-hours of electricity per 15 minute ride. Not only to the riders get some cardio and a little reduction in their carbon footprint - the hotel even offers a meal voucher in exchange for their efforts. Read more about the system here.

So how much longer until all gyms are powered by generators charged by patrons' exercise? And why stop at buildings? How about electronics? Researchers at MIT are leading the pack in this technology. Meet the Copenhagen Wheel:

Coca Cola: It's not just for cleaning toilets and fueling a childhood obesity epidemic anymore

Designer Daizi Zheng has found a new use for the carbonated sugar substance: Bio batteries. With the aid of a sugary serving or two, the battery has the potential to power the Nokia phone (pictured) for "three to four times longer on a single charge than conventional lithium batteries and it could be fully biodegradable." Learn more here.

Plastic Surgeon Fuels Car With Lipo-ed Fat

Read about this barf-inducing bio fuel concept and similar ones using animal fat in this recent Forbes article.

Gross. The surgeon, Craig Alan Bittner, is under investigation because it is (clearly) illegal to use human medical waste to power a vehicle.

Bittner said, "Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly but they get to take part in saving the Earth."

integrated water management systems

Allison Arief put a really cool post up on her NY Times blog last night about some of the latest new alternative technologies, not just green - but blue. Check it out here to learn about Living Roofs, Living Walls, Greywater, and Rainwater Harvesting. I think the Living Wall is way cool. Check it out. This one is an overpass by Patrick Blanc: Pont Max Juvénal, Aix-en-Provence.

From Arief's post: Living walls are far less common at present, but can be similarly effective at reducing building cooling demand and restoring bird and butterfly habitats. ...But despite their fantastic appearance, living walls are highly practical: they absorb and filter storm water, which reduces local water body pollution and helps prevent the overwhelming of municipal storm water infrastructure. (An urban example by architect Cesar Pelli, which is slated to receive LEED Platinum certification, is shown below). They also filter air particulates, improving air quality and help to reduce the urban heat island effect (UHI). Living walls can also be installed in building interiors, where they not only improve air quality but add humidity to the air when central heating is used in the winter.