Eco-friendly exercise gear
Runners can help the environment in their own ways. My sister Katy wears Brooks Green Silence running shoes, made of 75 percent recycled components like discarded rubber and post-race plastic water and sports-drink bottles. They have biodegradable midsoles, water-based adhesives and non-toxic soy-oil dyes. To get to group runs and tracks, runners can run, bike, carpool or take public transportation whenever possible. They can also, of course, wear apparel made with post-consumer recycled material or merino wool, and hydrate with reusable bottles instead of plastic water bottles.
Users of fitness centers and spas can seek out green approaches as well. ReRev is a technology that turns the kinetic energy of the gym rat on the treadmill, elliptical or spinning bike into electric current that powers the machine. The trend started some years ago at a few university health centers and then expanded to the military. Now many regular fitness facilities use them. Some have machines that just use less energy than the conventional ones. Fitness centers in California like AC4 fitness in Goleta and the Greenasium in Encinitas use green paints and building materials like post-consumer recycled HDPE, recycled tires or hemp, along with no-to-low plastics policies, refurbished equipment, low-flow plumbing, green cleaning products and lots of natural light.
The people constructing the spa at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz used local natural materials like cedar shingles. The building is insulated in part by a “green roof,” an eight-inch-deep planting bed. A quiet low-emissions geothermal system heats and cools spa-goers. Local natural botanicals are used in spa treatments and locally-mined quartz which exfoliates the skin was used in building construction as well. The adjoining resort that houses spa-goers uses energy-efficient light bulbs, composting and recycling programs, and green cleaning supplies. The golf course has received an award from the International Audubon Society for environmentally friendly practices. For additional information on Mohonk’s Spa, call 1-877-877-2664 or see www.mohonk.com/Spa-Fitness.
For truly environmentally correct fitness, just take it back outside. Besides the fresh air’s benefits to your lungs and the stimulation of varied vistas and terrains, the carbon-bearing burden of driving to the gym and the electricity of exercise machines and climate control are much reduced. The less electricity used, the better.
You can still work out every muscle group by varying your outdoor activities. Besides the hiking, biking and running mentioned here, you can swim or roller-blade in milder weather, ski or snowshoe when there’s snow. Carry groceries or other shopping for strength training. Don’t drive when you can walk or bike somewhere, even if it takes a little longer; look at it as beneficial fitness time.
Get your body and the planet in shape at the same time. Kill two ecologically correct birds with one stone.
