The term ‘sustainability’ has been popping up across all industries and doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. In the fitness industry, it’s often paired with words like “eco gym” and “green fitness” which refer to the practice of reducing buildings’ carbon footprints in order to help the environment.
Your gym can get in on the green trend with these 8 tips:
1.) Light It Up Efficiently
Light up your facility with energy efficient options. This guide to energy-efficient lighting technologies from Energy Trust shares different lighting options, such as LED bulbs, and design options that allow lights to have optimal effect with minimal impact.
2.) BYO Bottles
Say no to plastic cups and plastic water bottles! Encourage members to bring in their own water bottle that they can fill up at water coolers or fountains within the facility. Americans throw away approximately 35 billion plastic bottles every year, and you can help decrease the waste ending up in our oceans and landfills by minimizing their use in your gym.
3.) Use Energy Producing Equipment
Getting off the grid and unplugging machines can reduce power usage, but that conserves energy — it doesn’t reuse it. With product lines like ECO-POWR™ cardio equipment, energy generated from workouts can be captured and put back onto the grid to power things like computers, televisions, and cell phones. This helps to offset energy bills, too!
4.) Separate Wastes (recycle, compost, landfill)
Whether BYO Bottles becomes an extreme success at your gym or not, there will inevitably be things that need to get tossed away. In a perfect sustainable facility world, members would take their trash home with them, but that could be a large step for some facilities. One simple change could be adding multiple trash bins like Busch systems which offer recyclables, compost, and landfill options. Separating trash by type greatly reduces how much is sent to landfills.
5.) Go paperless
Advise members to receive statements and updates via email rather than traditional letters, and stay organized with an electronic club management system to reduce paper around your gym. When paper products are necessary, like in the bathrooms, aim to use products that are 100% recyclable.
6.) Low water consumption
If your facility has locker rooms, look into low-flow toilets and low consumption water heads. These can reduce water consumption by 20%-60%, and it’s a simple change that takes no extra effort once installed.
7.) Use only renewable green energy
In a handful of states, consumers have the option to choose either their energy supplier or the type of energy they would like to purchase. You can find out your options with this guide on how to find an alternative energy provider in your area. By choosing energy produced sustainably through solar, wind, and other practices you are reducing the carbon emissions associated with powering your facility.
8.) Unplug or stop amp draw from plugged in devices
Even if a product isn’t in use, keeping it plugged will still draw small amounts of power that can add up over the years. To help keep amp draw minimal, unplug products whenever they’re not in use or purchase equipment like these treadmills that have a built-in amp draw shut off. Over time the small amounts of energy being saved will add up to a large decrease in energy consumption and a large increase in energy bill savings. A win-win!
Eager to learn more about the state of sustainability in the fitness industry? Download our free white paper and find out how harnessing human energy can work into your facilities goals!
