In April of every year, an entire day is dedicated to celebrating the Earth and discovering ways that humans can preserve the planet. As a club, you can promote that effort and work towards sustainability year-round, to your club and your members’ benefit. Utilizing green, or environmentally-friendly technologies and practices will help your members, your bottom line — and in turn, aid the goal of working towards an Earth with a healthy future.
Harnessing Energy
For Michael Curnyn, the co-founder and marketing officer for The Green Revolution, Inc., a healthy body and a healthy planet go hand in hand. That is why he and his business partners decided to create a technology that could harness the energy members produced while on cardio machines, and turn that energy into renewable, useable electricity that could be used by clubs.
When Jennifer Siddall, the owner of ENERGIA in Hadley, Mass. heard about The Green Revolution’s technology, she knew right away that it would be a perfect fit for her small, group fitness studio. “I decided to use The Green Revolution because it seemed like an amazing thing to offer my clients. As consumers they rarely have the opportunity to be producers — this allows them to do so by producing energy and being able to make a difference in their carbon footprint.”
The Green Revolution Company retrofitted Siddall’s cycling equipment with a control panel similar to solar technology, which is connected to the facility’s electrical grid through a grid-tied inverter. While members cycle away, they can increase their resistance (and therefore their energy output) and view how much energy (or watts) they’re producing as a class on a flat-screen TV.
“The display panel gives them a gauge as to how hard they’re working as a class,” said Siddall. “Working as a group towards a common goal — you can really make a difference and a change.”
The energy harnessed during an average cycling class has helped to reduce ENERGIA’s carbon footprint. “A typical group cycling class consisting of 13 bicycles has the potential to produce up to 1,000 kilowatts of renewable energy a year, the equivalent of reducing carbon emissions by 1,700 pounds per year, and generating enough power to light 20 homes for a month,” said Curnyn.
Energy-harnessing technology may be a good investment for clubs that want to positively impact their bottom line. “A typical cycling studio such as Jennifer’s, it can generate about 2,000 watts per class. Over the course of the year, a facility like ENERGIA can save about $2,500 a year on their energy bills. We do have some sites that are saving a lot more — some $1,000 a month,” explained Curnyn.
“It is a sustainable investment, [and] I felt like it was an important one to make,” said Siddall. “When I was opening the studio I did everything I could to be as green as possible.”
The Big Ass Fan Company uses technology to reduce energy costs as well. The company’s over-sized fans utilize efficient motors to silently move massive amounts of air, creating a cooling effect in the summer, and de-stratifying heat in the winter — allowing clubs that use the company’s fans to require less energy overall, said Erin Hsu, the senior copywriter for Big Ass Fans.
The company recently came out with the smaller, energy-efficient Haiku® — a fan that is suitable for smaller studios, such as Siddall’s, or offices and fitness studios that were once commercial spaces. “Haiku’s sleek look conceals Sensorless Drive Technology™ that delivers an 80 percent improvement in efficiency over conventional ceiling fan motors. In a typical year a Haiku fan would require 50 kilowatts per hour, for a cost of around $5.”
“Smart use of energy can help club owners save serious green year-round, as well as showing members that your facility utilizes natural resources responsibly and cares about its members’ comfort,” said Hsu.
Impacting Your Community
When thinking about the impact that green technologies will have on your bottom line, the impact it can have on your community is important as well. “It’s important for health clubs to serve the population and take an active role in their respective communities. Be an example for healthy living beyond working out and eating right. Be the expert in living the best life possible beyond your club walls,” said Kari Bedgood, the director of marketing and PR for Club One.
That is why Club One decided to execute The Green Initiative in 2008. Since starting the initiative, Club One has taken multiple steps to reduce waste and conserve energy, said Bedgood — such as installing solar-thermal water heaters, lights with lower wattage and eco-flooring, using biodegradable and natural cleaning products, and donating gently used equipment to non-profit organizations.
These efforts, and more have served as a selling point for members. “Having a green initiative could make the difference in the purchasing decision process — to join or even stay. More than fulfilling a consumer need for a certain feature or amenity, green practices build a personal connection based on a belief system and healthy lifestyles.
“Not only do our prospects and members proactively encourage and ask about our green practices, but we also educate them about collectively doing our part for our planet through our annual green initiative member education campaign in April, green reminder cards throughout the club, and through our website and e-newsletters,” explained Bedgood.
Investing in serving the community through green initiatives will create a cycle that leads back to improving your bottom line. “There are considerable brand reputation benefits. Your green initiative can help you differentiate your club from competition. It may also help you position your club in the marketplace as a caring, innovative and supportive community partner. Establishing a personal connection with each of your members as well as your collective communities is a key contributor to a healthy bottom line,” said Bedgood.
Get Creative
Lakeshore Sport and Fitness went outside the box when deciding to go green, by creating an “Oasis” on the top of its Chicago facility. The approximately 30,000-square-foot roof boasts a sun deck and grill, and efforts were made to utilize as many green elements as possible. In fact, the roof flooring is made of green AstroTurf.
“Aside from insulating the building (thus reducing the heating and cooling costs), the AstroTurf has heat shield properties which keep it cooler to walk on and keeps the building cooler in the heat of the sun,” explained Peter Goldman, the owner of Lakeshore Sport and Fitness.
“The Oasis gets a lot of use, whether for 6 a.m. yoga or 7 p.m. cocktails, people sun-tanning or just having a nice lunch. Our members appreciate our green efforts in general. Most surprisingly, they always think we can do more — and we agree!” he said.
Lakeshore Sport and Fitness also switched to new energy efficient appliances for water heating and cooling purposes, uses disposable plates made of corn and has made use of silverware created from potatoes. Food served at the Oasis is organic, and preferably local, said Goldman — further lowering the facility’s overall carbon footprint.
“It’s the right thing to do,” explained Goldman. “We can’t always be super green because of price, but where we can do it without increasing our costs too significantly — it is what we should do. In addition, given our community’s orientation, our members appreciate it.”
Think of ways your club could be more sustainable. Do you use environmentally friendly cleaning supplies? Do you leave TVs on when no one is watching them? By informing your members that being environmentally conscious is important to you, those values will rub off on your members.
Jennifer Siddall has seen a difference in the overall attitude of her members at ENERGIA. Clients noticed her green efforts, and have taken that philosophy home. “To see that when they leave the studio it’s also having an impact on their lives is great,” she said.
Members’ behavior in the club changes when you implement green initiatives, said Curnyn. “They don’t run hot water as much, they turn off electronics and lights. [Club owners] have noticed a behavior shift and a more general awareness.”
Use your influence as a club to positively impact your business, and in turn, the planet’s environment.
“If you have the opportunity — why not do it?” asked Siddall.
By Rachel Zabonick
