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February 20, 2009

Strange But True!

Q. Sometimes even everyday eco-dilemmas can raise pretty offbeat questions, like “Why can't the machines in my gym be used to generate electricity?” or “Can I save the planet by staying slim?” or “What's the single most effective thing I can do for the environment?”

A. Answer No. 1: The Green Microgym in Portland converts the efforts of gym bunnies using specially adapted bikes that combine cycles and hand cranks to generate up to 1,000 watts, says New Scientist magazine. You can do this at home with a Pedal-A-Watt that when hooked up to a normal bicycle on a stand allows a cyclist to generate up to 200 watts of electricity — enough to power a large TV. Or if directed into a battery, an hour's cycling could run a low-energy light bulb for eight hours.


 
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