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EXERCISE 04.22.2008 BY WEETABIX

April 22 may be designated Earth Day, but really, every single day should be earth-friendly. If you're looking for ways to enviro up your fitness regimen, look no further!

Choose exercises that don't require an electrical outlet. Obvs, if you love to use the Stairmaster or treadmill, those machines are just replicating activities you could do off the grid, but also, things like yoga, weight lifting, push-ups and tai chi are powered by your own internal combustion engine.

It's easy to find eco-friendly clothing or yoga mats made from bamboo, organic cotton and hemp, but don't trade up perfectly serviceable items for the eco-friendly cousins. Consumption is never good for the planet and it's much better to get all the use out of the stuff you already have rather than throw it into a landfill just to buy something new.

When you've exhausted all the use you can out of your gear, recycle them. Patagonia turns old clothing into new workout wear, and Nike has recycled millions of old sneakers, turning them into basketball courts.

Combine a biking or running outing with a few errands you would normally run in your car. You'd be surprised how many groceries can fit in the average backpack, and not only are you multi-tasking, but you can feel good about lessening your carbon footprint.

Is your gym a notorious polluter? Think of how many machines are turned on, noxious chemicals in the locker rooms, extraneous lights and televisions that are constantly on, even when no one is watching. It's one thing to make a change in your own life, but you can earn an extra green halo by being an advocate. Speak up to the management and tell them that an eco-friendly fitness environment is important to you and recommend that they install timers and motion sensors on electronics, and switch to cleaning chemicals that won't kill the ground water. Some simple changes, such as asking patrons to bring their own refillable water bottles rather than providing paper cups next to the water cooler, might even save the gym some cash too.

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2 Comments

tara said:

love these ideas! especially big thanks for pointing out that consumption is never really green. not buying things is this greenest thing of all.

April 22, 2008 3:15 PM

Amy said:

I agree with Tara. I am alway amazed at all these "go green" segments on shows like the Today show. They spend the entire segment showing you all the "green" stuff you should buy and never mention the fact that if you have perfectly good things, you should keep and use them.

Also biking is great. I find that taking the bike rather than a car usually doesn't take that much more time to run my errands. You aren't spending time looking for parking and end up getting only the things you really need.

April 23, 2008 7:04 PM

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