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6 Small Things Your Gym Can Do For World Environment Day

By June 5, 2017December 31st, 2018Guides & Best Practices, Sustainability

Movements aren’t created by a single act or decision — they are the accumulation of all the little things that came together to inspire change. Creating a more sustainable earth is a movement that is going to take everyone making little changes in their daily lives. Your fitness facility can play a role in helping make the earth a greener one workout at a time with these simple changes.

1. Add Actual Greenery To Your Gym

Planting a tree is one of the most simple and natural ways to reduce CO2 from the atmosphere (in the most rudimentary definition possible). Trees minimize the emissions we create by converting carbon dioxide, water, and sunlight into breathable oxygen.

We understand, however, that organizing a mass gym tree-planting may be a bit of a stretch for most facilities (if you do plan one, though, please share it with us!). That is why we recommend the simpler, more inexpensive concept of bringing a few plants into your facilities to reduce your carbon output. Bamboo palms, spider plants, and even Gerber daisies are great plants for indoor spaces. Visit a local organic nursery and pick up a few to put on our reception desk, in the locker rooms, or even the corner of your exercise floor.

2. Put Out Recycle Bins

Cleanliness plays a huge part in the aesthetics of your gym. No doubt you have garbage cans strategically placed to capture members’ gum and nutrition bar wrappers, but what is happening to those dreaded plastic water bottles? Prevent bottles and cans from going into a landfill by placing recycle bins next to your garbage cans. This makes the decision for gym goers to make an eco choice simple and effortless.

And if your facility already has recycling bins, try taking your waste reduction up one more notch and add a compost bin to further reduce your waste production!

3. Encourage Reusable Water Bottles

As previously mentioned, recycling water bottles is a great option to reduce the amount of plastic that goes into landfills. An even greener way to hydrate is to encourage gym members to bring reusable water bottles from home instead. In the event that your facility sells bottled water, we suggest holding off on doing so every day of the week. Or, better yet, selling your own reusable water bottles that display your gym’s branding!

4. Replace Your Light Bulbs

By changing lightbulbs over to LED energy efficient lights, your gym can greatly reduce the amount of energy it is using on a daily basis. This also helps to reduce costs! Today you can start small with a single lamp at the front desk or a bathroom. The next step would be to set goals to change over an entire area in a month until your whole facility is lit up efficiently.

5. Produce your Own Energy

Chances are, your facility is full of people power that is being wasted every day! You can correct this by incorporating fitness equipment like ECO-POWR™ that harnesses your users’ workout energy. The energy being produced throughout each workout is then converted into utility-grade electricity, which will help offset your gym’s energy consumption and reduce its carbon footprint over time.

6. Choose Clean Renewable Energy

Another simple solution you can implement on World Environment Day (or any day for that matter) is to contact your local utility company and choose to receive clean, renewable energy. By demanding clean energy, you can help support the need for a greater supply and start lowering your building’s carbon footprint.

 

Want To Learn More?

Any and all steps you take to go green will add up over time and contribute to the planet’s efforts towards more sustainable ecosystems. Green fitness facilities empower their members with the knowledge that their time spent in the gym can have a direct impact on their local environment and the planet as a whole. By working towards such a universal goal, you can create a stronger sense of community that everyone will be on board with.

But don’t take our word for it: View Our Free Webinar from Club Industry that features real gym owners and sustainability experts sharing their stories about the boosts their businesses have seen thanks to their sustainable practices!

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