The Optimist

Ian Hicks

Staff Writer

Old cartoon images of mice on treadmills chasing cheese hanging by a string might soon become actual images of your English teacher chasing after Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. A new faculty gym will have teachers on treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes as soon as January, working off their daily computer usage.
 South’s new Green Gym project is a faculty fitness project that not only keeps teachers and administrators in shape, but converts their efforts into power, which goes towards reducing the costs of powering each teacher’s individual computer. The idea originally came from science teacher Jody Duncan, who had heard of similar projects being implemented in California and Oregon. The goal of the project is to “utilize the energy [of the teachers], and put it back into the grid,” said Duncan.
      The project is based on an $8000 grant from the Raymond Foundation, a frequent donor to the science department. The grant is set to be spent on two treadmills, two ellipticals, and two stationary bikes, all of which will be modified to generate energy from the staff’s exercise. Fellow science teacher Cindy Kvale referred Duncan to a professor from Illinois who could perform the necessary modifications of the equipment.
       To further the focus on fitness, teachers and administrators will be placed in teams, and the results of their exercise will be displayed on screens that currently display solar panel information. The team which generates the most power each month will win a “healthy” lunch.
 Teacher support of the Green Gym project appears to be high. South health teacher Criss Beyers explained that while he might not necessarily use the equipment often, the availability of it is important. “Sometimes I will use it. I have some exercise equipment at home, but for those teachers who don’t, this is very much needed,” Beyers said. Beyers also explained that other teachers were excited.
      While it remains unknown if the project will recover the amount of energy spent on computers, Duncan sees the project as a success either way. “If all we get out of this is energy conservation and physical fitness, then it is still a success.” Despite this uncertainty Duncan still sees the Green Gym as a beginning. She hopes that if the faculty gym shows any success, the idea can be expanded to student physical education classes. Duncan would also like to see other area schools pick up the idea.
      The project is conveniently coinciding with the MCCSC expressing its wish to cut energy costs. Recently MCCSC superintendent J.T. Coopman was given permission to present a contract to partner with Energy Education, a Texas-based company that helps organizations reduce their energy usage and carbon-emissions. While the Green Gym will not likely come anywhere near the millions of dollars in energy savings that Energy Education projects they could save, any contribution would save significant money long term.
      The Green Gym project is still only in its beginning stages. The first step, getting the funding has been achieved. Duncan has already picked out the equipment, and is checking to see if it would work with the modifications required. Between now and January, the equipment will be delivered to their new home, likely to one of the unused rooms near the library.