Green Your Workout
July 8th, 2008 by Alana Gray
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We all know how good exercising is for our body, mind and spirit – but what about our planet?
Help improve the health of the earth while improving your own health. Here are a few tips for having an eco-friendly workout.
Invest in a stainless steel water bottle. Reusable water bottles help eliminate plastic consumption, which saves you money and protects your health.
Take your workout outdoors. Walk, run, hike or bike your way to better shape. These activities will save on the gas money required to drive to the gym and will save the electricity required to operate fitness equipment.
Consider your workout apparel. Resist the urge to purchase new exercise apparel just because it’s “green”, but if you’re in the market for new workout clothes look into buying ones made from sustainable materials; like organic cotton, bamboo or hemp.
You can also pick up workout clothes second hand from eBay, Craigslist, Rehash or Freecycle.
Recycle your old workout clothes and sneakers. Several programs are available that will make good use of your old sneakers and workout apparel. Patagonia will recycle old workout clothes and turn them into new ones. Nike turns old sneakers into basketball courts, running tracks and playgrounds.
Encourage your gym to go green. Work with your gym’s management to motivate members to take shorter showers. Implement a recycling program and brainstorm ways to cut down on electricity use.
Visit Gray Matters for more simple ways to live green.
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:42 pm
Great post! Now, can you motivate me to *get* to the gym?!
July 9th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
Great post! Making me feel guilty for not running this morning…
August 3rd, 2008 at 9:07 am
Another great sustainable fiber for working out, which feels great on your skin is merino. Doesn’t itch or get whiffy. Merino socks are also the greatest! Check out Icebreaker (www.icebreaker.com). It’s also got this new program called Baacode that allows you to trace your garment from the sheep station through the factories in China that made it. Plus you can bury your worn out merino apparel in the garden with no adverse impact on the planet! How cool is that?