Peddlers make electricity at Hotel Grand Pacific

In a “first”for Victoria, BC, members and guests of the Victoria Athletic Club at the Hotel Grand Pacific can now harness their workout energy output to create electricity in a clean, green way. Using a pod of 10 SportsArt “Green System”machines, including specially designed treadmills and elliptical trainers, energy is converted at a rate of 75% and then transferred back to the electricity grid to help power the athletic club. This is calculated to save the facility about $3,000 in electricity costs per year. The application is a world’s first, as these machines not only send electricity back to the grid, but also allow users to see how much power they are producing in real time on a TV screen. Members and guests are given an EcoFit card upon registration, which tracks their current and future energy production and fitness statistics. This earns them EcoPoints they can redeem for discounts and offers within the hotel and at other local businesses. (http://www.victoriaathleticclub.com)