Water Waste in Eco Fitness

Reducing Water Waste in Eco Fitness

 

Wasting water has become a topic of discussion everywhere in the world as this basic life saver is becoming precious as we enter more into the modern world.  When it comes to protecting the environment water takes part as one of the significant places to emphasis on. Countries today are facing drought, government are need to prepare dams and desalination plants for drinkable water available to the residents. The cost of billing although lies on consumers at the end. In Australia, government has imposed certain restriction on based on stages on different regions across the states. Some enjoy lower stages and some are strictly highy stages with recyclable water in use in Queensland. Forecasting the drought in the future Victorian government has build desalination plant near Phillip Islands to ensure sustainability of drinkable water to the residents.

Since water is so precious we at Eco Fitness take the matter seriously. First of all the most important issue we are focusing is how to use water to the minimum and make the best use out of it. In this case it is important to know that, Total that up- 95% of our valuable drinking water resource is squandered on flushing toilets, washing, watering gardens, and in the bathroom (Payne 2013). Therefore, we have come up with strict policies which will also help us save money at the end of the day. At Eco Fitness all the hoses/taps, shower are automated. That means sensors are installed so that whenever the water needs to be delivered and when the sensor wouldn’t sense anything it will stop automatically. There is a shower limit imposed by all the state governments. Based on that, our showers will flow only for that time period per person only. We are not only aiming at to make the best use of water we are also looking forward to our own storage and water treatment plant within. We are planning to install a large rain water storage facility from where we will treat the water according to the appropriate procedure to take to the drinkable standard. In that way we will reduce our water cost. Especially if we are planning to install a pool which requires frequent changes and treatments it will be a great cost cutting measure also a sustainable way towards helping the environment with a small step. In Australia, 95% of 294,000 litres is 279,300 of pure drinking water- wasted. If you want to give the calculator a work out, try this. Take the figure of pure drinking water wasted per household (279,300l.), and then multiply it by the number of households in Canberra. How many households? Probably 90,000-100,000 (Payne 2013).  However, waste water from the treatment plant can be used for gardening and decoration pools. That we were efficient and effective in managing the water related services in the fitness centre. It will also be an competitive advantage for us in the market which relies significantly with our vision.

There are several benefits of water waste reduction in Australia. One of the benefits can be looked at from the financial point where saving water will reduce water bills and can be permanent cost cutting point. Moreover, that can be used as a marketing tool showing that how sustainable the fitness centre is and might drag customers and they will feel whatever has been implemented.

If we are comparing with other Gyms we can be looked in from a different perspective. Not many gyms think or look forward for water reductions in their gyms. Moreover, they prefer high usages for customer satisfaction but at Eco Fitness we look forward to water management leading to efficient usage as well as customer satisfaction

References :

1- Department of Sustainability, Water, Environment, Population and Communities, 2013, “National Water Quality Management”, Viewed at 22 April 2013, http://www.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/nwqms/.

2- Payne, J., 2013, “Australia & Water”, Enviro Friendly World, viewed at 16 May 2013, http://www.enviro-friendly.com/clever-country.shtml,

Hamad Alsaif, Eco-Fitness Team Member

Solar Energy is using in our Eco Gym

Solar energy in our Eco-fitness:

There is an enormous innovation between human and solar energy to create electrical power from using electrical generating equipment because our clients exercise on the machines to produce electricity for energy usage. For example, clients run treadmill machines, they use human energy to exercise and also gain electrical energy to turn on the light. Look at the picture, customers are training on the electrical machine to generate electricity in our Eco-Gym and they can gain electricity to turn on the lights as well

There are several ways how to save electric bills in Eco Gym. For instance, we use solar energy to turn on the lights, TVs, Fan, or other equipment because electrical energy spends lot of money for paying bills. We also provide ipads on the electrical generating Elliptical, treadmill machines that recharge ipad’s battery from solar energy. Therefore, it is precisely a valuable energy source from natural environment. It can substitute the old energy as electricity

For real example, Our Eco-Gym apply Solar Panel and we compare with normal gym to pay electric bills in one year

	Our Eco-Gym	Normal Gym
Electric Usage (Kilowatt)	1821.37	7297.14
Total Payment (Dollars)	312	1250

Source: 17.13 cent per kWh

• If we would like to save $938 per year because we set up solar panel in our gym
• It will save 75% total electricity usage per year

So, Solar panel is an important tool to save electric bill to against electric bills in our Eco-Gym

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the solar energy

The advantages of solar energy in Eco Gym:

• Solar panel can be installed on roofs, so we don’t need to have a new space
• Solar panel is not noisy, expensive, and safe. Unlike water and wind energy
• Solar energy of the sun is absolutely free
• It protects environment because of using clean energy to against pollution
• Solar energy systems have a long life span
• It reduces electric bills and saves a lot of money for us
• It is 100% green electricity to use
• People feel friendly with high technical equipment because it’s extremely easy to use

The disadvantages of solar energy in Eco Gym:

• Solar energy is just valuable when the sun is shine
• Solar energy systems is the high initial cost of the tool used
• Solar energy systems need a large part for the system to install

Achieve our goals in the near future:

Eco-gym is innovative modern to provide the electrical generating equipment. Clients would like to exercise under excellent conditions. Tools are extremely used simple structures by clients. In Eco-Gym, body trainers help new clients how to exercise on the electrical generating equipment, and explain what customer concerns in our Gym. We celebrate Eco-gym to get future change of the fitness. The most innovative thing is to use solar energy in our Eco-gym. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and prevents environmental impact as pollution, climate change etc. We might reduce environmental impacts to against human being because most electrical equipment uses solar energy in our Eco-gym

References:

http://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Advantages_and_Disadvantages_of_Solar_Power

http://www.technologystudent.com/energy1/solar1.htm

http://www.powersourcesolar.com/5151/

http://www.bobinoz.com/blog/2524/cost-of-living-in-australia-electricity/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVclsPkLELU

http://sciencedude.blog.ocregister.com/2012/01/31/gym-generates-electricity-and-competition/167293/

Tan Nguyen Thanh: team member

Being overweight/obese is a health concern

Being overweight or obese can increase a person’s risk of increasing different type of disease for example: high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, particularly heart disease, obstructive sleep apnea, certain type of cancer and osteoarthritis.

What the cause of obesity or overweight? “Evidence to support the view that some obese people eat little yet gain weight due to a slow metabolism is limited; on average obese people have a greater energy expenditure than their thin counterparts due to the energy required to maintain an increased body mass.” Kushner, Robert (2007)

Obesity is a leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with increasing prevalence in adults and children and it is view as on of the most serious public health problem of the 21^st century.

The number of Australians is growing taller and heavier, with average high up 0.8 of a centimeter for men and 0.4 of a centimeter for woman since 1995. The average Australian man has gained 3.9 kilograms and the average Australian woman 4.1 kilograms over the same period. In 2011-12, the average Australian man was 175.6cm tall and weighed 85.9kg, and the average Australian woman was 161.8cm tall and weighed 71.1kg.

Initial results from the 2011-12-health survey, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, show 63 per cent of adults are overweight (35 per cent) or obese (28 per cent). The figure was up from 61 per cent in 2007-08, an increase experts said was concerning. The data shows more men were overweight or obese (70 per cent) than women (56 per cent), but rates have increased for both genders over the past four years. Childhood obesity appears to have stabilized, with a quarter of children overweight or obese, unchanged from four years ago.

Overweight and obesity by the numbers

• 3 in 5 Australians adult are obese or overweight. That’s is more than 12 million people.

• 1 in 4 Australians children are overweight or obese.

• Obesity and overweight is rank 3^rd only beat by smoking and high blood pressure.

Research also found that 67 percent of Australians perform little to no exercise. And too little of Australians are not caring for the environment.

Obesity in children

While for boys there were significant increases in obesity. The rate of obesity for boys aged 5-17 years doubled from 5% in 1995 to 10% in 2007-08. Increases in obesity occurred for younger and older boys. For boys aged 5-12 years, 8% were obese, up from 4% in 1995. Of boys aged 13-17 years, 13% were obese, up from 6% in 1995.

There were no such increases for girls. The obesity rate for girls aged 5-17 remained unchanged at 6%. While the obesity rate for girls did not change from 1995 to 2008, the proportion of girls who were overweight increased. The increase occurred for girls aged 13-17 years, up from 12% in 1995 to 20% in 2007-08. There was no change for younger girls aged 5-12 years, with the overweight rate remaining constant at 17% in both time periods.

REFERENCES

World Health Organization Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, Overweight and Obesity

Access Economics, The Cost of Obesity, Canberra, 2008.

Department of Health and Ageing, Early Childhood Nutrition

Tanundorn Sorataworn, Eco-Fitness Team Member 

UNLIKE ANY OTHER

 

Have you ever come up with an idea like creating electricity while you exercise? If yes, how can we do it?

In Denmark the 366-room Crown Plaza Copenhagen Towers had been encouraged to head down to the gym to spend time on its new fleet of electricity-generating exercise bikes. The bikes have iPhones mounted on the handlebars which monitor how much power is being produced and fed into the mains supply of the hotel. Any guest producing 10 watt hours or more will be rewarded with a free meal.

This idea is good enough for this hotel, but what about if we use this idea for the fitness center?

While discussing this idea, our group has been developing a business plan regarding Eco Fitness, which basically monitors people who exercise and create electricity, in order to save the electricity. However, our problem is how to motivate people to come to our fitness center. This is also the reason why we have to make our fitness center different with other. So, what makes Eco Fitness different?  We are promoting health, saving electricity and also care about the environment.

We are not like other regular gyms and customers would love to join Eco Fitness for the four reasons listed below:

• Stay in great shape,  we are not promising that we are a biggest gym center, but customers would still feel comfortable when exercising in our place.
• 24 hours accessible: with the key-code access, customers can easily enter into our center in order to exercise, and feel safety with security systems our provided. It’s convenient for busy-life style people.
• Earn Qantas Frequency Flyer points with our burn and earn program. Basically, if customers would like to join this program, they will earn several points when you burn your calories. For example, you may earn 10 points for 200 calories burned.
• From our experienced and professional Eco Fitness Personal Trainers to our Energy Saving Culture and Electricity Generating Exercise Equipment, we are known as the only Eco Fitness centre in Australia
• Green Gym program: Not just indoor, we also provide the outdoor gym program and equipment, which is very healthy for anyone who would love to exercise under the nice weather. With professional trainers, people will feel free to do exercise with or without equipment, whether in our centre or at a local park

Other points that makes us different with other gyms is that we plan to create bicycle at some bus station/ park in order to light up for this area. Basically, we build 2-3 bicycles around the bus station and when people arrive they can light up the area, in exchange, when the energy created reaches a certain point,  a free bottle of water will be dispensed.  (Several partnership opportunities can arise from this, one is ‘Thank you water”.  Therefore, we are saving energy for the city. It is one of our programs in order to help saving energy around Melbourne.

Different than other fitness centers, Eco Fitness protects the environment, saves electricity and makes customers realise the true meaning of healthy.

Binh Duc Mai, Eco-Fitness Team member

Robbins, T, 2010, “The pedal-powered hotel”, The Guardian, viewed 19 April 2013, < http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/apr/14/hotel-with-electricity-generating-exercise-bikes&gt;

Eco Fitness: Innovative equipment

Eco Fitness aims to be a revolutionary movement in the industry of fitness and health.  We are looking at supplying modern and innovative technology that is incorporated into our equipment, to provide our customers with the best experience possible.

Take for example, our saunas.  Rather than installing traditional saunas where they use hot rocks, steam, gas or electricity in heating the air, we are installing infrared saunas.  The health benefits are the same but infrared saunas consume a lot less energy.  Nearly 50% less!  (The Sauna House, 2008)

Our exercise equipment will be restored from 2^nd hand equipment to working like it has never been touched.  Our treadmills and exercise bikes will be equipped with its own generator to power itself!

Eco Fitness is the only gym in Australia that offers these benefits.  So why would you choose a gym that doesn’t make you feel 100% proud of what you are doing for yourself and for your community?

Eco Fitness realises that many people may doubt this energy saving equipment.  Yes, only a small amount of energy can be produced from exercise, but we envision our brand expanding all across Australia.  We want to lead the way for other gyms and even other businesses in different industries.  If more and more people embrace this way of life, it will revolutionise the energy efficiency of this nation.

In the early days of solar and wind power, many people did not believe that this would do anything at all.  Yet today solar and wind power is on the rise with more and more Australians installing solar panels on their roofs. (Zaw, 2013)

One Eco Fitness gym by itself cannot save a lot of energy.  But with your support, we can expand these ideas and savings to make a real difference.

The Sauna House, 2008, Traditional vs Infrared, <http://www.thesaunahouse.com/traditional-saunas-vs-infrared-saunas>

Zaw, Y., 2013, Home Solar Owners get lobbying power, The West Australian, <http://au.news.yahoo.com/thewest/a/-/wa/17122004/home-solar-owners-get-lobbying-power/>

– Michelle Chew, Eco Fitness administrator

Eco Fitness is now on Facebook!

Eco Fitness is now on Facebook! Click the picture below to show your support and like our page!

Welcome to a new generation in fitness

Eco Fitness is a social enterprise that seeks to incorporate  modern technology in our equipment and facilities for the purpose of saving water and energy, all while offering our customers a healthier lifestyle.

Eco Fitness exists to improve Australia’s environment, promote a better lifestyle and lead the way for businesses alike.  We hope to bring more awareness regarding obesity in Australia and energy saving methods.

Eco Fitness looks forward with working with you.

– Michelle Chew, Eco Fitness administrator

Get ahead with Eco Fitness

Looking to do something positive for yourself and for your community?

More information to follow, stay tuned.

– Michelle Chew, Eco Fitness administrator