New power-producing bikes on display today at Rec Center

Four power-producing bicycles were installed in the Wade King Student Recreation Center this past week, thanks to the student-initiated grant project, RECycling Your Power, funded by a Sustainable Action Fund grant.

The project purchased two upright bikes and two recumbent bikes from the Artis line of TechnoGym exercise bikes. Each bike uses rotational kinetic energy created by its rider's own rotational energy. The bike's display screen and features are powered by the energy created by the rider.

Two events are planned this week in celebration of the installation:

  • Tuesday April 19: RECycling Your Power will have one or two of the power-producing bicycles out in front of the Wade King Recreation Center from noon to 4 p.m. Team members will be handing out stickers, teaching people how to use the bikes and the Mywellness App, a feature that comes with the TechnoGym Unity console, and encouraging people to test the bike out for themselves.
  • Friday April 22: RECycling Your Power will have a station set up during the Earth Week festival. The station will have a bike in Red Square. Members will be doing more outreach during the event, including talking to students about the benefit of alternative energy, teaching people about the bicycles and encouraging the community to try the bike.

“The project is helping advance Western Washington University’s commitment to reducing reliance on fossil-fuel energy, creating environmental awareness among the campus community and illustrating the ideals of the Sustainable Action Fund,” said Nate White, Sustainable Action Fund grant program coordinator, in a press release. “We hope that students, faculty, staff and visitors will embrace these bikes and ask for more to be implemented.”

RECycle Your Power is a team of four Western Washington University students who procured two Technogym brand power-producing upright bikes and two power-producing recumbent bikes in January 2016 for the Wade King Recreation Center. The team is helping advance Western Washington University’s commitment to reducing reliance on fossil-fuel energy, create environmental awareness among the student body and illustrate the ideals of the Sustainable Action Fund. Introducing this technology to their campus highlights Western’s commitment to protect the environment while also helping to educate students on how they can protect the environment with other sources of energy.