"Green" Gadgets That Actually Make Sense

"Craziest Green Technologies / Our 12 Favorite Green Technologies"
Green Technologies (May 7, 2008)

"With all the excitement surrounding the worldwide push to 'go green', there have been some fascinating innovations that make it easy and even fun to save energy. Thanks to their creativity, we are entering an age where saving energy is almost as convenient as wasting it. Here are 12 green inventions that are helping us make this a cleaner planet. ..."

From Solar Powered Cell Phones to Solar Power Harnessing Backpacks, plus ISPs and Web Hosts - I counted 14 items.

What surprised me, a little, was how sensible these save-the-Earth gadgets seem to be (even the solar airplane, sort of). This isn't the sort of 'grow radishes on your roof' stuff that I had gotten used to.

Hooking an electric generator to a revolving door was a nifty idea.

Since I haven't yet seen my notion for saving the Earth discussed yet, I'll put it forward here. It's a 'twofer' - at once solving the problem of (fairly) clean energy, and Americas Obesity Crisis.

Just attach electric generators to exercise bicycles in every fitness spa and gym in the country! Granted, a couple of guys on these 'electrocycles' wouldn't make quite as much power as a nuclear power plant, but this is only the first step.

After the bugs are worked out of running the electricity generated into the power grid, mandate that all people spend a minimum of four hours a day, cycling on an electocycle.

Americans would lose weight, ending the Obesity Crisis, and we'd be so busy either cycling, or resting from cycling, that the amount of power generated by the on-duty pedal pushers would be ample for our exhausted needs.

The only down side that I can see is that this energy source isn't exactly pollution-free. Have you ever smelled people after a few hours of heavy exercise?