Seattle, Wash. — Jan. 31, 2023 — SportsArt, the leader in sustainable fitness and green solutions for over 40 years, is featured in Brown University’s Nelson Fitness Center as the centerpiece in its green fitness initiative pilot project. International student Elina Pipa, inspired by her Climate Solutions class, spearheaded the selection of SportsArt’s ECO-POWR™ equipment with the goal to make a tangible and sustainable impact on her campus. 
Showcased in the Nelson Fitness Center are six pieces of SportsArt’s innovative energy generating ECO-POWR™ equipment—including the G690 Verde Treadmill, G576R Recumbent Cycle, G576U Upright Cycle, G874 Elliptical, E876 Elliptical and G778 Stepper—which harness the energy of human movement and converts it to clean, usable electricity. SportsArt’s ECO-POWR™ premium cardio equipment turns any campus recreation center into a green fitness solution. Combining user-friendly controls, reliable durability, and unmatched sustainability, equipment in this line converts up to 74% of user-generated energy into clean, renewable electricity.Â
It was Pipa’s work as part of a final project for her Climate Solutions course that ultimately led to Brown University’s trial of SportsArt’s green fitness equipment. Studying both economics and international and public affairs—and with her longstanding interest in climate action—when her course required researching and writing a policy brief that identified a specific climate problem and solution, she chose the Nelson Fitness Center as the ideal place and SportsArt as the ideal equipment provider to make an impact.Â
Pipa interviewed 100 students about their electricity usage behaviors at the gym and found 100 percent of the respondents were positive or indifferent to the concept of sustainable fitness equipment. Partnering with an engineer to identify the impact the fitness equipment has on reducing carbon emissions, the current power consumption of the facility, and how the installation would offset these emissions, Pipa found that the SportsArt ECO-POWR™ line would offset about two percent of emissions from the entire building.Â
“It’s basically equivalent to the energy output of all the solar panels on the roof of the Nelson Fitness Center,” said Pipa. “It was really cool to discover that the impact wouldn’t be insignificant.”
Pipa and her professor then went to Raymond Grant, associate director of athletics and recreation, to discuss her findings. After several months of further collaboration and discussion, Pipa’s concept became a reality in late October 2023. The pilot program ideally will bring about other climate action initiatives on Brown’s campus.
“It’s so cool to see a student’s idea come to life,” said Amy Dean, fitness and wellness manager, Nelson Fitness Center. “The Nelson Center has been creating a better, more welcoming and sustainable environment for students, and this project really falls in line with that vision.”
“It’s great to see college students using their power to create change for our shared planet,” said Ruben Mejia, executive vice president, SportsArt Americas. ”When passion and creativity combine with urgency to create a more sustainable world, it leads to big changes. ECO-POWR™ equipment is created using a sustainable manufacturing process—making it an ideal source of renewable and sustainable energy for Pipa’s project and Brown University’s recreation center.”
SportsArt has been the leader in sustainable fitness and green solutions for more than 40 years and has a decades-long history of prioritizing sustainability with its processes, policies, people, products and partnerships. Such efforts include recycling and water conservation at its Taiwan production facility. In addition, its solar power initiative uses solar panels at SportsArt’s headquarters that produce enough electricity to power the 500,000 square-foot property for half the year. Further, since January 2011, the Taiwan factory has been ISO-14001 certified––following a set of management standards that reduce negative effects on the environment. SportsArt also helps its customers achieve their LEED certification goals by updating cardio equipment to the ECO-POWR™ line––pushing for a future powered by eco-friendly efforts and initiatives.
About SportsArtÂ
With more than 40 years of innovative design and manufacturing excellence, SportsArt continues to lead the fitness industry through revolutionary sustainable solutions. Along with the world’s only line of energy-generating cardio equipment, ECO-POWR™, SportsArt also offers a full range of high-quality cardio, strength and rehabilitation equipment for the fitness, medical and residential markets. Known for its dedication to service, durability and cutting-edge technologies, SportsArt is one of the largest single brand manufacturers in the world with over 500,000 square feet of state-of-the-art space. The company designs, manufactures and tests all equipment in-house before it is sold in over 70 countries worldwide. For more information visit gosportsart.com.Â
