Reply #28: Living with Ed [View All]

[kydo]

The Bicycle that's Bringing Home the Bread!
Every morning that Ed gets up craving toast, he goes for a ten-minute bike ride on his stationary bike. This activity does two things: 1.) it provides Ed with an excellent cardiovascular workout, and 2.) it generates enough electricity to heat his toast.


Yes, Ed is known for his quirky and electric ideas for saving energy, but his stationary bike/power generator is an idea that's got some wheels. On Living with Ed, he chronicles his daily routines and forays of environmental engineering around his home, which includes a star project. Yes, you guessed it, the toaster-producing exercise bike.


Apparently, rigging up a bicycle like Eds is pretty simple. With these instructions, you can set up your bike to power the toaster, or anything else that needs a quick jolt of 60 Watts to function. Kudos to Ed for using the great motivator of food to necessitate exercise. One question: would feeding a family of eight require a little more distance to "bring home" the bread?


<http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tv/living-with-ed/bicycle-ed.html>

I have gotten addicted to planet green. My goal is to have a green house, like Ed's. I almost have the hubby thinking about solar panels. But there are many things we can do for free or low cost that will have an effect on energy consumption and carbon effects.