Oregon State University recently started harnessing the power of exercisers at its Dixon Recreation Center. While the actual energy benefits are only slight, the idea is commendable.

Gyms are notorious energy and water hogs, full of exercise machines, TVs, fans and air conditioning, pools and locker rooms. Yet they're also full of people expending energy to better their bodies - so why not better the environment at the same time?

According to OSU, 22 elliptical machines are now able to return power to the electrical grid, and up to 40 exercise machines could be hooked up with additional wiring.

This past Sunday afternoon, a flat-screen system monitor mounted on the wall in the cardio room said the eight or nine exercisers on the elliptical machines were producing about 150 watts. Tuesday afternoon, with all but one machine in use, that wattage was nearing 450. Over the course of a year, officials are guessing the output will be 3,500 kilowatt-hours, enough to power a small, efficient house for a year. That'll amount to about $175 to $200 at OSU's current electricity rates.

That's not much. And with a $15,000 price tag on the project so far, it'll take a very long time to recoup the costs. But it all comes down to the principle of the thing.

In Portland, a small gym opened last year that features four bicycles hooked up to battery packs. When in use, they produce an average of 200 watts, which the owner says is enough to run the stereo, a 27-inch LCD television and a laptop. Green Microgym is also outfitted with solar panels, but lacks drinking fountains and showers - to save water, of course - for the 70-some members, all of whom live close enough to avoid driving to get there.

Are these efforts going to solve the world's energy crisis? Obviously not. But if enough small projects get under way - fueled by a mentality such as that which inspired the student body of OSU to adopt in 2007 an $8.50-per-term "green energy fee" - they'll eventually add up to make a difference. And that's something the state, the country and the world desperately need.

-Karen Peterson