Summit Bedford

We are committed to protecting the environment. Our facility was built using environmentally sensitive and recycled materials, as well as materials from renewable resources, which help to provide a healthy work environment for our members and team. This contributes to the cause of conserving and enhancing the region’s environmental resources. We have been identified in several fitness industry magazines and featured in local papers for our dedication to limiting our impact on the environment. Further, we have been recognized as leading a new movement towards fitness centers going “Green” from design to daily operations.

Areas within summit health + fitness that are environmentally sensitive are:

• Salvage as many construction materials as possible to reduce the impact on landfills
• Recycled carpeting throughout fitness center
• Use of suspended ceiling to control heating/cooling
• Recycled rubber flooring in the free-weight area
• The use of “green” cleaning products
• Energy saving lighting throughout the fitness center
• Energy saving cardio fitness equipment by Star Trac Fitness
• Use of paper towels with at least 30% post consumer recycled content
• Use of recycled paper for all printing
• Portion controlled paper towels and hand soap
• Flow control on all water fixtures

Treading Lightly

More health clubs are going “low-impact” when it comes to our planet

Whether one looks up, down or around inside Summit health + fitness, it’s impossible to avoid seeing “green”. Not the color, mind you, but the philosophy. This 13,000 square-foot facility, located in Bedford, Massachusetts, is likely the most environmentally-friendly small health club in the United States.

Look up and you’ll see energy-efficient lighting. With the exception of four fixtures, all of the lights are fluorescent. These last up to ten times longer than incandescent lights and generate less heat, which reduces replacement and air conditioning costs. All except six fixtures are reused from previous buildings.

Look down and you’ll see recycled rubber floors in the free-weight area, bamboo flooring in the cardiovascular section and recycled and recyclable rugs near the reception desk.

“The blown rubber is durable and easy on our members’ joints,” explains co-owner Philip Racicot. “It comes in 40-inch squares, so if a piece is damaged, we only need to replace that section.”

The club’s bamboo flooring is easy to maintain and, since bamboo can grow 30 inches per day, it’s a highly renewable resource, says co-owner Jesse Keene. “It also reflects light and reduces the amount of electricity we use,” he adds.

Of all the club’s Star Trac cardiovascular equipment, the only machines that require electricity are the treadmills.

Inside the locker rooms, paper towels and soap are dispensed automatically, which allows for portion control and eliminates waste. Fixtures such as toilets and faucets are low-flow and faucets shut off automatically to conserve water. Individual bathrooms have motion detectors so lights go on only when stalls are occupied. “We also use a recirculating hot water system so people don’t waste water waiting for hot water in the showers,” says Racicot.

The locker rooms, which are decorated in soothing earth tones, also boast gorgeous and durable natural stone and tile.

“We try to think about the environment first when making business decisions,” says Racicot. “Luckily, the environmentally-friendly decision often leads to aesthetically pleasing results!”

“The concept of green architecture involves designing a building in such a way as to maximize efficient energy use and to use local materials to minimize energy waste,” says Kirsten Braddock, Marketing Director for Fabiano Designs International. Her firm designed Island Health & Fitness in Ithaca, New York, and incorporated several eco-friendly elements.

“This particular building is oriented on its site to use as much natural light as possible,” Braddock explains.

Natural light (or “daylight”) is a key component of most green buildings. In addition to reducing energy use and bills, such light has many well-known health and economic benefits, including improved productivity and reduced absenteeism from school and work. In addition, people simply prefer natural light. These facts may well translate into improved member retention, a better conversion rate of prospects to members, and longer, more effective workouts and better results for club patrons.

“Summit health + fitness was our first health club project that incorporated green design,” notes Dan Meus, a partner at Graham/Meus and the lead architect on the project. “I believe that in the near future, architects and owners will begin to think green as a normal part of the design process.”

When building the club in 2006, Summit’s owners recycled everything they could from the demolition, including old copper piping and wiring and ceiling tiles. “We worked hard to keep our dumpster use to a minimum, and to keep stuff out of the local landfills,” says Racicot.

“We tried to reuse whatever was left of the existing space, including ceilings, lighting, doors and some plumbing fixtures,” recalls Meus. “The contractor even reused lighting fixtures that were demolished on another job he was working on.”

While going green will reduce a health club’s utility and waste management bills, don’t expect to save bundles of money in the end. “It was definitely more costly,” says Racicot. For example, due to the labor involved in the de-install and re-install processes, it is more expensive to reuse a light fixture than to buy a new one. He adds, “We did it because we felt it was the right thing to do.”

Paul Steinhauser agrees. The general manager of the large, eco-friendly White Bear Racquet and Swim in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, insists, “If we’re truly about helping people live healthy lives, we can’t ignore the impact the environment has on their health, and our impact on that environment.”

Clubs that address these issues can expect to be rewarded, says Steinhauser. “As public awareness continues to increase, so will the loyalty a health club can expect by branding itself as eco-friendly.”