August 2008 - the Parklander

GOING GREEN
By Debbie Wolff
As the population of the world continues to grow, unfortunately our
natural resources do not - there is a fixed amount and some of them are
already depleted. Some of these resources include coal, oil, natural gas,
timber and minerals.
The owners of Studio4Fitness in Coral Springs, Rich Maston and Eric
Wolfe, while preparing to move into their new Coral Springs’“state-ofthe
art” wellness facility, took this concern to heart. During the
building of their new fitness center, Maston and Wolfe made a
conscientious decision to take the first step towards conservation,
starting with their own Coral Springs business. The new flooring they
laid down is made from recycled rubber, the lighting is composed of all
non-carbon releasing bulbs, all of the cleaning and exterminating
supplies are “green” products, and they have added a recycling container
inside the gym. All this was done in an effort to show their clients and
trainers just how simple it can be to take your home or business into
greener surroundings. A greener workplace or home operates in ways
that will help to conserve our resources, eliminate waste and minimize
harmful emissions and discharges.
Maston and Wolfe are concerned that their children will not enjoy the
same standard of living that they’ve been fortunate enough to have.“It is
our responsibility to our children to help protect our environment and
make it a safer, healthier place for them to grow up and for us not to
create any more threat to their lives”, said Wolfe. He added, “this doesn’t
have to be a costly production, it can be as simple as buying products
that are environmentally safe for cleaning and everyday use.” In fact,
starting to make the change doesn’t have to be expensive, time
consuming or a burden. Start small, think big!!
There is a growing concern over climate change and energy usage
affecting global warming. Roughly 70% of global greenhouse gas
emissions are directly related to fuel extraction, transportation and
power production. As this concern grows, we can make changes by
driving cars with lower emissions, and utilizing some of the newer
renewable resources such as hydroelectric fuel, solar energy, and wind
power to name just a few.
Some of the greatest threats to our children’s future resources come
from items we throw away daily. Businesses can start by refilling
computer cartridges rather than throwing them away. This can be said,
as well, of obsolete computers. There are companies that will remove,
refurbish or properly dispose of old office supplies (Petaluma, for
example), or recycle paper - using recycled paper for one print run of
the Sunday Sun-Sentinel would save 75,000 trees. Batteries and
72 AUGUST 2008
electronics often contain dangerous chemicals that can pollute
our water, which may eventually contaminate the soil where our
food is grown and wind up in your home tap. The risk to our
health is enormous.
By recycling one aluminum can, you can run a TV
for six hours. By recycling one glass bottle, you
save enough energy to power a 100-watt bulb for
four hours.
Companies like Wal-Mart and Home Depot now have many products
that are “green” for homes and businesses. Publix Greenwise Markets
are cropping up all around South Florida, with one coming soon to
Coral Springs.There is very little reason not to follow in the footsteps of
Studio4Fitness and begin making your home or work place
environmentally safe.
Think globally, but start locally. Start, as did Maston and Wolfe, with
changing your household bulbs, make a change in
the car you drive, or buy recycled paper goods.
If every one of us makes even the smallest
change, we can make an impact.
This is exactly why Studio4Fitness made
the decision to go green. It is the first gym
in the Coral Springs/Parkland area to
make a statement about our future.
“If we are going to be part of a
great community, we want to
make it a safer, cleaner place.We
care about the children,
neighbors and businesses in
this town. We are fulfilling
our responsibility to all
of them. We hope
everyone will start
NOW to make a
change”, said Maston.
Debbie Wolff is the
owner of Fusion Fitness
and has been a certified
fitness professional since
1981.