By choosing online classes over driving to a physical studio, you're not just saving time and energy—you're helping to reduce carbon emissions and grow a greener world, one workout at a time.
Over the course of our 13-week Go, Green Go campaign, the collective savings in carbon footprint from participating in online classes instead of travelling to a physical location is nothing short of tree-mendous.
Let's break it down: the emissions saved from staying in the comfort of your own space and logging into your virtual class can add up to a significant reduction in your carbon footprint. Think of it as planting a forest without leaving your living room!
Now, let’s take a closer look at two scenarios—yoga and weights classes—and see how your choice to go digital can help you leaf a lasting impact on the planet.
There’s a Forest in Every Flow
If you’ve ever driven to a yoga studio, you know that those trips, while relaxing for the mind, can be taxing on the environment. Travelling 7 km to the studio and back for a 45-minute session produces about 2.94 kg of CO₂. Add the energy consumed by heating, lighting and other in-studio activities and you're looking at a total of 3.35 kg of CO₂ per session. To balance this out over a year of daily classes, you'd need about 54.75 trees. That’s like planting an entire forest just to neutralise the carbon footprint of your yoga practice!
But when you switch to online yoga classes, the emissions drop significantly. Running a computer for 45 minutes generates a mere 0.02 kg of CO₂.
Multiply this by 4 people attending daily, and the total annual emissions come to just 29.2 kg of CO₂—requiring only about 1.34 trees to offset.
With our tree-planting incentive program, where 1 tree is planted for every 4 participants, you’d contribute 365 trees in a year. That’s enough to create a whole new forest and then some, all from the comfort of your mat!
So, the next time you stretch into your downward dog, know that you’re also stretching your environmental efforts. You’re not just finding your inner peace—you’re planting the seeds for a greener future.
Flexing for a Forest
Lifting weights at a gym can be heavy on the environment. Driving 4 km to your weights class, attending a session and driving back produces about 1.68 kg of CO₂. Factor in the energy used by industrial fans, lighting, stereo systems, other equipment and the total climbs to 2.68 kg of CO₂ per session. Over a year of daily classes, you’d need nearly 45 trees to offset those emissions—enough to cover a small paddock!
On the other hand, if you switch to an online weights class, your carbon footprint shrinks considerably. Operating your computer and a single pedestal fan for 45 minutes results in only 0.03 kg of CO₂ per session. Over the course of a year, the total emissions would be just 10.95 kg of CO₂, requiring less than half a tree to offset.
By choosing online classes, you’re not just cutting down on emissions—you’re helping to grow a cleaner, greener world.
Every rep you complete online is a step toward a healthier planet. You’re not just building strength—you’re building a better future, one where your workouts leave a lighter footprint.
Over the course of a year, the benefits of choosing online classes really add up.
But, If you continued going to the gym for your weights classes, you'd need to plant approximately 45 trees annually to offset the carbon emissions from driving to the gym and the in-studio activities.
In comparison, for the online weights classes, you would only need to plant about 0.5 trees annually to offset the much lower emissions of 0.03 kg of CO₂ per session.
For yoga, switching to virtual sessions can result in planting 363.66 more trees than needed to offset your emissions with the AMS tree planting incentive program.
As you move forward with your movement journey, remember that your choices have the power to make a significant impact. By embracing online classes, you're not just keeping yourself strong and bendy—you’re helping the planet stay healthy af too.
So keep logging in, keep moving and Go Green, go!