I heard a piece on NPR the other day about a prison in
Brazil that implemented a program to offer inmates a gradual reduction of their
prison sentence by riding a stationary bike hooked up to a storage
battery. This green energy initiative may
well be the most innovative and simplest approach to supplementing the energy
supply of one town. Not surprising, the
idea originated in the United States, Arizona…to be specific. An Arizona sheriff implemented a program for
female inmates to trade one hour of pedaling for one hour of Television time. You know us Americans, we’ll do anything for
our favorite pastime!! In this case,
however, the inmates were tasked with riding stationary bikes hooked up to
electronic receptors that fed the local grid.
The amount of power they generated offered one small town enough
electricity to power one block of lights for a period of a few hours. It’s genius, and yet, it’s common sense. They get to tone up, their citizens get a
free hour or two of green power.
Basically, a win/win. Why not
require a specific demographic, in this case criminals, repay their debt to
society by doing good “green works” and giving back to society at large? Cycling is very good exercise, challenging those
who are likely dealing with some form of depression or anxiety to increase endorphins,
while simultaneously generating a renewable energy source that decreases our
reliance on fossil fuels. Considering
how our tax dollars provide the majority of funding support for our prison
systems, shouldn’t we all get something back?
I expect this suggestion may be interpreted as some sort of modern day
indentured servitude, but most (perhaps not all) of these people are in prison
by their own doing. They have violated another
citizen, an organization, or a law and are serving time for a reason. Why not allow them to serve their time,
especially in the case of white collar criminals, and pay their debt back to
society by doing actual good for mankind…or, more narrowly, their fellow
Americans? The very thought of seeing a
row of stationary bikes occupied by a long line of Wall Street and HSBC
executives, directly responsible for the downfall of our economy from 2008 to
present, pedaling their asses off in a large, fenced in prison yard sends me
into an almost ecstatic giddiness…a sense of delight and satisfaction only
replicated by a hearty dose of dark chocolate and incredibly good red wine. As it seems there is no ethical or moral
violation too great for one human being to justify (in this case, financial
professionals responsible for the ongoing worldwide economic crisis) in order
to achieve greater professional or financial status, it seems only fair to have
a legitimate and tangible method for these individuals to offset their personal
“toxic footprint”. Putting convicted
criminals on ‘grid bikes’ could subsidize a healthy percentage of our energy
use, assist in lowering our electric bills and offer America an opportunity to regain
its environmental balance.
Now, if you want to take it one step further, how about outfitting
their heads with a beanie…you know, the kind with a propeller? Think of all the
wind power they could generate without anyone worrying about damaging the local
ecosystems or putting up with ocean view obstructions...now that’s genius!
(If I were not so passionate about this idea, I would also
include a wine suggestion. Ok, you’re
right, I’ll get off my soap box now and make a wine suggestion. So, speaking of Brazil, I’ve got a few Latin “lovers”
in my wine cellar as well right now. This vexing little Spanish red called “PERIQUITA”
from Portugal drinks like a sophisticated Tinto. But for $8.80/bottle at Bin Ends in
Braintree, you can drink it any night of the week and still respect yourself in
the morning. Enjoy!)
