The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Chasing the DNC Flame by Fonda Berosini

TakePart at Slow Food Nation by Wendy Cohen

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Nicole Hughes:

State Fair Having Trouble Keeping It Green

TOMS Wrap Boot: Shoe Addicts Saving Lives

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Andy Kondrat:

Mexican Gov Spends $16M to Save Endangered Porpoise

Wilco Offers Section on Website for Carpooling to Shows

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Jon Popham:

Portland Gym Utilizes Human Energy

Angkor Wat Threatened by Tourism Boom

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Gina Telaroli:

10 Powerful Women Using Their Power for Good

10 A+ Worthy Movie and TV Teachers

The new Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon is using human energy to power its electricity needs.   It’s a simple enough concept that’s probably hit practically every environmentally minded gym patron at one time or other - with all that energy being expended by people on treadmills, ellipticals, spin bikes etc, why not harnes some to at least power the place?  Green Microgym owner Adam Boesel did just that, hooking up weed whacker motors and truck alternators onto spin bikes to help power the 2800 square foot space at his facility.

The spin bikes can generate about 75 Watts per hour with Boesel’s rigged system, which amounts to about 25% of the gym’s energy needs.   Next up on Boesel’s list is finding a way to generate from the elliptical machines with the eventual goal being to power the entire gym off of human energy.   Green Microgym is the first in the country to use human power, but not the first in the world.   California Fitness in Hong Kong uses human energy to power light fixtures.

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The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Want to learn our top eco-kinky tips for ‘greening up’ your sex life? How about the top 10 ways to take action against AIDS?  Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

Katie:

Annie Lennox & Top 10 Ways to Take Action Against AIDS

Somewhere Over the Rainbow: American Idol & Yip Harburg

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Nicole:

Top 10 Ways to ‘Green Up’ Your Sex Life

Top 10 Global Warming Myths Debunked

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Giulia:

Mortified Makes Movies

What a Bunch of Boobs

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Gina:

Top 10 Immigration Films

Boarding Gate’s Empty Adventure of Capitalism

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Say Hello to Our Guest Bloggers!

Jon Popham wrote:

Young At Heart Hits the Silver Screen

Death and the River

Andy Kondrat wrote:

Top 5 Things You’ll Love About Planet Green

Leonardo DiCaprio Does Everything For the Environment, Ever

Oliver Assayas’ latest film Boarding Gate has gotten mostly negative reviews but being a fan of his work I decided to see it anyways and I’m happy to report that I actually liked it quite a bit. The film tells the noir-esque story of an ex-corporate whore of sorts named Sandra (played by the fabulous Asia Argento) as she comes back into the life of one time lover and employer Miles (Michael Madsen). We meet them after their love has ended, after the passion is gone and after the whoring out of Sandra to Miles’ clients has stopped.

From here we go on a very Assayas journey to the apartment of Miles for a deadly S&M session, to transient airports and finally to the streets and warehouses of Hong Kong. Along the way we meet businessmen and business women, although like Miles and Sandra we never really know what they’re doing. The cast speaks awkward English as they talk about their business ventures in overly general ways and text each other.

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