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Montana State University students paid for a new system in the Marga Hosaeus Fitness Center that is now up and running.

It's an innovative way to convert energy from exercise machines into electricity.

"We're trying to build a sustainable community," said Student Body President Blake Bjornson.

"We thought this was something our students would be interested in," said MSU Recreational Sports and Fitness Director Steve Erickson.

"I think it's a great way we can supply energy to our gym," said MSU Student Leah Brown

It's called the Re-Rev system.

"We have 12 machines hooked up to the system," Erickson said.

The system produces energy based on someone working out kinetically and producing power.

"The average user produces enough electricity in 30 minutes to power a laptop computer for one hour," Erickson said.

A person gets onto a machine and produces a direct current which goes to an inverter box on the wall called Re-Rev.

"When it goes to the wall it inverts to usable electricity that's then put back in the facility directly," Erickson said.

The 12 machines currently hooked up to the system at MSU include two human-powered treadmills that don't use energy, but create energy.

"We're like hampsters on a wheel," Brown said. "I think it's a great idea."

How fast you go determines how much energy is produced.

"If you're at level one you don't produce much," Erickson said. "If you're at level 20 it's a tremendous amount."

The electricity produced in this system goes directly into the building grid.

"It puts power into our system and saves energy here," Bjornson said.

"It's great for our environment and going green and helping out as much as we can," Brown said.

And what better way to help with sustainability than breaking a sweat in the gym.

"It's kind of like mice on a wheel," MSU Student Hillary Begger said laughing. "But it's definitely an incentive to come work out."

"This is a good visual representation of what we're trying to build at MSU," Bjornson said.