Endless energy

Stockholm – A student project that pits some of the world’s top athletes against a toaster claims another casualty in track cyclist Robert Förstermann.

• Energy from Förstermann’s bicycle was transferred to the toaster using a dynamo that acted like a generator
• The cyclist managed to generate a total of 0.021kWh

It takes one Robert to lightly toast a single slice of bread. When that Robert is Robert Förstermann, Olympic track cyclist and owner of 29-inch thighs, it becomes clear just how much energy goes into this everyday task.

Filmed as part of a student project at the Stockholm Academy of Dramatic Arts, the feat was devised to show how much energy people use without realising. According to the video, it would take 180 Robert Förstermanns to power a car for an hour and a staggering 43,000 Robert Förstermanns to power a one-hour Boeing 737-800 flight.

Past participants of this gruelling test of endurance include cross-country skier Ida Maria Erika Ingemarsdotter and rower Lassi Karonen, neither of whom were able to generate enough energy to power the toaster.

The Big Picture: Consumerism and the environment don’t have to make for uneasy bedfellows. As we enter the age of the Anthropocene, brands must learn to think on a planetary scale. Read our Whole-system Thinking macrotrend for more.