Is there anything Liza Minnelli can’t do? She has three Tony Awards, an Academy Award, an Emmy award, a Grammy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. Did we mention she can bike? Minnelli pushed the pedals recently for a great purpose: Powering the famous year display on New Year’s Eve. Instead of using old-fashioned electricity to light the 2-0-0-9 at midnight, Duracell set up the Duracell Power Lodge in Times Square as a place where people can go to pedal up power for the big moment. Six stationary snowmobikes, which truly look like hybrids of snowmobiles and bicycles, are available for riding and all the energy earned from the “ride” is captured and stored in the Duracell Battery Center where it will be ultimately transfered to One Times Square. While it’s not a concept many of us will be able to take back and put to use in our homes, we like that attention is being drawn to the idea of alternative energies, like solar, and awareness of energy consumption is being increased.

Although Liza made her visit into something of a grand event, bringing with her the cast of her new special “Liza’s at the Palace…!”, she’s not the only famed face to stop by and bike their way to a brighter 2009; supermodel Giselle Bundchen (who we’ve spotlighted for green activities before), Katie Couric, Lady GaGa and Brandy are among the other celebrity cyclists to hop on a snowmobike. If you want to take a turn, it’s not too late; the Duracell Power Lodge is open until 9 p.m. through New Year’s night. It’s a great way to help America ring in a greener New Year and if you have a low-impact Eve of your own this may just push you into carbon positive territory.

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