The average American takes over 5,000 steps a day. What if we could transform that everyday action into a renewable energy source? In London, they are already implementing technologies that do so.

At the Simon Langton Grammer School in England, specially designed floor tiles transform footfalls into electricity, which powers corridor lighting. In London, at the largest mall in Europe, new green rubber tiles do the same:

“The squares aren’t just ornamental. They are designed to collect the kinetic energy created by the estimated 40 million pedestrians who will use that walkway in a year, generating several hundred kilowatt-hours of electricity from their footsteps. That’s enough to power half the mall’s outdoor lighting.”

Read more about the tiles produced by Payegen Systems at National Geographic.