The Green Sports Alliance Summit Announces Chicago Day of Service Project Recipient

Source: The Green Sports Alliance

CHICAGO (June 19, 2015) -- The Green Sports Alliance (GSA) today announced the GSA 2015 Summit Chicago Green Sports Green Apple Days of Service Projects Presented by Connor Sports with partners’ Chicago Public Schools; Major Adams Community Center; Noah’s Ark Foundation; HOK, Skanska; U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) Center for Green Schools & USGBC-Illinois.

Elk Grove Village, IL-based Connor Sports the industry leader in hardwood athletic courts, has entered into a three-year strategic partnership with the GSA. The first event under this new partnership will take place at the Major Adams Center on Saturday June 27, and the 2nd event on Sunday, June 28 at the Robert Healy Elementary School to host eco-friendly gym and playground make-overs. Upgrades made during the Major Adams project will include a refurbishment of the hardwood basketball court by Connor Sports technical staff, and at Healy Elementary school a complete renovation of the playground area to include asphalt repairs, new multi-sport lining, murals, raised bed gardens and other elements to allow for safe play and learning for students.

Connor Sports has also joined hands with the Forest Park (MI) School District near the Connor manufacturing mill located in Amasa in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on a satellite service project that will run concurrent to the Green Sports Alliance Chicago day of service and provide sustainable improvements to the K-12 school exterior grounds.

“At Connor Sports we know both as a member of the Chicago-area community and as a leader in the global sports industry, that outdoor recreation and safe play for school-age children is extremely important to the growth and well-being of all students,” said Jason Gasperich, Director of Sustainability for Connor Sports. “An unwavering commitment to the environment extends beyond the industry leading sustainability initiatives implemented on a daily basis at all Connor Sports corporate facilities and into the surrounding communities where we live and work. Our growing strategic partnership with the Green Sports Alliance and the hosting of the 2015 GSA Day of Service projects in Chicago has provided an excellent platform and opportunity for our Connor Sports Cares community initiative program to truly give back to the Chicago community in a tangible and sustainable manner that will live on after the summit.”

The annual Green Sports Alliance Summit June 29-July 1 at McCormick Place in Chicago is the world’s largest and most influential gathering for the sports community to unite around sustainability. The event brings together more than 800 industry stakeholders to learn and share better practices and the latest innovations in greening operations, advancing the supply chain and engaging fans.

“The Green Sports Alliance is committed to promoting healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play,” said Scott Jenkins, Board Chair of the Green Sports Alliance and Stadium General Manager of AMB Sports & Entertainment Group. “We are proud to support the Center for Green Schools at USGBC’s Green Apple initiative and host local community school volunteer projects in association with our annual Green Sports Alliance Summit. We are striving to advance healthier, higher performing and more economical schools by leveraging the cultural influence of sports. We are thrilled to partner with a leader in this space, Connor Sports, this year to transform the schoolyard and playground of Chicago’s Robert Healy Elementary School, and together, have a lasting impact on the local community.”

About Connor Sport Court International / www.connorsports.com
More athletic events are played on Connor Sport Court surfaces than on any other sports flooring in the world. Founded in 1872, Connor Sports floors have established themselves as the standard for professional and collegiate sports. Hardwood used in the courts is from a renewable resource, with the U.S. growing six times more hardwood than is harvested each year. Sport Court® is a registered trade mark of Connor Sport Court International. Since 1974, it has identified the original and authentic modular sport surface, continuously improved and patented to provide the highest levels of quality and performance. Connor Sport Court is proud to be the only sports surfacing company in the world that is independently audited and verified as "Zero Waste" and fully ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001 certified. Connor Sports is on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/connorsports and on Twitter @Connor_Sports.

About the Green Sports Alliance / www.greensportsalliance.org
The Green Sports Alliance leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where we live and play. We do so by inspiring sports leagues, teams, venues, their partners and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, species preservation, safer chemicals and other environmentally preferable practices. Alliance members represent nearly 300 sports teams and venues from 20 different sports leagues and 14 countries. Find the Green Sports Alliance on Twitter at @SportsAlliance and #GreenSports.