(St Paul MN) — Oct. 11th, 2022 — The Sanneh Foundation and the Green Sports Alliance hosted Green Sports Day on Thursday, Oct. 6th. St. Paul’s Tony Sanneh, a pro soccer player turned youth-nonprofit leader, helped celebrate the occasion by leading his after-school program. The after-school program serves local diverse youth with a hands-on community service activity.
At the event, more than 60 kids learned firsthand how they can be a part of bringing increased sustainability to sports. Following a short, fun lesson on sustainability given by Tony, the kids took a recess from their normal sports activities to put what they’ve learned into practice by visiting local St. Paul parks and helping Tony conduct cleanup.
“Green spaces are where many of us first discover a love for sports, and it’s up to all of us to keep them Green,” said Tony on Thursday. “Sustainability is a team sport, and as a team, you only win if everyone works together. What I hope the kids take away is that a win for our community is a win for everyone. Today is about getting out there and learning that we all have a role to play.”
Green Sports Day is organized by the Green Sports Alliance, a national coalition of sports industry leaders working to bring increased sustainability to sports. To draw awareness, more than 100 sports venues including Target Field and Target Arena will light up green in honor of the occasion.
“Sports brings people together, from fans at a stadium game to kids in a youth league,” said Jason Twill, Co-Founder & Founding Chair, The Green Sports Alliance. “Green Sports Day is about coming together to use the power of sports for climate action. Oct. 6 is a day for the sports to commit to doing our part for our community.”
During the event, each child will receive a classroom supplies-stuffed pencil pouch made from upcycled sports signage from the 2022 Green Sports Alliance Summit in Minneapolis, giving new life to material that would have otherwise gone to waste. The pencil pouches are produced by St. Paul-based Vomela.
“The pencil pouches being given away today are made entirely from local, upcycled sports event Signage,” said Lou Raiola, Director of ESG at The Vomela Companies. “We call it NextCycle because it gives new life to material that often goes to waste. Once the scoreboard timer runs out, traditional event signage has a one-way ticket to the landfill. With NextCyle, though, sports venues can help close the waste loop by giving new life to their used signage as souvenir products ranging from zipper pouches to totes and beyond.”
About The Sanneh Foundation
The Sanneh Foundation (Sanneh) is a St. Paul based 501(c) that serves the holistic youth development needs of the increasingly diverse state of Minnesota. Sanneh’s mission is to empower youth by supporting and promoting educational attainment, improve lives by providing programs that strengthen physical and social-emotional development, and unite communities by advancing diversity, equity, and community well-being. Learn more at www.thesannehfoundation.org.
About The Vomela Companies
The Vomela Companies is a full-service specialty graphics provider capable of producing a wide variety of promotional, store décor, event, fleet, OEM, commercial, and transportation graphics. The company employs more than 1,300 people in 21 cities across the U.S. and Canada
About Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance (GSA) leverages the cultural and market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities where people live and play. The GSA inspires professional sports leagues, sports governing bodies, colleges, teams, venues, their partners, and millions of fans to embrace renewable energy, healthy food, recycling, water efficiency, safer chemicals, and other environmentally preferable practices. Through its marquee event greening division, GSA delivers best-in-class sustainable productions to minimize environmental impacts and maximize community legacies, driving scalability and replications across the industry. Visit www.greensportsalliance.org for more information.
