PORTLAND, Ore. (April 22, 2013) — In conjunction with Earth Day activities, the winner of the "How Green Are Your Goals?" contest has been announced.
MLS Works, Major League Soccer's (MLS) community outreach initiative, and the Portland Timbers team have awarded a solar panel installation and environmental beautification project to Hosford Middle School in Southeast Portland as part of the MLS Works /Continental Tire the Americas L.L.C. "How Green Are Your Goals?" contest.
Representatives from MLS, the Portland Timbers, Portland Public Schools and Conti are scheduled to unveil the many sustainable additions provided by MLS Works and the tire maker during a special Earth Day event at Hosford Middle School at 2:30 p.m. today, Conti said.
Portland was the MLS city selected as having the greenest fans, according to Conti, with its many submissions detailing the city's everyday approach to incorporating green efforts. The Hosford Middle School Environmental Beautification project included a holistic approach, with touch points and significant improvements in the following areas: energy/solar, storm water/garden and sustainable mural, transportation, recycling and CO2 reduction, Conti added,
Along with the award from MLS Works and Conti, more than $10,000 in added donations from the Portland community and Portland-area businesses helped in making the following projects possible at Hosford:
c BEF solar panel installation and subsequent Solar4Schools learning materials;
c Student-designed, green-themed mural;
c Custom bike racks, including an art bike rack created by Oregon-based designer Matt Cartwright;
c Helmet and bike lock giveaways to Hosford students and faculty who ride a bike to work;
c Reusable water bottles for every student at the school;
c New Elkay drinking fountain, which will reduce the amount of plastic water bottles used at the school and track the number of plastic bottles saved from landfills;
c Tree-planting and beautification of the entrance to the school;
c Permanent directional signage to display the environmental benefits of the project to the Portland community; and
c Creation of communal gathering places on the school campus.
The goals of MLS Works, according to Conti, include identifying "ways to reduce our carbon footprint" and help raise awareness for environmental issues throughout the soccer community.