Smith & Fong donated three Linear Line 4 (LL4) bamboo plywood panels for the construction of the main stage at the 2014 Green Sports Alliance Summit, held in Santa Clara, CA this July. This year’s Summit was the organization’s largest to date, with more than 650 professional sports industry leaders in attendance. From the GSA website:

“The Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mission to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance. Alliance members represent over 230 sports teams and venues from 20 different sports leagues. Since February of 2010, the Alliance has brought together venue operators, sports team executives and environmental scientists to exchange information about better practices and develop solutions to their environmental challenges that are cost-competitive and innovative. The information gathered from this collaboration is available to Alliance members in order that they gain a better understanding of how sporting events can be performed in an environmentally sensitive manner. The Green Sports Alliance was conceived and founded by Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. and the Natural Resources Defense Council.”

The Summit included a tour of the new Santa Clara Levi’s Stadium, home to the 49ers and the nation’s first LEED Gold-certified football stadium. Smith & Fong’s Plyboo SoyBond products are found throughout the VIP skyboxes in the groundbreaking new event center.

The $1.2 billion stadium is 1.85 million square feet, seats approximately 68,500 and features 165 luxury suites and 8,500 club seats. Designed by HNTB and built by Turner/Devcon for the Santa Clara Stadium Authority, Levi’s Stadium takes advantage of the Silicon Valley climate and is predominantly open and airy, while also environmentally friendly. One of the most unique features of the facility is the green roof atop the suite tower on the west side of the stadium. The three solar bridges, connecting the main parking area to the stadium, include hundreds of solar panels.