With environmental issues gaining more and more attention around last week’s Earth Day celebration, Real Salt Lake has announced the club will host its first-ever “Green Awareness Game” during tomorrow’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup “Play-In” contest against the San Jose Earthquakes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Real Salt Lake is teaming up with four environmentally-conscience sponsors – FIJI Water, Wasatch Metal Recycling, Redwood Recycling, and SanSegal – to present the 7:00 p.m. MT contest on the hill, while the RSL squad will don special green XanGo/adidas jerseys for the game.

For more information on our partners, their green initiatives and where to get your own green kit take a look after the break…

“Real Salt Lake is extremely proud to team up with these forward-thinking partners to promote the importance of ‘green’ initiatives to our fans,” said RSL Chief Business Officer John Kimball. “It is important to relay the message that everyone – from individuals and families to small businesses and large corporations – can do their part to improve our planet, and educational opportunities like the ones presented this Wednesday are among the first steps in making that difference happen.”

FIJI^® Water, a natural artesian water bottled at the source in Viti Levu (Fiji islands), is the #1 imported bottled water brand and the top selling premium bottled water in the United States. A product of one of the last virgin ecosystems on the planet, natural pressure forces FIJI Water out of its aquifer deep below the earth’s surface and into iconic square bottles through a sealed delivery system free of human contact. To further its ongoing mission of caring for the environment, FIJI Water is carbon negative. Carbon negative means that the production and sale of each bottle of FIJI Water results in a net reduction of carbon in the atmosphere. FIJI Water is also partnering with Conservation International and the people of Fiji to protect and preserve the Sovi Basin, the largest remaining pristine rainforest in Fiji. Learn more about FIJI Water’s sustainable growth commitments at www.fijigreen.com.

Wasatch Metal Recycling and Redwood Recycling have teamed up to help support Wednesday’s “Green Awareness Game” to recognize environmental conservation and stress the importance of recycling. As part of Wednesday’s educational efforts, Wasatch Metal Recycling and Redwood Recycling will have a unique display in Carnival Real (located in the Rice-Eccles Stadium south/Olympic plaza) featuring information on local recycling efforts and a display presenting different bales of recycled materials, with one lucky fan who guesses the correct number of aluminum cans in one bale winning a free 2008 autographed RSL game jersey. During halftime, Wasatch Metal Recycling and Redwood Recycling will join together for an entertaining “Recycling Relay Race,” where family members will compete to crush aluminum cans and then toss them into a recycling bin as fast as possible.

Wasatch Metal Recycling is a company that has focused on keeping Utah green for the past 60 years. They have achieved this by purchasing scrap metals from the public and local businesses thus eliminating metal scraps from entering the landfills. Today they continue to purchase scrap steel/iron, aluminum, copper, brass, stainless steel and many other grades of metal as they further their efforts to continually renew our planet for future generations.

Redwood Recycling is a neighborhood-friendly buy back center conveniently located on Redwood Road in Taylorsville, Utah. This centrally located facility caters to individuals running errands in and around Salt Lake suburbs, enabling them to quickly drop off their recyclable metals and earn some extra cash. In addition to aluminum and copper, Redwood Recycling also buys brass and stainless steel and will accept scrap steel as a donation.

SanSegal, a national sportswear company based in Sandy, Utah, will also be present with a booth at Carnival Real, sharing with fans the importance of recycling cotton and how consumers can purchase recycled cotton materials, including clothing, linens, and more. Some of SanSegal’s line of products include materials made from Green Brand® by SanSegal Recycled Fabric, a recycled cotton fabric made from pre-consumer cotton “table waste” clippings from cut and sew facilities that otherwise would be dumped in landfills. Recycled cotton reduces the need for harsh dyes and chemicals, pesticides used to grow cotton, and the manual labor and land required for conventionally grown cotton. By using recycled cotton, SanSegal helps to cut into the five to six billion pounds of the table-waste cotton finding its way into U.S. landfills while also helping to limit the insecticides and other chemicals that find their way into our soil, air, and water tables. For more information on SanSegal, please visit www.SanSegal.com.

Those of you who want to get your hands on one of the limited-edition green jerseys that the guys will wear during tomorrow night’s match can head on down to the RSL front office as they are currently on sale there. There is a very limited number of kits available and they are going fast so come on down. The selection includes a short-sleeve top and a long-sleeve top for $45 and $55 respectively. Fans are reminded that the jerseys will not be available for purchase at any of the three Real Sports locations throughout the Wasatch Front, nor at Rice-Eccles Stadium during next Wednesday’s game, and no holds or discounts will apply. For any questions on availability, please contact Brett Fischer in the RSL Merchandise Department at bfischer@realsaltlake.com or call the RSL Merchandise Department at 801-924-8572.