Green Planet Takes It to the Beach, Sponsoring Corona Wide Open Volleyball Tour

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Apr 23, 2010, 12:17 ET

CHICAGO, April 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Planet, the first national brand to offer water in a 100 percent plant-based bottle, will be the official water of the Corona Wide Open, the beach volleyball tour hitting nine U.S. cities in 2010 beginning in May.

"This sponsorship marks a watershed for us," said Brad Schulman, chief executive of Chicago-based Green Planet Bottling. "The heightened visibility this will create in the consumer marketplace will go a long way in supporting the hard work by our growing distributor network to expand our presence."

The Corona Wide Open is the official qualifier tour of the U.S. Open of Beach Volleyball. Karch Kiraly, three-time Olympic Gold Medalist and color commentator for NBC, ESPN and FSN, serves as its commissioner.

"We are excited to have Green Planet as our exclusive bottled water sponsor. Its brand is closely aligned with that of the tournament: fun, authenticity, health and environmental awareness," says Kiraly Corona Light Wide Open's "Speaker of the Beach!"

In addition to providing water for tournament participants, Green Planet will have a presence on-site with interactive games for attendees to win free bottles of water.

Attracting 2,500 players and thousands of fans, the tour kicks off May 15-16 in Fort Lauderdale and continues through August. Other cities include Galveston, TX (May 22-23); Siesta Key, FL (June 19-20); Huntington Beach, CA (June 26-27); Santa Cruz, CA (July 10-11); Chicago (July 31-August 1); Long Island (August 7-8); Point Pleasant, NY (August 21-22); and Breckenridge, CO (August 14-15).

Launched in Spring 2009, Green Planet has been introduced in 18 markets across the country, from Chicago to New York to San Francisco, utilizing distributors to gain reach in schools, hotels, selected retail outlets, and public venues like cultural centers.

Unlike the dominant plastic bottles containing toxic chemicals like BPA, Green Planet's are made from 100 percent plant-based polymers that are toxin-free and carbon neutral. They do not leach chemicals into contents, are reusable, completely recyclable and biodegradable in just 80 days.

"The response from consumers to our product and our environmental message has been overwhelmingly positive," said Schulman. "Creating more grassroots support through events like this can only boost awareness and demand."

Green Planet Bottling, LLC. (www.greenplanetbottling.com) aims to make a positive and sustainable contribution with a product that is healthy for our bodies and our planet. Its vision is to become the premier bottler of waters/beverages in organic, sustainable packaging. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Maria Huey at [email protected].