---

 

   

ST. LOUIS, Mo., – Better lighting delivers better educational outcomes, not to mention improved cost efficiencies.  That’s the reason behind the SHINE STL Program launched on June 4, 2019 in a partnership between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinals Care, PLANLED, the Electrical Connection and the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation.  SHINE is a community program initiated by PLANLED where they fulfill their mission to improve human life while updating the quality and energy efficiency of lighting.

During a press conference announcing the partnership, Ozzie Smith, National Baseball and Cardinals Hall of Famer, was named the SHINE STL Ambassador. Smith joins National Baseball Hall of Famers, Mariano Rivera and Edgar Martinez, who also serve as SHINE Ambassadors, to help bring awareness to the importance of human centric lighting.

“As an athlete, I have always tried to find ways to improve performance and health,” said Smith.  “Human Centric Lighting is a logical path of improving human life while reducing carbon footprints.”

St. Louis Public Schools Lyon Academy, Gateway Elementary and Gateway Michael will each receive lighting upgrades through the program.  SHINE STL will donate the lighting retrofit materials, and The Electrical Connection will donate the labor to install them for a computer lab classroom at Lyon Academy, the gymnasium at Gateway Elementary, and the multi-purpose room at Gateway Michael.

“This program wouldn’t be possible without the support of our partners at The Electrical Connection,” said Michael Hall, vice president of community relations and the executive director of Cardinals Care.

“At St. Louis Public Schools, we are learning more about the benefits of LED lighting and have begun to make a districtwide investment in updating the lighting in our schools,” said Dr. Kelvin Adams, Superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools.  “This partnership with PLANLED and the St. Louis Cardinals comes at the perfect time.  It will speed up our learning curve by providing LED lighting updates and allowing us the opportunity study the results at targeted locations.”

Human Centric Lighting is the inclusion of visual and biological needs of humans in the design of lighting projects.  According to PLANLED, integrating daylight and electric light to create lighting strategies focused on human health, along with traditional requirements for visual acuity and comfort, can lead to healthier and more productive environments.

“There have been great innovations in lighting over the past 15 years,” noted John Hwang, CEO, PLANLED.  “We can control the full spectrum of light, bringing the benefits of daylight indoors. This delivers better color and visual acuity as well as healthier circadian rhythm and improved performance in schools, offices, healthcare facilities and more.”

“To build a great team, you get the best players with the necessary skills and talents to succeed,” said Jim Curran, executive vice president, Electrical Connection.  “The Electrical Connection is proud to have been selected to be a part of this team for this project and beyond. Our contractors have been an integral part of building and updating all three Busch Stadiums, including the new LED lighting this year by PLANLED. Now, we will help introduce Human Centric Lighting and its energy efficiencies to St. Louis Public Schools in this innovative pilot program.”

For more information on the SHINE STL Program visit cardinals.com/shine.

— STL —

PLANLED

PLANLED is a minority owned, LED lighting Company based in Seattle, Washington specializing in research applied lighting solutions.  PLANLED completed the installation of LED Field Lights at Busch Stadium for the St. Louis Cardinals in March 2019.  This was the third MLB Stadium that PLANLED outfitted with LED Lighting.  PLANLED was the first company to convert a MLB stadium to LED Field lights at Safeco Field for the Seattle Mariners in 2014.  They also installed new LED field lighting at Yankee Stadium in 2015.

 

St. Louis Public Schools Foundation

Since 1997, the St. Louis Public Schools Foundation has existed to mobilize the community’s generosity and to support the amazing educators and students within the Saint Louis Public Schools. The St. Louis Public Schools Foundation is the District’s strategy partner with the unique mission of dedicating 100% of its funds and efforts to District strategy. The Foundation works closely with the Saint Louis Public Schools Superintendent, District leadership, and schools to ensure that the community’s resources support District priorities. Learn more at http://slpsfoundation.org/

 

The Electrical Connection

The Electrical Connection is a partnership of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1 and the St. Louis Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA).  It represents more than 5,000 highly skilled and safe IBEW electricians and the more than 150 NECA electrical contractors who employ them.  For more than 75 years, the IBEW/NECA Electrical Connection partnership has trained more electricians/communication technicians than any education program in Missouri. Its award winning work provides safe and reliable electrical construction, maintenance, repair and replacement services across Missouri, the nation and the world. Learn more at www.electricalconnection.org.

 

About Cardinals Care (#CardsCare)
Cardinals Care was established to give fans a way of teaming up with Cardinals players and the organization to help children in our community—both on and off the baseball field.  Established in 1997, Cardinals Care has invested over $24 million to support St. Louis area children and built or renovated 23 youth ball fields in local under-resourced neighborhoods.  Most recently, the Cardinals dedicated Dexter Fowler Field at Hess Park in Decatur, Ill. in July 2017.  This season marks the 16th year of Cardinals Care’s innovative Redbird Rookies program, a free baseball and softball league for kids who otherwise might not have the opportunity to play.  In addition to providing all the uniforms, gloves, bats, balls and other equipment needed for each team, Redbird Rookies also provides extensive off-field support in the areas of health, education, mentoring, cultural arts, and scholarships for each of the nearly 3,000 kids who participate in the program each year. To learn more about all of Cardinals Care’s programs visit cardinals.com/community.