Eco-Friendly Lunch, Board Game and Community Service Project Take Top Prize in National Competition of Future Green Leaders
MILWAUKEE, WI–(Marketwire – May 28, 2009) – Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI), the global leader in energy efficiency, announces the national winners of the 2009 Igniting Creative Energy(ICE) Challenge. ICE is an educational competition that encourages students to develop innovative ways to live a more sustainable life and protect the environment. Out of more than 1,400 entries, Olivia Horne (Fla.), Maddie Reichman (Utah), and Suzanne Warren (Colo.) were named this year’s national winners for their innovative creative energy projects.
Highlights / Key Facts
— Elementary School Winner – Olivia Horne, 4th grader, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Olivia created a video titled “Extreme Lunch Makeover,” which highlights how to create an eco-friendly lunch. She also designed custom lunch bags called E.L.S.E. Bags (Eco-Friendly Lunches Save Energy for our Environment) to encourage classmates to reduce environmental waste.
— Middle School Winner – Maddie Reichman, 6th grader, Salt Lake City, Utah
Maddie designed a community service project to help educate classmates on the environment. She helped form P.E.A.C.E. Teams (Protecting Everyone And our Cool Earth) that spoke at community councils on environmental protection. She also created anti-idling lap blankets to encourage drivers not to idle their vehicles to stay warm but rather use the blankets to stay warm.
— High School Winner – Suzanne Warren, 12th grader, Parker, Colo.
Suzanne developed the board game Eco Quest to help players think about energy and the environment.
— Teacher Winner – Marilyn Hamot Ryan, a talented and gifted (TAG) teacher in Saddle Brook, N.J.
Marilyn worked with talented and gifted students throughout the elementary school on a district-wide Go Green initiative, including lessons on non-renewable resources, to embrace the environment and energy solutions.
— Representatives from Johnson Controls, local dignitaries, school officials and the student’s parents were on hand to congratulate each.
— The winners will receive an all-expense paid trip to Washington, D.C., where each student will share their ICE entries and ideas with government and energy leaders at the Energy Efficiency Forum on June 16. The Forum is a national event that promotes energy efficiency through the presentation of national and worldwide views and the resulting impact on the environment, national security and economic growth.
— The contest is sponsored and funded through a grant by Johnson Controls, Inc. with additional support and administration by the National Energy Foundation.
— The contest asks students to submit projects that showcase creative ways to be more sustainable now, whether at home, at school, or in the community.
“Sustainability is top of mind today more than ever, especially during these tough economic times,” said Gwenn McDaniel, director of K-12 markets at Johnson Controls Building Efficiency. “Consumers are realizing that in addition to significant long-term benefits for our environment, energy savings equals cost savings. It’s never been more important to implement programs like ICE as these students are developing actionable energy solutions that could someday change the world.”
Links URLs
www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org
www.johnsoncontrols.com/efficiencynow
About the Igniting Creative Energy Challenge
The Igniting Creative Energy Challenge is open to all students in grades K-12 in the United States and Canada. Students are asked to submit entries that reflect the competition theme, Igniting Creative Energy, and demonstrate an understanding of what an individual, family, or group can do today to make a difference in the places they live or travel. In addition to the three student winners, the teacher with the highest average score of student work from at least 15 or more entries is named the national winner.
About National Energy Foundation
The National Energy Foundation is a unique 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the development, dissemination, and implementation of supplementary educational materials, programs and courses that relate primarily to energy, water, natural resources, science and math, technology, conservation and the environment. These teaching resources recognize the importance and contribution of natural resources to our economy, our national security, the environment and our quality of life.
About Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI) is the global leader that brings ingenuity to the places where people live, work and travel. By integrating technologies, products and services, we create smart environments that redefine the relationships between people and their surroundings. Our team of 140,000 employees creates a more comfortable, safe and sustainable world through our products and services for more than 200 million vehicles, 12 million homes and one million commercial buildings. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/.
