Johnson Controls, NEF and USEA Announce Energy Contest Winners
Students, Teacher Will Receive VIP Tour of Hawaii, Trip to Washington, D.C.
MILWAUKEE, April 13 -- The winners of the fifth annual Igniting Creative Energy Challenge showed this year that a young generation is ready to fight to save our natural resources. The Challenge is an educational competition sponsored and funded through a grant by Johnson Controls, Inc., with additional support from the United States Energy Association (USEA). It is administered by the National Energy Foundation (NEF).
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030423/JCILOGO )
The winners -- three students and a teacher -- will receive a hosted trip to Hawaii April 18 - 23, as well as the opportunity to participate in the June 13 - 14 Energy Efficiency Forum in Washington, D.C., where they will share their Challenge entries and ideas with government and energy leaders.
Since first launching five years ago, the Challenge has drawn approximately 10,000 students to participate.
"Johnson Controls is proud to sponsor an innovative program that improves educational opportunities focused on energy and the environment," said C. David Myers, president of the building efficiency business at Johnson Controls. "We congratulate the winners on their great work, and are pleased to recognize them and their original ideas."
The Igniting Creative Energy Challenge is open to all students in grades K-12 in the U.S. 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 to make a difference in their home, school or community.
Additionally, one teacher with the highest average score of student work from 15 or more qualifying entries is chosen as a winner.
Projects submitted for judging include essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, video, websites, or science project ideas. The judging staff consisted of more than 25 professionals nationwide with backgrounds in science, math, music, art, and gifted and talented education, as well as environmental industry experts. Judging was done in preliminary and final rounds.
"Yet again, we had such amazing entries that truly show the capabilities of these students to lead efforts to save energy and the environment," said Edward Dalton, president of the National Energy Foundation. "The quality of our entries continues to grow by leaps and bounds every year. We are thrilled that students enjoy taking part in the Challenge."
Igniting Creative Energy Challenge winners include:
Elementary Division: Cassandra Collard, 5th grader, Heritage Elementary School, Davis County School District, Layton, Utah. Cassandra created an "I Spy"-themed book that highlighted 101 ways to save energy at home by designing and photographing scenes from her dollhouse.
Middle School Division: Rebecca Richter, 6th grader, Meadowbrook Elementary School, Waukesha School District, Waukesha, Wisconsin. Rebecca designed a four-week children's meal program for fast food restaurants that includes age-appropriate energy savings items in place of toys.
High School Division: Andrew Maruska, senior, Crawford County Area Vocational Technical School, Crawford Central District, Meadville, Pennsylvania. Andrew countered the misperception that there isn't an energy crisis through a researched recommendation to create billboards that promote the fight to save energy and the environment.
Teacher Division: Zan Lombardo, gifted and talented teacher, Valley Forge Middle School, Tredyffrin-Easttown School District, Wayne, Pennsylvania. Ms. Lombardo led her students in making a giant mural to show how they helped the environment. Each student established one energy-efficient habit for a month and quantified their savings, representing each unit of savings as a dot on the mural.
Students were asked to write a one-page summary that described their motivation for submitting an entry and what they hope their project accomplishes. Cassandra Collard wrote: "I hope that people will start doing the simple things they can do around the house to save energy. I hope that my project will be fun to look at, but that it helps people learn also."
The winning entries for 2006 will be posted at http://www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org/ . There also will be links from the National Energy Foundation and Johnson Controls web sites.
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.
The United States Energy Association is the United States member of the World Energy Council. USEA is composed of approximately 150 public and private energy-related organizations, corporations and government agencies.
Johnson Controls is a global leader in interior experience, building efficiency and power solutions. The company provides innovative automotive interiors that help make driving more comfortable, safe and enjoyable. For buildings, it offers products and services that optimize energy use and improve comfort and security. Johnson Controls also provides batteries for automobiles and hybrid electric vehicles, along with systems engineering and service expertise. Johnson Controls has 136,000 employees in more than 1,000 locations serving customers in 125 countries. Founded in 1885, the company is headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. For additional information, please visit http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/ .
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030423/JCILOGOAP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/473547.html