11.12.2002 ET

(CSRwire) MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin - In celebration of National Education Week, Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) and the National Energy Foundation have announced the launch of the second "Igniting Creative Energy" Challenge. The Challenge is an educational competition designed to encourage students to learn more about energy and the environment. 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 or community. Students may express their ideas on energy conservation and the environment in the form of science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, video or Web site projects.

"Helping students learn about and develop their role in saving energy is a natural extension of Johnson Controls commitment to environmental stewardship," said Jeff Crenshaw, Director, Public Sector Business for the Controls Group of Johnson Controls. "The student entries for the 2002 Challenge confirmed that students and teachers care about the environment and are eager to find new ways to communicate the energy conservation message. We are pleased to support this competition in its second year."

According to Dr. Edward Dalton, president of the National Energy Foundation, "Because the growing energy crisis has brought the impact of our energy choices closer to home, we're asking students to focus on how they can improve energy use in their own lives and in their community. Education is about helping students build character, and we'd like to help them realize that their involvement and ideas can impact the world around them, including the earth's environment."

The challenge is open to all students in grades K-12 in the U.S. and Canada, excluding Quebec. All entries are due by March 15, 2003, and winners will be announced during Earth Week in April 2003.

A total of three grand prizes will be awarded to students (one in each grade cluster) whose work best exemplifies the Challenge criteria. Grand prize winners will receive a VIP "insiders' tour" of Washington D.C. in June 2003 for themselves and a parent or legal guardian. While in the nation's capital, winners will tour, attend special events and participate in the national Energy Efficiency Forum, where they will share their Challenge entries and ideas with government and energy leaders. In addition, one teacher with the highest average score of student work from 15 or more qualifying entries will be chosen for a trip for two to Washington, D.C., for the same fun and educational experience.

All students who enter will receive an award certificate, and the first 1,000 entries will also receive a commemorative 2003 pin.

While thanking the contest sponsors in 2002, one participating teacher said, "We did a lot of research at school, in the library and at home. I feel it made science come alive for my students; kids who seemed bored began to shine when they were able to demonstrate creativity and leave books on the shelf."

The winning projects for the 2002 Igniting Creative Energy Challenge were a reflection of students' inventiveness and involvement: a solar oven made of recycled compact discs (second grade student); a colorfully illustrated rhyming children's book on energy savings (eighth grade student); and a multi- media presentation on ethanol fuel (tenth grade student).

Official rules about the contest and a downloadable entry form can be found at the official Challenge Web site www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org .

The Challenge is sponsored and funded through an educational grant by Johnson Controls, Inc. with additional support from the United States Energy Association, and is administered by the National Energy Foundation.

The National Energy Foundation is a unique 501(c)(3) nonprofit 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, to our national security, the environment and our quality of life.

USEA is composed of approximately 150 public and private energy-related organizations, corporations and government agencies. It represents the United States in the World Energy Council.

Johnson Controls, Inc. is a global market leader in automotive systems and facility management and control. In the automotive market, it is a major supplier of integrated seating and interior systems, and batteries. For nonresidential facilities, Johnson Controls provides building control systems and services, including energy and facility management, and integrated security solutions. Johnson Controls, founded in 1885, has headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Its sales for 2002 totaled $20.1 billion. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.johnsoncontrols.com .

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