Contacts: Laura Smith, Office of the Governor, 608-261-2162
Laurel Steffes, Department of Natural Resources, 608-266-8109
GLENDALE – Governor Jim Doyle today announced that Johnson Controls has been accepted into the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Green Tier program. Johnson Controls was recognized for its commitment to the Green Tier program at an event celebrating The Nature Conservancy’s 50 years of conservation in Wisconsin.
“I am pleased that Johnson Controls is continuing its great environmental legacy through the Green Tier program,” Governor Doyle said. “This designation is a testament to the company’s long standing commitment to sustainability and commitment to going above and beyond our standard environmental requirements to ensure that Wisconsin residents continue to breathe clean air.”
Green Tier is designed to reward environmentally responsible businesses in Wisconsin and is the first program of its type in the nation. Qualified institutions commit to superior environmental performance through agreements with the DNR. Green Tier makes it easier for good environmental actors to perform even better, allowing the DNR to focus its resources on facilities that are not meeting environmental requirements.
“Johnson Controls is proud to join the Green Tier program,” said Charles A. Harvey, Vice President of Diversity and Public Affairs at Johnson Controls. “Environmental leadership is at the heart of our work in Wisconsin and in communities throughout the world. We look forward to participation in a program that has been recognized as an innovative model for environmental protection.”
Johnson Controls’ new Glendale facility is the first multi-building LEED platinum-certified campus in the world. Meeting LEED platinum standards has lowered building operating costs, reduced demolition and construction waste placed in landfills, conserved energy and water, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. As a Green Tier participant, the company has replaced almost three acres of asphalt pavement with porous pavement, and is recapturing site stormwater for use in flushing toilets.
The company has also installed Wisconsin’s largest solar array, which can generate almost 400,000 kilowatts of electricity and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 1.1 million pounds per year. Over 13 acres of native prairie have also have been restored on the site, including the implementation of six rain gardens to cleanse storm water runoff before it reaches the open water on site.
Under Governor Doyle’s leadership, the state has had the greatest environmental accomplishments in decades. Governor Doyle has protected more than 275,000 acres of land across Wisconsin through the Stewardship Program and reauthorized the program through 2019. In the last seven and a half years, major strides have also been made to reduce mercury in our air and water and major water clean up efforts such as the Kinnickinnic and Fox River projects have moved forward. Wisconsin is now a world leader in forest certification, ensuring sustainable management to protect our forests for future generations. Governor Doyle also led the passage of the Great Lakes Compact, ensuring the protection of the world’s largest fresh water basin for generations to come.
