Historic Milwaukee Inc.: Johnson Controls’ sustainable efforts honored at HMI’s ‘Remarkable Milwaukee’ event

Contact Anna-Marie Opgenorth at 414-277-7795

MILWAUKEE, WI – (September 6, 2010)

Historic Milwaukee Inc. (HMI) will honor Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) at its Remarkable Milwaukee event on October 18th at the Pfister Hotel.

“I really think it’s going to be industry that comes up with environmental solutions that are acceptable to both the “green building” people and preservationists,” noted Donovan Rypkema, the nation’s leading expert in the economics of historic preservation. He also suggests that “Historic preservation is, in and of itself, sustainable development,” which ties HMI’s interests, as a nonprofit preservation organization, to innovations in building efficiencies and the retrofitting of buildings.

JCI’s leadership in environmental sustainability and corporate social responsibility allowed it to be recognized as an energy efficiency innovator in buildings and vehicles. Thus, on a national level, JCI has been chosen to partner with the Empire State Building for its retrofitting project that involves modifying certain aspects to encourage energy efficiency. If this initiative is successful, the Empire State Building will attain an Energy Star score of 90, meaning that it will perform better than 90 percent of the buildings in the U.S.

JCI’s ongoing sustainable initiatives, as well as its past contributions to Milwaukee’s built environment, are significant reasons why it will be honored this year. At 4:00 P.M. on October 18th, the first 90 attendees of Remarkable Milwaukee will have the opportunity to tour JCI’s Efficiency Building, a facility that was one of the first LEED-certified buildings in the world.

Over 100 years ago Warren Johnson invented the “Johnson System of Temperature Regulation”, which allowed for more efficient heating and cooling of buildings. In 2008 the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) named this thermostat as a Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark. The system of temperature regulation was initially featured in every room of the Pfister Hotel, where Remarkable Milwaukee will be held this year. Thomas Fehring of ASME will be in attendance at the event to discuss the Landmark.

Historic Milwaukee, Inc. is a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of and commitment to Milwaukee’s history, architecture, and the preservation of our built environment through education and advocacy. HMI is an affiliated member of the Wisconsin Historical Society, a member of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and Visit Milwaukee.

HMI is recognized as a leader in creating innovative, responsive programs and strong community, corporate and civic alliances. HMI seeks to grow a sense of community through the advocacy and education of Milwaukee’s rich past and prospering future.

Visit our website for more details: http://www.historicmilwaukee.org/.