National Energy Foundation celebrates 10 years of
Igniting Creative Energy (ICE) Challenge competition

Salt Lake City, UT - (December 8, 2010) National Energy Foundation (NEF) and Johnson Controls (JCI), the global leader in providing energy efficient solutions in buildings, invites students - kindergarten through 12th grade - to submit innovative ideas on energy and the environment to the ICE national competition.

Students are invited to submit creative projects that demonstrate what people can do in their home, school or community to become better stewards of the environment. Students may choose to express their ideas in any creative format including science projects, essays, stories, artwork, photographs, music, videos, websites, blogs, and multimedia projects. Recent service projects may also be submitted. Entries will be accepted until March 4, 2011. Entry forms and guidelines can be found at: www.ignitingcreativeenergy.org.

The ICE Challenge is a program developed by National Energy Foundation and Johnson Controls to encourage students to share creative ideas that save energy and help conserve the environment. Since 2002, more than 15,000 students have participated for a chance to win national and state prizes, including a grand prize trip to Washington D. C., MP3 players, and $1,000 educational grants for their schools. National Energy Foundation announced the addition of ICE Water and the partnership with Kohler Co. in recognizing this precious resource. The new category, ICE Water, marks the 10-year milestone of the Igniting Creative Energy (ICE) Challenge.

“The future of natural resources in the world depends on the actions we take now, and the choices we make in our own lives. It is our responsibility to teach our children to make wise choices when it comes to natural resources,” said Rob Zimmerman, manager of engineering, water conservation and sustainability for Kohler Co. “The ICE program is a great way to teach children about their choices and get them excited about making changes and taking action in their own communities.”

Bob Poulson, president of the National Energy Foundation says, “The Igniting Creative Energy Challenge aligns with our mission to cultivate and promote energy literacy and encourage future energy leaders. It provides participants an opportunity to make a positive impact in their communities through environmental and energy awareness.” Each year, ICE challenges students to think creatively about ways to save energy and help conserve environmental resources and this year ICE water is an added topic.

A total of five Grand Prizes will be awarded to four students and one teacher. One student in each grade cluster (K-5, 6-8, 9-12), whose work best exemplifies the judging criteria regarding energy efficiency, will receive a hosted trip to Washington, D.C. for two. In addition, one student whose work best exemplifies the judging criteria regarding water efficiency will receive a hosted trip to Washington, D.C. The teacher with the highest average score of their top 15 entries when submitting 15 or more qualified entries will also receive a trip to Washington, D.C. Each of these winners will be presented at the 2011 United States Energy Efficiency Forum (EEF), June 15-16, 2011, in Washington D.C., where they will share their winning projects with national leaders and energy policymakers.

Marilyn Hamot Ryan, the 2009 national teacher winner believes the program is a great way to engage students and teachers on the importance of energy conservation. “Encouraging my students to enter the ICE challenge two years ago was the springboard I needed to not only to educate my students about energy efficiency and the environment, but also empower them to embrace creative solutions for tomorrow’s energy needs.”

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National Energy Foundation is a unique 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting and cultivating an energy literate society through educational programs. NEF recognizes the importance and contribution of natural resources to our economy, national security, environment and quality of life. Visit www.nef1.org to find out more about NEF.