Johnson Controls partners with Student Conservation Association and The Greening of Detroit for innovative green jobs program

DETROIT, July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The city of Detroit is getting a much-needed "green" boost this summer, as more than 100 Detroit public high school students are participating in the Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC), a summer jobs program promoting environmental stewardship and skills development. Created and sponsored by Johnson Controls, Inc. (NYSE: JCI), the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and The Greening of Detroit, the program has returned to Detroit following the success of its launch last year.

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The program in Detroit is providing 110 local students, a 20 percent increase over last year, the opportunity to earn and learn as they participate in purposeful summer employment in environmental conservation, while also receiving job readiness training.

"The Conservation Leadership Corps is a great example of a public-private partnership that is creating jobs and helping young people develop skills and experience they will need to be part of Michigan's economic transformation," said Lt. Gov. John Cherry. "We are pleased that federal Recovery Act investments have allowed this program to expand and have an even greater positive impact on the City of Detroit and its citizens."

Detroit is the third city in which Johnson Controls has launched the summer green jobs program. The company has a strong presence in the metro Detroit area, with the global headquarters of its Automotive Experience business and area offices for its Building Efficiency business.

"We are delighted to not only bring this innovative program back to Detroit, a city so affected by the current economic crisis, but to be able to increase the number of student participants, thanks to federal stimulus funds," said Charles A. Harvey, vice president of diversity and public affairs for Johnson Controls. "We are pleased to be partnering once again with the SCA and local Detroit organizations to provide this unique initiative for city teens."

"Our organization has a long history of conservation efforts in Detroit," said Rebecca Salminen Witt, president of The Greening of Detroit. "We feel it is especially important to get the city's youth involved and provide them with an opportunity to give back to the community. Through our continued partnership with the SCA, and the generous support of Johnson Controls and our other funding partners, we have been able to help create a strong and exciting program that focuses on environmental stewardship as well as job skills development."

The Conservation Leadership Corps program was launched in 2006 in Milwaukee, where Johnson Controls is headquartered, and was expanded to Baltimore in 2007.