Children’s of Alabama Recognized for Sustainability Leadership

BIRMINGHAM (June 18, 2024) — Johnson Controls, the global leader in smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings, honored Children’s of Alabama as an OpenBlue Pioneer on Monday. The award is presented to businesses advancing a more sustainable, safe, and healthy world supported by Johnson Controls technology and expertise. Johnson Controls presented Children’s CEO and President Tom Shufflebarger with the award on Monday, the same day the hospital turned 113 years old.

“We are delighted to accept this award, marking an incredible achievement for Children’s of Alabama,” said Tom Shufflebarger, the CEO and president of Children’s of Alabama. “In our 113-year history, we have always been at the forefront of innovation, and we look forward to continuing our work with Johnson Controls on ways to enhance energy efficiency on our campus.”

In 2008, Children’s signed a 25-year contract with Johnson Controls to build, design, operate, and maintain its new central utility plant. The plant includes hundreds of computer-controlled monitors and advanced controls that provide real-time responses to changes in weather, humidity, and hospital needs. It also recycles water and steam to improve the overall system's efficiency. These advancements have resulted in significant energy savings, rapid cost reduction, enhanced fault detection and uninterrupted utilities for the hospital. These achievements have also resulted in nearly $250,000 in annual savings and a 69% reduction in natural gas usage.

“That is why we are excited to be a part of this pioneering project,” said Maureen Blasé, vice president and general manager, North America Sustainable Infrastructure at Johnson Controls. “It’s not just about ensuring those resources are used wisely and our environment is protected, but mostly importantly, about providing quality care. Johnson Controls and Children’s of Alabama have been striving to achieve both goals.”

Johnson Controls launched the Blueprint of the Future Award in 2022. Nominations are submitted through Johnson Controls’ global field operations, and winners are handpicked by the Chairman and CEO George Oliver and the executive team. Previous winners include Colorado State University, Museum of the Future in Dubai and Microsoft Beijing West Campus in China. Children’s was recognized in December 2023 as a pioneer in sustainability alongside global leaders at COP28 in Dubai. More details on that event can be read here.

About Children's of Alabama
Since 1911, Children’s of Alabama has provided specialized medical care for ill and injured children, offering inpatient, outpatient and primary care throughout Central Alabama. Ranked among the best children’s hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Children’s serves patients from every county in Alabama and nearly every state. Children’s is a private, not-for-profit medical center that serves as the teaching hospital for the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) pediatric medicine, surgery, psychiatry, research and residency programs. The medical staff consists of UAB faculty and Children’s full-time physicians, as well as private practicing community physicians.

About Johnson Controls
At Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As a global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.

Today, with a global team of 100,000 experts in more than 150 countries, Johnson Controls offers the world's largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.