Teams from 245 buildings in U.S. race to cut emissions

U.S. EPA launched its "Battle of the Buildings" competition today, enlisting 245 stores, schools, museums and other commercial buildings to participate in a contest to see who can reduce energy use the most.

The agency's National Building Competition -- held for the first time last year -- promotes EPA's Energy Star program, a marketing-based effort that uses labels to alert customers of high-performing products. Competitors exchange ideas to become more energy efficient and track their building's monthly energy consumption with an online tool called Portfolio Manager.

"It's really a nice way to dispel a bunch of myths. One is that it costs a lot of money to make buildings more efficient," said Energy Star spokeswoman Maria Vargas. "There are a wide range of activities, from large capital improvement to just making sure lights are off when people aren't using them." (NYTimes.com)