Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), along with business and community leaders, has challenged building owners to improve the energy efficiency of their buildings by 10 percent or more. The ENERGY STAR Challenge asks building owners to commit to seeking opportunities to reduce energy use. Public- and private-sector organizations are responding to the challenge by implementing practices and technologies that pay off financially and environmentally, such as low-cost building tune-ups, lighting upgrades, and replacement of old equipment. The ENERGY STAR Challenge (www.energystar.gov/challenge) promotes three actions: determining how much energy buildings use; establishing efficiency improvement goals; and making improvements. EPA estimates that if each building owner improves the efficiency of their buildings by 10 percent, by 2015 Americans would save about $10 billion and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an amount equivalent to the emissions from 15 million vehicles. The ENERGY STAR Challenge has also been extended to include building design: Architecture firms can now receive recognition for integrated design practices that promote energy efficiency. The American Institute of Architects (AIA) has recently committed to a 50 percent fossil fuel reduction in building design and actual performance. For more information regarding the ENERGY STAR Challenge for Architects, visit www.energystar.gov/newbuildingdesign.