The following information was released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:

During a ceremony at the West Coast Green Conference in San Francisco, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Assistant Administrator Susan Bodine announced winners of the inaugural Lifecycle Building Challenge competition.

U.S. EPA Assistant Administrator Bodine, along with the American Institute of Architects President RK Stewart, and Building Materials Reuse Association President Brad Guy, recognized award winners for their cutting-edge green building ideas that aim to reduce environmental and energy impacts of buildings.

Ideas from the design contest will jumpstart the building industry to help reuse more of the 100 million tons of building-related construction and demolition debris sent each year to landfills in the United States.

Reusing valuable building materials conserves resources and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, said Bodine. Designing buildings for adaptability, disassembly and local reuse is an important environmental protection strategy.

The Lifecycle Building Challenge a" partners the U.S. EPA, the Building Materials Reuse Association, the American Institute of Architects and West Coast Green a" invited professionals and students nationwide to submit designs and ideas that support cost-effective disassembly and anticipate future use of building materials. Green Building Blocks, the competition sponsor, provided cash awards to student winners, and Green Building in Alameda County, Calif. provided the awards.

Lifecycle building maximizes material recovery to reverse the trend of disposing of large quantities of construction and demolition debris in landfills. Reusing building components also reduces energy and greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing and transporting materials.

In the United States, buildings consume 60 percent of total materials flow (excluding food and fuel) and account for 33 percent of the solid waste stream. Building renovation and demolition accounts for 91 percent of the construction and demolition debris generated each year, while new construction accounts for only 9 percent. Between 2000 to 2030, 27 percent of existing buildings will be replaced and 50 percent of the total building stock will be constructed.