In observation of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, the Vice President's Office announced the selection of 25 communities for up to $452 million in Recovery Act funding to "ramp-up" energy efficiency building retrofits.

Under a Department of Energy initiative, communities, governments, private sector companies and non-profits will work together on programs for concentrated retrofits of neighborhoods and towns - and eventually entire states.

Meeting one of the Energy Department's missions, the models are expected to save households and businesses about a $100 million annually in utility bills, while leveraging private sector resources, to create what could be as many as 30,000 new jobs over the next three years.