2009 Project Polar Bear 2nd place winners Molly and Kaley
The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is looking for teenagers who want to make a difference!
Local students between 14 and 18 and years old are invited to participate in Project Polar Bear, a national teen challenge sponsored by Polar Bears International. Project Polar Bear is a chance for small groups of teens to make a difference for polar bears by reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and slowing the warming of the Arctic.
A team of two or three students (plus an adult advisor) choose from one of four categories to design their project:
- Power Down
- Buy Recycled
- Do it Better, Make it Better
- Increase the Green to Suck up the CO2 (carbon dioxide)
Each category outlines a different way to reduce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. The registration deadline is September 30, 2010. All projects must be completed and submitted to the Zoo by December 31, 2010. In January, 2011, the Pittsburgh Zoo will choose the semi-finalist from our area to advance to the national competition. The national winners receive $500 each and a day at Sea World San Diego where they will play in the water with beluga whales and receive a behind-the-scenes tour with polar bears.
Two of the Zoo’s past teams have made it to San Diego. Last year’s winner, the team of Molly Corder and Kaley Zahren placed second overall in the competition!
Molly and Kaley, 17, motivated their family, friends, fellow students, and community to plant trees and gardens and make simple changes in their homes such as turning computers off when not in use, and recycling. Molly and Kaley also teamed with Trees for You and Me, a program sponsored by the American Association of Zoo Keepers. For every dollar collected, a tree is planted in U.S. National Forests.
The girls’ hard work paid off as the team:
- Reduced CO2 in their community by more than two million pounds
- Saved 806, 650 gallons of fresh water
- Recycled 36,000 aluminum cans
- Obtained over 50 pledges to have Christmas trees recycled
“We are very proud of our project and what we were able to accomplish,” said Kaley. “The trip to San Diego for the finals was very exciting and to come in second place was even more exciting.” While in San Diego, the finalists received a behind-the-scenes tour of the San Diego Zoo’s Polar Bear Plunge exhibit. They also visited Sea World, where they had the opportunity to swim with a beluga whale.
For more information on Project Polar Bear, official rules and inspiration from past winning entries: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org/programs/project-polar-bear
For more information on polar bear conservation, check out Polar Bears International: http://www.polarbearsinternational.org
