You will be so inspired by the example of the teens in this video! They are the semi-finalists and winners of Project Polar Bear, a contest run by Polar Bears International, a non-profit dedicated to "conservation through research and education" and sponsored by Frontiers North's Tundra Buggy Adventure, a company that runs tours to see polar bears in northern Canada.

As finalists, the four teams visited the San Diego Zoo and were lauded at the award ceremony in the video. The contest challenged teens to find ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by their communities. Working in teams of two or three, with an adult advisor, the teens came up with ideas like:

• Giving talks at schools, local businesses, senior citizen centers, and anywhere else that people would listen, teaching people about the relationship between carbon emissions, global warming and polar bears. Public speaking finalists Brendan McKelvy and Tony Pittavino represented the Pittsburgh Zoo.

• Creating a "Don't Be Idle" campaign, asking parents at all of the area schools to shut off their cars when waiting to pick up their kids. Since one minute of idling equals a pound of CO2, finalists Emily Carlson, Jacob Shimkus and Sierra Sweigert from the Oregon Zoo, saw huge results every day in the parking lot after school.

• Putting coins back in circulation -- really! By getting 800 pounds of coins out of the coffee can under sinks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, sisters Rebekah, Rachael and Miranda Vickery helped reduce the number of coins that needed to be minted, eliminating the corresponding environmental impact. This, and ten other good ideas, earned the sisters second place.

The winning idea was a website, created by passionate animal lovers Brandie Farkas and Emily Goldstein, from Louisville, KY. Part of the Louisville Zoo website, their Project Polar Bear site offered educational information, a journal, a polar bear quiz, and most importantly a place where you can pledge to make simple lifestyle changes to reduce your CO2 output. Actions include unplugging unused electronics (go do this now!), using cold water for laundry, and driving 55 mph, which saves a surprising amount of fuel.

As one of the Vickery sisters said in the video, "I'm only one person, but I'm still one person." She and all of the teens who participated in Project Polar Bear prove that even one or two people can accomplish great things with a great idea and a positive attitude!