The Carbonators of are ready to take on the final task in the fifth annual Lexus Eco Challenge.
The national contest encourages middle school students to create and use environmental programs that have a positive impact on their communities.
This group of eight students is led by teacher Dominque Evans-Bye and has already won $10,000. They will now compete for the $30,000 prize, with the project due Monday.
Each team comes up with an action plan, the Carbonators chose to research the negative impact of ozone smog in Los Angeles County, the most polluted area in the nation, according to a Clark High School news release.
The group identified smog levels in California using data from the Environmental Protection Agency and used this data to make spatial analysis maps in ArcGIS - a geographic information system.
The Carbonators wanted to educate the public about the subject after surveying and finding people didn't generally know about smog levels. They created a blog highlighting the research and showcased the project at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works Headquarters for GIS Day.
Students found reported cases of asthma where ozone levels are low, according to a presentation made by The Carbonators Tuesday at the Glendale Unified School District board meeting.
The Carbonators propose that to reduce ozone damage community members must use renewable energy. One form of renewable energy would be to install solar panels.
The group challenged GUSD Superintendent Dr. Richard M. Sheehan and the school board to install solar panels.
will have solar panels installed in the spring with funding from Measure S, Sheehan said.
Locals are invited to support the team's Action Plan and look at the Los Angeles County online solar maps that show the best places to install solar panels, posting a message on Wifitti or texting a message asking to reduce smog to 87884 starting with @wif90734.
Luxuray automaker Lexus began the Lexus Eco Challenge in partnership with Scholastic, global publishing, education and media company. The goal of the program is to teach youth about the environment, inspire ingenuity and a better world.
Lexus and Scholastic will choose 10 winning teams nationwide. Two of those teams will earn the grand prize of $30,000 while eight teams will be named first place winners receiving $15,000 all in the form of grants for the school and teacher, and scholarships for the students.
To learn more about The Carbonators of Clark, visit carbonators.blogspot.com.
