SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Seneca Valley Intermediate High School students Brendan McKelvy and Tony Pittavino fell just short of being named the best overall Polar Bear International team and winning the trip to see the polar bears in the wild in Manitoba, Canada.

However, the two Cranberry Township teens were honored at the San Diego Zoo for being named one of four finalists in the national contest.

The finalist teams and their adult leaders embarked April 24 to spend three days visiting the San Diego Zoo and attending the Polar Bear International's Spring Awards ceremony.

The teams competed in Project Polar Bear, a contest hosted by Polar Bear International. The contest challenged teens to find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their home communities.

More than 30 teams took part in the competition.

McKelvy said everyone involved with Polar Bears International was gracious and treated the finalists like VIPs.

"Their commitment and dedication to the preservation of the arctic and its wildlife were inspiring. We had some awesome opportunities to see and learn not only about the polar bear, but also about other animals at the San Diego Zoo and Sea World," McKelvy said.

The most outstanding things they were able to see were the polar bears up close and personal and being able to interact with the beluga whales and giraffes, McKelvy added.

"I have learned a lot from doing Project Polar Bear. I would like to thank everyone who helped to achieve the goals of our project," said Pittavino.

"Even though we weren't the grand-prize winners, we had an amazing experience. We met many interesting people and made a lot of new friends."

Polar Bear International announced the Best Overall and Second Place winners at the ceremony and also honored the other two finalist teams. Polar Bears International received more than 30 entries from the U.S. and Canada.

Finalists McKelvy and Pittavino, representing the Pittsburgh Zoo, visited elementary schools, senior citizen centers, high schools, neighborhood events and clubs in their community to inform the public about the affect of global warming on polar bears and the need to reduce carbon emissions.

They helped homeowners become energy efficient and inspired students through talks, quizzes and games.

The other finalist team, "The Green Teens" from the Oregon Zoo, Emily Carlson, Jacob Shimkus and Sierra Sweigert, created a "Don't Be Idle" campaign that encourages parents to turn off their cars while waiting to pick up their children from school as each minute spent idling releases a pound of carbon dioxide.

"Polar Bear Revolution" from the Pittsburgh Zoo and the "Green Teens" team from the Portland Zoo for being named finalists enjoyed a VIP tour of the San Diego Zoo, including a behind-the-scenes stop at Polar Bear Plunge.

They also received admission to Sea World San Diego during their three-day trip.

Each team member also got $100 and a membership and prize package of Polar Bear International merchandise.

"The projects that the teens came up with exceeded our expectations," said Robert Buchanan, PBI's president. "Global warming is not an irreversible problem, and these young people provide us with the hope that we can save polar bear habitat. We can take steps to reduce carbon emissions, keep the ice from melting and save the polar bear."

The overall winners were Brandie Farkas and Emily Goldstein, whose team "Pledge for the Polar Bears" representing the Louisville (Ky.) Zoo, took on emissions in a big way by generating pledges to reduce carbon emissions by 16 million pounds a year.

The high school students accomplished that by creating a Web site about polar bears and climate change to educate and inspire people to make lifestyle changes to help solve the worldwide climate crisis.

Overall winners were awarded with $300 per participant and the grand prize trip to Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, the polar bear capital of the world, to see polar bears in the wild in October.

The runner up team was "The Canuck Nanooks" from Winnipeg, Canada.

Three sisters, Rebekah, Rachael and Miranda Vickery from Winnipeg, Manitoba, representing the Assiniboine Park Zoo, came up with 11 projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The second place winner enjoyed a Wild Arctic Encounter at Sea World San Diego, where they swam with beluga whales, and a tour of the San Diego Zoo, including a behind-the-scenes visit to the Polar Bear Plunge. Each team member also got a $200 award.

"Everyone who has encountered these teens from Project Polar Bear have been motivated to reduce their carbon emissions because of the enthusiasm and well-designed projects the teams put together," said Kathy Myers, a Polar Bear International's Advisory Council member and education specialist with the San Diego Zoo, who spearheaded the project.

"Teens today are plugged into what is happening in the world around them and they want to be a part of changing the future. The contest gave them a way to focus their efforts and become involved."