SAMOHI —Team Marine, Santa Monica High School's environmental science eco-action group, was awarded first place in the Los Angeles County Science Fair Saturday for their project on examining the effects of the city's plastic bag ban on consumers.
The three students from the club awarded the honor were Angelina Hwang, Edie Cote and Ivan Morales.
The two-year study compared pre-ban data with post-ban data, and visually estimated the bag type, age and gender of over 50,400 people exiting five local grocery stores.
With the award, the students advance to the state competition, held at the California Science Center April 15-16, and will also present their data at the AltBuild Expo at the Santa Monica Convention Center May 11, school officials said.
"I hope we're now giving the next generation the tools to continue the environmental work my generation was unable to finish," Santa Monica City Councilmember Kevin McKeown said.
— Alex Vejar
