2 Indian American Teens Win Young Eco-Hero Award for Creative Initiatives to Tackle Environmental Challenges

Two Indian Americans are among the top winners of Action for Nature’s 2021 Young Eco-Hero award, honoring 25 young environmental activists from across the globe for their creative initiatives aimed at tackling the world’s most pressing environmental challenges. For the past 18 years, the awards have annually honored youth ages eight to 16 who are taking crucial steps to solve tough environmental problems.

The first-place prize went to Aarushi Wadhwa of San Jose, California. The 16-year-old student at Campbell’s Westmont High School has discovered a unique way to conserve water and combat drought. Since 2017, Wadhwa has been developing an Aqua-Pod – a “sponge” made of 100 percent biodegradable materials such as coffee grounds, potato, and banana peels that are proven to retain water and increase soil fertility. Currently, the Aqua-Pod is being distributed in California, as well as in Kenya and India.

Tanya Das, 16, of Mount Laurel, New Jersey, received second place. Das founded the global non-profit, Motion for the Ocean, Inc., to raise awareness about marine debris and to empower and inspire underserved youth by teaching them underwater robotics that they could apply to pollution removal. In January 2020, Das conducted her first international underwater robotics workshop in a village in Odisha. More than 450 people attended the workshop’s opening assembly, and 250 students participated in the 10-day workshop which culminated in the students successfully using their remotely operated vehicles to remove debris from the local river. The COVID-19 pandemic has curtailed Das’ ability to continue in-person robotics workshops, but she continues to provide virtual leadership training and support to more than 30 student ambassadors in 12 countries.

Canadian teen Sophia Mathur, 13 of Sudbury won the Climate Change Activist award. Inspired by her family, Mathur began lobbying politicians on environmental issues at age 7. She has successfully lobbied the City of Greater Sudbury to declare a climate emergency, urged Canadian ministers to adopt carbon pricing, and lobbied her MP, Paul Lefebvre, for border carbon adjustments. Currently, she is the lead youth plaintiff in an Ecojustice lawsuit against the Ontario government for weakening Ontario’s 2030 climate target.

The third prize went to 12-year-old Ayaan Shankta of Mumbai whose project, Conservation and Rehabilitation of Powai Lake, aims to raise awareness about pollution, clean up the lake, and protect its ecosystem. In addition to working with NGOs to raise awareness and organize clean-ups, Shankta authored an action report on lake conditions and is currently working on a documentary about Powai Lake.
Meanwhile, Nihal Tammana, 11, of Edison, New Jersey; Nithin Parthasarathy, 16, of Irvine, California; Ashwin Sivakumar, 16, of Pasadena, California; Romal Mitr, 15, of Dublin, California; and Avni Garg, 16, of New York, New York received honorable mentions in this year’s competition. Notable mention went to Ganesh Kumar, 15, of Fremont, California.

“The next generation of leaders is here, and they are refusing to wait to solve the most pressing environmental challenges,” said Beryl Kay, president of Action For Nature, an international non-profit organization that encourages young people to nurture a love and respect for the Earth and to take personal action to improve the environment. “The projects that these young people created will not only have real, positive impacts on their communities, they will also help solve global climate challenges and inspire others – no matter what age – to consider what they can do to help.”

Since 2003, Action For Nature has recognized more than 300 Eco-Heroes from over 30 countries and 25 U.S. states. The winning projects are selected by a panel of independent judges, including experts in environmental science, biology, and education.

The winners will present their work at a virtual event, the 2021 International Eco-Hero Awards Conference, anchored in San Francisco on Sept. 18.