Kids are making a difference for our planet!
Around the world, young people are taking action to help the environment. They’re planting trees, growing gardens for bees and other pollinators, cleaning up plastics, and protecting rivers and lakes. They’re also turning waste into useful new things. They show how our choices and actions can add up to big change.
The 2025 Eco-Heroes
Since 2003, U.S.-based nonprofit Action for Nature has celebrated young environmental champions through its annual International Young Eco-Hero Awards. These awards honor kids and youth ages 8-16 who are making a real difference.
This year a panel of judges selected 15 amazing winners from around the world.
Alice Wanjiru (age 11, from Kenya) won first place in the 8–13 age group. Alice is a climate activist whose project helps reduce air pollution near a sewage treatment plant in Nairobi. She leads work to improve human health and the local environment.
Hear from Alice about her project:
Priyanshi Podar (age 16, from Nepal) won first place in the 14–16 age group. Priyanshi is an innovator. Her Project Saathi, (“Saathi” means friend in Nepali), turns waste rubber from local factories and houses into soft mats that can be used for sleeping, studying, and playing.
Hear from Priyanshi about her project:
Alice, Priyanshi, and other award winners will present their projects at a virtual conference in September.
Other inspiring Eco-Heroes include:
- Josué Arias Calderón (age 11) from Colombia, for raising awareness and protecting high-mountain ecosystems.
- Nethanya Fonseka (age 16) from Michigan, for gardening for nature and planting trees to fight climate change.
- Harsita Priyadarshini Mohanty (age 13) from India, for collecting and preserving food seeds and promoting sustainable farming.
Meet all the incredible winners and finalists and learn more about their projects on the Action for Nature website.
Congratulations to the 2025 Eco-Heroes!
