Teen Teams Win $100,000 for Earth Prize

Why this is here: HewaSafi, a vehicle exhaust filter from Kenya, captures over 90 percent of particulate matter using locally sourced materials like maize cobs and coconut shells.

The Earth Prize awarded seven teenage teams $12,500 each to develop solutions for global environmental problems, with a global winner chosen by public vote on May 29. The annual competition, now in its fifth year, has engaged over 21,000 students from 169 countries.

Arya Satheesh, 18, from Ireland created Eco Purge, a plant-based plastic that breaks down and cleans existing microplastics. In Kenya, Fredrick Njoroge Kariuki and Miron Onsarigo, both 17, built HewaSafi, a vehicle exhaust filter using agricultural waste to combat air pollution.

Tala and Farah Mousa from Gaza won for the Middle East with Build Hope Palestine, a method to transform rubble into building blocks. Meanwhile, Vivaan Chhawchharia, Ariana Agarwal, and Avyana Mehta, all 16, from India developed Plas-Stick, a tamarind seed powder that removes microplastics from water using a magnet. The teams are working to scale their projects and collaborate with local communities and researchers.

The article notes that replicating the rubble-to-brick process requires no heavy machinery, but long-term viability and wider adoption of all solutions remain to be seen. The Earth Prize will announce the remaining regional winners and the global champion soon.