A high school student, 16-year-old Anisha Dhoot, launched a climate project using seaweed from the Oregon coast.
As KOIN 6 News reported, Anisha won the 2025 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes for her innovative work.
She calls the project Smart Carbon Recycling and addresses both the changing climate and soil degradation. Her project involved developing a low-cost fertilizer, KelpNutriBoost, made from local seaweed. The fertilizer grows fast and quickly captures carbon from the atmosphere.
Anisha combined her fertilizer with biochar, a charcoal made from recycled plastic and treated sewage. Her goal is to use the fertilizer mix to improve damaged soil and improve agricultural yields.
Taking her project a step further, Anisha built Earth-AI, an AI-based tool that predicts what crops will grow based on the local climate and soil conditions. She took online courses to learn how to code and create the AI model. Given its high accuracy and smartphone accessibility, Anisha envisions it as applicable for small farmers growing crops in developing countries.
Anisha's story is inspiring because it highlights the dedication of a young person committed to helping our planet.
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Not only is this impressive high schooler creating real-world solutions for critical climate issues, but she's also raising public awareness in her community. Anisha distributes the fertilizer she makes to local farms and organizes fundraisers.
Worldwide, young people are helping our world adapt to steadily rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns. Young leaders like Anisha are also helping communities recover after disasters and advocating for the environment in unique and vital ways.
You, too, can take action where you live by volunteering for a local organization, contacting your elected officials about policy concerns, and supporting sustainable businesses. It's also impactful to donate to climate causes you care about to further environmental organizations' crucial missions.
"As a community, if we all work together, we can actually make a real impact," Anisha said. "I can't wait to see what comes next."
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As a Barron Prize winner, Anisha received $10,000 to continue her climate work. In an interview, she said that in 15 years, she hopes to be "a successful STEM professional working in a technology company on some of the world's hardest problems to improve the life of every person on earth."
"Climate change is real, and we must do everything in our power to ensure that human beings don't destroy this beautiful planet," Anisha said. "I want to share my passion, spread awareness, and inspire other people to act."
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