Campaigning for world leaders to act on climate change since she was 15 years old.
Designing an edible water bottle when she was 12 years old.
Madison has always loved the beach. Walking down her favourite beach in California (USA) one day when she was 12 years old, Madison couldn’t help but notice plastic water bottles cluttering the sand and sea. She learnt that her favourite animals, turtles, were confusing plastic for food and swallowing it which was making them very sick.
A few weeks later, Madison’s school organised a science fair and students were encouraged to design a product that would help the environment. Madison thought back to that beach walk and knew exactly what she wanted to do. She said, ‘The beach is one of my favourite places to go and seeing it all trashed up with plastic water bottles, I just felt like this needed to change’. So, Madison set out on a journey to design an eco-friendly water bottle that could be eaten instead of thrown away.
Madison read of a technique used by many chefs called reverse specification, where a liquid is contained inside a gel casing. This is used to make the popping boba in bubble tea drinks for example. Madison learnt that to do this she would need to mix calcium lactate, xantham gym, lemon juice and water in a blender. She repeated this process again and again to figure out what the perfect quantities of each ingredient were. Sometimes it would pop, other times it was too hard to break or would taste too soapy. After weeks of grit, determination, and perseverance Madison found the perfect recipe. Madison’s bottle, named Eco-Hero, lasts 3 weeks in the fridge, holds 200ml of water, and costs just $1.20 (about £1.00) to make. The outside of the bottle has the texture of a gummy sweet with a slightly lemony flavour.
Madison has won multiple school, state-, and nation-wide awards for her amazing invention. But Madison won’t stop there. Madison is now on a mission to improve the water bottle and make it resealable, strongerand bigger. She imagines her invention could be used during marathons or races – as runners stop for water, they’d be able to grab an Eco Hero, drink the water and either eat or dispose the membrane.
Campaigning for access to clean water for Canada’s indigenous communities since she was 8 years old.
Raising awareness of the effects of the Syrian civil war and calling for peace since she was 6 years old.
Challenging the representation of girls and women in society since she was 11 years old.
Running a marathon in 10 days to raise money for homeless people when he was 7 years old.
Fundraising for the farmers whose incomes have been affected by drought in Australia since he was 11 years old.
Inspiring girls to learn about and aspire to work in science and technology subjects since she was 16 years old.
Creating and growing a bank that helps children save money by recycling since he was 12 years old.
Designing technology to supply electricity and water without emitting greenhouse gases since he was 15 years old.
Campaigning for the banning of plastic bags in Bali since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Designing a solar powered ironing cart to reduce charcoal burning in India since she was 12 years old.
Petitioning for schools to give children reusable water bottles since he was 7 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
Set up organisations supporting cancer patients, people in poverty, and promoting golf in young black girls, since she was 10 years old.
Saving the lives of hundreds of hedgehogs in the UK since they were 9 years old.
Campaigning to promote proper battery disposal and recycling since he was 10 years old.
Campaigning for people and businesses to stop using single-use plastics since they were 10 and 12 years old.
The world’s youngest sustainability advocate – working to make the world a better place since she was 3 years old.
Solving the problem of water contamination using science and technology since she was 11 years old.
