The Vietnamese winners of The Earth Prize 2022 (from left): Luong Anh Khanh Huyen, Bui Tu Uyen and Tran Quynh Anh. (Source: sohuutritue.net.vn) |
The girls are 15-year-old Tran Quynh Anh from Ho Chi Minh City, and 17-year-old Bui Tu Uyen and 16-year-old Luong Anh Khanh Huyen, both from Hanoi.
The winning idea is the “Adorbsy” biodegradable menstrual pad. As the students explained in their submission, due to a drop in dragon fruit sales caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam was suddenly forced to deal with considerable amounts of unsold fruits, with an initial plan of simply burning it.
The students had already been thinking of a project linked to making more eco-friendly menstrual pads - as they were virtually non-existent in the Vietnamese market - when Uyen learned about the absorbent properties of dragon fruit peels.
Launched by The Earth Foundation in September 2021, The Earth Prize is a global 200,000 USD environmental sustainability competition for students between the ages of 13 and 19.