Eco-Hero Award Winner Eesha Ande Blends Environmental Action with Community Care
Sixteen-year-old Eesha Ande of San Antonio has won 3rd Prize in the 2025 International Young Eco-Hero Awards for a project that tackles period poverty while reducing plastic waste.
Her mission began after learning a friend missed school because she didn’t have menstrual products. Research showed that 1 in 4 U.S. students miss class for the same reason, and over 200,000 tons of menstrual waste end up in landfills each year.
With support from the United Nations Association of the USA and a grant from the San Antonio Mayor’s Fitness Council, Eesha launched a sustainable menstrual hygiene program. She stocked her school’s girls’ bathrooms with disposable and eco-friendly products like cloth pads and menstrual cups, along with bilingual educational materials.
She also created nearly 100 portable hygiene kits—each with seven cloth pads, a wet bag, and medically reviewed instructions—which she distributed to low-income menstruators in San Antonio.
“Courage, fueled by passion and determination, can propel you beyond your perceived limits,” Eesha told Action for Nature.
Her mentor from the Mayor’s Fitness Council, Andrea Bottiglieri, said Eesha was “confident, knowledgeable, driven, conscientious, determined, and savvy,” telling Action for Nature that the project was entirely Eesha’s initiative.
Beyond school, Eesha has partnered with organizations like the Medical Reserve Corps, UT Teen Health, and Family Violence Prevention Services, and has even engaged in legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill. A violinist and president of her school’s Junior State of America chapter, she also led her club to win “Texas Chapter of the Year.”
Looking ahead, she plans to develop toolkits for other schools, launch a social media campaign, and partner with the Texas Diaper Bank—continuing her mission to make menstrual equity and sustainability a reality.
