SHREYA RAMACHANDRAN –
THE GREY WATER PROJECT

Shreya Ramachandran first noticed the effects of drought when visiting rural California for an archery competition. She talked with farmers who told stories of dry wells and lost crops. Soon after, she traveled to India and learned that drought is a world-wide issue effecting millions of people. So Shreya set out to research grey water – the gently used water from household sinks, showers, and laundry – learned how to reuse it at her home and then developed a curriculum to teach others how to use it.

Shreya’s outreach efforts through The Grey Water Project (the non-profit organization she founded) include conducting seminars to show others how easy it is to build grey water systems using organic detergents, collaborating with several California water agencies to promote grey water reuse, and developing a grey water curriculum for elementary students to teach water conservation and the idea that small actions can make a huge difference.

Shreya was a 2018 Barron Prize winner.