Although the team was notified of the recognition since June, it was yesterday when the international dissemination began.
The other two winning projects were Breathe Mongolia, which combats air pollution through real-time monitoring, and Project Lawud from the Philippines, which protects endangered dugongs.
“The 2025 winners remind us why supporting youth leadership is one of our most urgent commitments to the planet,” said Millie Edwards, director of The Iris Project.
“In Mongolia, Mexico and the Philippines, young leaders are tackling toxic air, restoring rivers and protecting endangered species, demonstrating that youth-led action creates impact where it matters most. Not only do they give us hope, they deliver results.”
Last year, “Microcosmos” participated in the same call and was among the finalists. At that time they earned 2,500 dollars with which they published a guide on the immensity of species of flora and fauna that inhabit Monterrey.
This year the amount won, 10 thousand dollars, will be to acquire scientific tools with which to monitor the water that runs through the Santa Catarina. For this task they usually use a log designed by the group at LabNL in which they record what they perceive with their senses.
“We would go down to the river and write down in that log what it smelled like, what it felt like to be there, how we perceived safety; if the water was cloudy, if it had residue. All with our senses,” Andrea explained.
“But with this fund we want to delve into what the legal standards for water quality are, how we can measure oxygenation, PH and how to be able to more formally monitor these bodies of water in the river over time.”
The idea is to have scientific evidence to demand that the authorities protect and care for the river in accordance with the laws.
“It will no longer be so much ‘it smells bad’, but rather: ‘Water and Drainage, we have been monitoring this discharge for the last six months. The levels of presence of heavy metals have increased. We ask you to do something about it,'” says Andrea.
You can learn more about his work at @vmicrocosmosnl.
“What we are looking for with these funds and with these monitoring activities that we organize is to convince people to go down the river to appropriate the space,” says Andrea. “Only through knowledge and affection for a territory can we organize to defend it.”