2026 Teens Dream – Clean Water for Every Community

My dream is a world where every person has access to clean, safe drinking water, no matter where they live, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, which seeks to ensure safe and affordable water for all by 2030. Growing up in Skillman, New Jersey, clean water has always felt guaranteed, yet 2.2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed drinking water. Even when water is available, it may be contaminated, unreliable, or unsafe, affecting health, education, food security, and ecosystems, disproportionately impacting vulnerable communities. To understand water pollution in New Jersey, I studied resources showing that many water systems exceed safe levels of PFAS, “forever chemicals” that pose serious health risks and harm aquatic organisms. If no action is taken, both people and wildlife could face long-term consequences. I noticed a lack of current efforts to remove these contaminants, which motivated me to explore solutions. One approach I am testing is using fungi to break down pollutants, measuring their effectiveness through water quality tests, including chemical analysis. Small lakes and ponds are ideal for these experiments because they are sensitive to pollutants and easier to monitor. I want to empower young people to protect water quality through education, science, and community action by teaching students about conservation, pollution, and basic water science, as well as organizing youth-led water testing and clean-ups to safeguard local water sources while raising awareness about the global water crisis. Clean water is a human right, not a privilege, and youth action combined with community engagement can help ensure it is accessible to everyone.