Catherine Chen is a rising senior at Manhasset High School with a passion for environmental engineering. With both parents working in the textile industry, she became aware from a young age of the environmental impact of dye pollution, motivating her to pursue sustainable solutions. She is also a National Earth Science Olympiad top 40 finalist, a double bass student at Juilliard Pre-College, and the creator of Alzheimer’s Companion, an app with over 1,000 downloads designed to help children support Alzheimer’s care. Catherine hopes to continue developing innovative technologies that address critical environmental challenges.
Tell us what the water concern in your country is!A key concern in the U.S. is resource overuse and emerging textile dye pollution which is caused by fast fashion and outdated water systems. Heavy chemicals and energy use depletes resources causing future generations to suffer. Current treatment methods address pollution but also creates new environmental challenges.
This is what I think is one of the solutions for a sustainable future:A solution is circular water economy, where wastewater can be reused. Using affordable, biodegradable materials can reduce energy and chemical consumption while also protecting water resources. Water treatment methods need to not only be effective but also consider the longterm impacts on resource scarcity and environmental health for future generations.
