Nithya Tammana keynote speaker

Twelve-year old TEDx Speaker and water innovator founded Save Drop, a youth-led organization focused on water conservation and clean water at the age of nine. In her speeches, she addresses the question: How can billions of people struggle to access water while so much of it is wasted every day?

Nithya researched hot-water recirculation systems and wrote to governors in all 50 U.S. states asking them to consider recirculation pumps in new home construction. More than 650 people have signed her petition, and several governors' offices have responded. Grundfos, a global pump manufacturer, advises Save Drop on this work.

She also started #ServeHalfGlass, asking restaurants to serve half a glass first and refill it when customers ask. The campaign has since expanded to 22 restaurant locations across 11 states, including locations operated by Desi District.

Later, Nithya invented BioLayer, a four-layer filter made with pebbles, sand, activated charcoal, and Sphagnum moss. Five student co-scientists are now independently testing the design as Nithya continues to develop it.

In 2026, Nithya was named a National Winner of the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, which drew more than 5,300 youth submissions from all 50 states. She was also selected as the 2026 New Jersey State Merit Winner in the 3M Young Scientist Challenge and received the Dr. Mary Griffin-Jones Special Award in Action For Nature's International Young Eco-Hero Awards.

Nithya became the youngest delegate in the 70-year history of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women and delivered a TEDx talk on water as a human right. She received the New Jersey Governor's Volunteerism Award for Environmental Stewardship and exhibited BioLayer at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival, alongside inventors from around the world.

A graduate of the Babson EPIC entrepreneurship program and a National Civics Bee New Jersey Regional Finalist, today Nithya’s Save Drop has reached more than one million people through schools, events, media, and community programs. More than 100 student-led clubs have participated in its work, and more than 450 students take part in weekly water conservation classes.

Her message encourages people to understand that they don't need to have everything figured out before they begin, and they don't need to wait until adulthood to work on a problem they care about.

“I didn't wait to grow up to make a difference. I started with one idea and turned it into a movement.”

“Because every child deserves clean water.”