Satvika Iyer
2023 Eco-Hero
3rd PLACE
Satvika Iyer
Age 16
Milpitas, California, USA
Plant-Based Nutrition & Waste Management of School Food Systems
As a 2023 International Young Eco-Hero Award winner, Satvika Iyer from Milpitas, California, distinguished herself for her pioneering work in sustainable food systems.
As an 8th-grade student during the COVID-19 pandemic, Satvika Iyer was helping to hand out school lunches when she noticed that they were all wrapped in single-use plastic and filled with processed foods. Later, as a high school freshman, she was disappointed to find that the only vegetarian options at her school cafeteria were a sugar-filled PB&J Uncrustable or the pizza – if she picked off the pepperoni. Volunteering in the cafeteria, she realized that the system had failed other people too, resulting in a toxic cycle of waste and leading everyone to give up on school nutrition.
Over the last two years, Satvika has advocated for plant-based nutrition and waste management of food systems, in her school district and in the US House of Representatives, working to create a healthy and sustainable food system for all.
Working with Friends of the Earth (FOE), Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC), and her nutrition service directors in her school district, Satvika instated a permanent and culturally relevant plant-based menu with meat-free alternatives such as tofu taco crumbles, Chana Masala, Edamame Fried Rice, and salad bars.
Armed with this experience, working with youth policy leadership at FOE, she introduced provisions to the Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act with the US Congress's Education and Labor Committee. She also shared testimonies and negotiated with US representatives on why an act that promoted scratch cooking, plant-based meals, and free lunch services would benefit all Americans.
Satvika was invited to the White House's Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, on September 28, 2022, where she shared her vision for a just, efficient, and sustainable food system with the members of the Biden administration. She plans to further her impact by helping other school districts implement sustainable and culturally relevant food systems and advocating for legislation to reduce food waste, whether at grocery stores or restaurants.
“School is where we learn, and school food systems are where most Americans first experience their government's policy failure,” Satvika says. “Knowing how these meals could impact my fellow students, I resolved to make the school cafeteria service for all!”
Where Are They Now? 2025 Update:
Becoming an Action For Nature Eco-Hero was just the beginning of Satvika Iyer's remarkable journey in environmental and social innovation. Her award-winning dedication has continued to flourish, inspiring further impactful work:
Minimizing Food Waste with "Give, Take, Share": Since receiving the Eco-Hero Award, Satvika facilitated a crucial partnership between her school district and Hope for the Unhoused, a local organization. Addressing the challenge of uneaten meals being disposed of due to state law and outdated school policy, she conceptualized and implemented the Give, Take, Share Bin. This initiative allowed students to place unopened leftovers from lunch into bins, which other students could then take to supplement their meals. After lunch, unopened food from these bins and the cafeteria was transported to "Hope for the Unhoused," creating a vital circular facility and minimizing waste in line with California's Senate Bill 1383 (SB 1383) requirements for school recycling and organics programs.
Nature-Based Leadership: Satvika was selected as a Naturebridge Armstrong Scholar, embarking on a life-changing 12-day backpacking experience in the Yosemite High Sierra. This program, centered around female empowerment and leadership, provided a profound connection to nature and a deeply character-building experience.
Leading Clean Energy at UC Berkeley: Satvika has completed her freshman year at UC Berkeley, where she is studying at the intersection of economics, engineering, and public health to design and contribute to sustainable and accessible food, water, and energy systems. As a Clean Energy Campus Associate, she played a pivotal role in simplifying and communicating the complex technical, financial, and regulatory aspects behind UC Berkeley's plan to phase out its cogeneration plant and transition to an electric heating and cooling system. This ambitious plan has now been approved by the chancellor and is moving forward to the UC Regents.
Consulting for Food Justice & Sustainability: As a consultant and project manager for Berkeley Food, Equity, Entrepreneurship, & Development (FEED), Satvika helps transform the food system. She has successfully scaled a small sustainable catering business and developed a comprehensive go-to-market strategy for an antibacterial tool for the fresh produce supply chain, leveraging the unique skills honed from her previous projects.
Urban Health Fieldwork & Research: Satvika has also engaged in urban health fieldwork, applying public health practices to support migrant workers in the Bay Area. Additionally, she is researching the local economic and environmental impacts of data centers under the guidance of a PhD in the Agricultural and Resource Economics Department, analyzing critical variables like noise, energy, water use, and job creation.
Future Leadership: Looking ahead, Satvika is excited to begin her sophomore year and will serve as an RA supporting the Global Environment Theme House Program this fall.
Satvika's journey exemplifies the profound and lasting impact of an Action For Nature Eco-Hero, demonstrating how early passion can blossom into broad, systemic change across multiple environmental and social spheres.
