Ren Xiaoyuan, founder of MyH2O, a data platform that charts groundwater quality across rural China, is among the seven recipients of the Young Champions of the Earth 2020, UN's highest environmental award.

The app tells residents where to find clean water and connects communities with private companies and non-profit organizations that provide potable water solutions. Since its launch in 2015, MyH2O has helped provide clean water to about 1,000 villages.

The 29-year-old became interested in environmental advocacy as a teen. She went on to earn dual master's degrees in environmental engineering and technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

"The MyH2O network and platform that Ren Xiaoyuan has pioneered addresses the root causes of deteriorating water quality whilst safeguarding water resources in underprivileged communities. UN Environment Programme (UNEP) encourages such bottom-up approaches and through this award, we hope that MyH2O can inspire many others," Joakim Harlin, head of UNEP's freshwater unit, said.