Newly crowned Miss Earth SA to teach youth to love earth

Moutzouris said being crowned Miss Earth South Africa meant she was now a role model to fellow South Africans.

Miss Earth SA Irini Moutzouris. Photo: Facebook.

Caring for the earth is one other thing newly crowned Miss Earth Irini Moutzouris is passionate about apart from the arts.

The final year University of Pretoria (UP) visual arts student said her reign focus on a number of projects for the benefit of young people.

Miss Earth SA forms part of the global leadership programme that aims to empower young South African women with the knowledge and platform to create a sustainable difference to combating the destruction of our natural heritage.

The programme helps to create an awareness of sustainable development, our environment, wildlife and the conservation of our natural legacy in South Africa, and ultimately the preservation of Mother Earth.

“Our goal is to create sustainability through our environmental work. Now more than ever before we as South Africans are experiencing issues of global warming, climate change and sustainability. Energy has also become a crucial denominator,” said pageant organisers.
The university said Moutzouris entered the competition in order to raise the awareness of the environment and promote recycling.

“As part of her community engagement project for visual arts in the Department of Humanities Education, she will use the platform to demonstrate the impact that visual art education students can have on a community,” said the university.

The project was initially promoted by UP masters student Nicolette Human, who was Miss Earth finalist in 2016.

Moutzouris said being crowned Miss Earth South Africa had catapulted her to being a role model to fellow South Africans.

“This gives me an opportunity to be an ambassador and voice for the environment and creating awareness about the environmental problems we face on a daily basis, especially in waste management.” 

She said she was passionate about teaching people about how to turn waste into fortune and the benefits of recycling.

“Education around waste and recycling is key. It is everyone’s responsibility and I believe that we all need to be re-educated on waste and our own role in the waste management of the city,” she said.

Moutzouris will later this year represent South Africa at the global Miss Earth competetion in the Philippines.

Miss Earth is an annual international environmental-themed beauty pageant promoting environmental awareness.

She also took part earlier last month in the first #AreSebetseng campaign spearheaded by Joburg mayor Herman Mashaba to get that city clean, green and safe.

During her reign, she will teach children and young people about the importance of recycling and the need to care for the environment.

https://rekordeast.co.za/147528/newly-crowned-miss-earth-sa-to-teach-youth-to-love-earth/