Miss Earth SA to tackle eco challenges in communities
THE NEWLY crowned Miss Earth SA Irini Moutzouris wants to use her platform to help make a sustainable change to communities around the country.
The 22-year-old was crowned at a ceremony in Joburg at the weekend. First runner-up was Orielia Egambaram and the second Bianca Rungasamy.
Born in Klerksdorp, North West, Moutzouris told The Star she was excited to be able to make a difference in the lives of all the people she is set to meet during her reign.
“I want to be remembered as someone who grabbed every opportunity with both hands.
“I really want to be actively involved, not just in the glamorous events, but I also want to get my hands dirty and make a sustain- able difference.”
The pageant sets itself apart from other beauty competitions in that it seeks to empower young South African women with knowledge.
It also prides itself on working towards combating the destruction of our natural heritage.
This galvanised Moutzouris, a BEd student at the University of Pretoria, to enter the pageant this year.
“I have wanted to enter Miss Earth SA for many years, but this year I decided to take the plunge because I knew I had the time to fully commit myself.”
“The reason it appealed to me was that Miss Earth SA is an enrichment programme that impacts entire communities.”
The beauty queen and environmental ambassador said she was excited about visiting the schools and educating learners about sustainability.
“Education is the key to solving so many problems and by going to the schools and teaching pupils from a young age about the importance of recycling and protecting the environment, we will be so much closer in our fight to protect our environment.”
As part of her duties, she will also travel around the country to teach people how to minimise waste, recycle and plant their own vegetable gardens.”
Moutzouris is no stranger to this type of work.
In the past few months, she and other Miss Earth SA finalists have been working on the #WasteStopsWithME, an initiative with the City of Joburg, Pikitup, Tsogo Sun and the South African National Biodiversity Institute to clean up the country and educate people about litter.