Pretty in green

The Miss Earth Hawaii beauty pageant has much of the same glamour and glitz of other competitions with contestants strutting across the stage in swimsuits and evening gowns.

But they must also spend three minutes talking about the environment and adopt an environmental platform.

"We’re really looking for an ambassador for the environment, a beautiful female who cares about where she lives as far as her natural environment," said pageant director Aure­ana Tseu, the 2009 Miss Hawaii USA, who knows a little something about pageants.

Honolulu will host the Miss Earth USA pageant for the first time Sept. 1 at the Ala Moana Hotel. The event is expected to attract 30 contestants from across the nation.

Earlier that day a dozen or so Hawaii contestants will vie for the title of Miss Earth Hawaii, the first time the islands are participating in the Miss Earth pageant.

The newly crowned Miss Earth Hawaii, along with four others to be selected Miss Air Hawaii, Miss Water Hawaii, Miss Fire Hawaii and Miss Eco Hawaii, will go on to compete in the national pageant that evening.

Miss Earth Hawaii will receive a $50,000 scholarship to attend Argosy University, while the others receive cash prizes up to $7,000. All get a sash and crown madefrom recycled metals and gems representing their natural elements.

The pageant has attracted a diverse pool of candidates, Tseu said, including many first-timers and women who would not normally have been interested in such contests.

Elise MacLean, 25, is a North Shore model and pastry chef who recently graduated from Gros Bonnet Culinary Arts in Hono­lulu. She said she has never competed in a beauty pageant before but was intrigued by the opportunity.

She is promoting the farm-to-table movement as her environmental platform.

"I really want to focus on teaching kids where their food comes from," said MacLean, who cultivates a home garden. "In Hawaii I also believe that we need to protect our undeveloped land because we have a limited amount of space here, and I think we have to protect places that are unique."

Elizabeth Viernes, 22, of Kapo­lei wants to highlight how technology can help the environment. The engineer and University of Hawaii graduate became interested in environmental issues after a trip to the Philippines where the overabundance of trash left an impression.

Jhordan Joshua, 18, a Moana­lua High School graduate, wants to raise awareness of how beach litter affects marine life. Leah Austin, 22, a UH student, will address how socioeconomic factors play a role in environmental actions.

Tseu said she could not think of a more fitting location for the Miss Earth USA pageant than Hawaii because of the state’s natural beauty.

Her own interest in sustainability stems from being a hula dancer and practicing her Hawaiian culture, which values the land and resources.

"As a world we can’t agree on politics or religion or even on what beauty is, but what we can agree upon is that we need to take better care of our world and environment," she said.

The international Miss Earth competition will be at a yet-to-be determined location in Southeast Asia in November or December.

MISS EARTH was started 12 years ago by Carousel Productions Inc., a family-run business led by Ramon Monzon, which has experience in pageant production in the Philippines.

While the Miss Earth pageant is new to Hawaii, it’s been gaining momentum in international participation, attracting between 80 to 90 participants. The Miss Earth USA title currently belongs to Siria Bojor­quez of El Paso, Texas. The international Miss Earth title belongs to Tereza Fajksova of the Czech Republic.

Miss Earth serves as spokes­woman for the Miss Earth Foundation, founded by pageant organizers, and the United Nations Environment Programme. The Earth Day Network, which launched Earth Day, has partnered with the Miss Earth pageant every year, according to national pageant director Evan Skow.

This year’s theme is water conservation.

Fajksova has spent the year touring the globe. She attended an international youth "green" summit in Indonesia, planted trees in Finland and promoted environmental issues in South Sudan.

Rather than someone who is adept at spouting off environmental statistics, judges are looking for a woman who can talk about the environment accurately in terms the public can understand, Skow said.

She should be able to encourage environmental protection measures, whether at a black-tie event or a cas­ual beach cleanup.

"Ultimately what we are looking for is that likable, approachable person," said Skow. "We want her to be real."

Woman between the ages of 18 and 26 have until Aug. 1 to enter the Miss Earth Hawaii pageant. Rules and application information can be found at miss­earth­hawaii.com. For information about Miss Earth USA, go to www.miss­earth.tv and www.earthpageantproductions.com.