MEC11 Beauty for A Cause Finalist Megan Franklin and her presentation.

"Let every individual and institution now think and act as a responsible trustee of Earth, seeking choices in ecology, economics and ethics that will provide a sustainable future, eliminate pollution, poverty and violence, awaken the wonder of life and foster peaceful progress in the human adventure."

— John McConnell, founder of International Earth Day

My beauty for a cause presentation relates to the how the environment affects every aspect of our daily lives. It is imperative that we curb our detrimental environmental behaviours in order to reverse the effects pollution is having on the planet. We need to save the planet for future generations so that they are able to live free of the harmful side effects pollution and carbon emissions created by previous generations have caused. When presenting information I like to take an interactive approach and therefore this is simply an outline of ideas that I would like to discuss during my presentation with the contestants, judges and guests during the Miss Earth Canada competition.

I believe that we need to be the change we wish to see in the world. If I were chosen as Miss Earth Canada I would try my very best to lead by example. I try to be as environmentally conscious as possible and feel that I am an excellent green ambassador for the community. Every time we perform an action that harms the environment there is a ripple effect that creates far more problems to our health, the economy and the world around us.

The earth does not belong to us. It was simply kind enough to allow us to live out our days as guests on this fine planet. As guests it is our duty to leave this planet in a better state than it was when we arrived so that future generations may continue to grow and prosper.

We can all do our part to help improve the conditions of our environment. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to make any major changes but rather small adjustments to our daily routine that will have a profound and lasting impact on the overall condition of the environment.

As I sat thinking about what topic to do my beauties for a cause presentation on, I immediately thought climate change. I have been fortunate enough to study under Dr. Fennell at Brock University and Lee Norton from the climate change project who was personally trained by Mr. Al Gore. While this is a cause dear to my heart as I began writing I couldn’t help but think that the presentation seemed a little bit impersonal. A lot of facts and figures that while interesting and informative didn’t seem to have the emotional impact I was looking for in this presentation. So I went back to the drawing board and decided to take a more personal approach.

As many people in pageants are probably aware the number one question people will ask you is “why did you decide to enter the Miss Earth Canada pageant?” This question came up several times in my search for sponsors. Pageants have a certain stigma attached to them and therefore getting sponsorships can be difficult but once I explained why I was running people quickly changed their minds and were eager and enthusiastic to join me on my journey. I have always been passionate about the environment. I grew up in Canada’s fruitbelt, the agricultural area of Niagara and so environmental changes are often more apparent than they would be to people living in large cities. For people who depend on the environment to earn a living the delicate balance of our ecosystem is always on the radar.

Growing up we always rode our bikes down the street to Nokara farms where we would pick up whatever fresh fruit and vegetables were in season at the time. As a child we didn’t think much of it other than that was how we got our food. We didn’t eat the same foods year round because you simply weren’t able to get them. When our parents would buy fruits and veggies at the grocery store in the winter we always commented that they weren’t as good as the ones we picked up in the summertime. As a child we didn’t know that eating local foods was better for our environment and economy, we just knew they tasted better and so we would always look forward to when our favourites would be in season.

There are definitely some obvious reasons why eating locally is beneficial to both the environment and economy. Some of the economic benefits are that more of your money is staying in your community. When you purchase food from a major grocery store you are not only paying for your produce but also paying fees to many corporations that food has passed through on its way to your shopping cart. Even those foods labelled organic are often shipped in from various parts of the world collecting higher food miles and contributing to a far greater carbon footprint. Food from your local farmer can be easily picked up from farmers markets even if you live in a large city. This food is fresher because it travels a much shorter distance and also has a longer shelf life since it is handled far less along the way. As we all know organic produce is often far more expensive than ordinary produce and therefore may not be a realistic choice for all families. Foodland Ontario however has very strict guidelines as to which pesticides may be used and what quantities. In fact allowable levels are so low that it rivals the organic quotas used in many other countries. It may be a bit misleading but organic doesn’t necessarily mean pesticide free. At the moment Canada is one of the few countries to have governing bodies overseeing who uses the terms organic and biodynamic and certifies that the information is accurate.

We are all in this together sharing one world for one brief moment in time. Make green choices so that you are doing your part to contribute to a greater life for all of us.

Decreased air quality due to carbon emissions is directly linked to a wide variety of health problems such as respiratory and heart conditions.

Chemicals used in processed foods and pesticides have also been linked to the increase in cases of Alzheimer’s and autism we see today.

Increased globalization has also caused issues surrounding the environment. Our wanderlust causes a sense of urgency to see the world however air travel is a major contributor to carbon in the atmosphere. Carbon emissions from aircraft not only have less distance to travel before reaching the stratosphere and troposphere but also cause a higher level of emissions than automobiles.

Resources are not, they become (John Stuart Muir). Meaning resources are only valuable once we turn them into something beneficial to mankind at which point they often deplete at an alarming rate.

There is a difference between conservation and preservation. Conservation is saving for use while preservation is saving from use. We need to focus more on preservation to maintain our delicate ecosystem.

Silent Spring is a fabulous book written in the early 50’s outlining the potential dangers facing our environment.

Sudbury and Ohio valley super stacks were monumental environmental disasters. At the time it seemed as though building higher smokestacks would save the air for the people in the surrounding community. The smoke did not dissipate however and simply polluted the neighbouring country. The emissions of both stacks cross through the Niagara escarpment UN world biosphere reserve which shields the fruit belt from harsh conditions. If actions aren’t taken to repair the damage we could face crop shortages and decreased quality of produce.