The 29th of August was no ordinary day for me and the Miss Earth South Africa team. The vision was however very much alive, yet another day to work the ground, plant trees and green the minds, making a difference and healing the earth. We woke up early hours of the morning, rushed to the airport and took our tree with us to board! A little bit over board you might think but hey if Mahommed cannot go to the mountain, you must bring the mountain to him so that is exactly what we did. Big ups to Catherine for carrying that tree like her baby and to Ella for convincing the crew to allow our tree on board.
Arrived safe and sound in the Zulu Kingdom, the beautiful Durban. We drove in style in a Toyota Corolla verso to our first destination, Umhlali. Their vast sugar canes fields are as much as traffic in Joburg! We went to the Orphanage for affected and infected by Aids with one of the Miss Earth South Africa finalist Bavisha. Aids is talked about every day and everywhere but this issue just never seem to hit home. It’s so heartbreaking to see such beautiful young souls suffering for something they don’t even understand. The kids were just so happy to see a tall lady with a sash and they just started screaming! They gave me more than they had, such a warm welcome and so much love and appreciation. Well we got down to business, we did what we are good at, and that is leaving a green footprint. We planted four beautiful trees for them, a sense of new beginning, and life they will see grow and be able to nurture. A sense of responsibility was born, the kids were so excited about planting trees, that is almost unheard of but hey such a small plant can go a long way, and it definitely did. We then gave our trees lots of love and the ceremony was sealed and it was time to say goodbye and continue our happy planting in Ballito! We met with the Umhlali primary pupils, had an educational workshop with them and it was so refreshing and breathtaking as to how much those kids know about the environment. It made me feel that the message that I so strongly believe in is being heard and lived. We presented the principal with trees for her beautiful school and sang with the kids. It was just spectacular and this was all thanks to Lechelle the Miss Earth South Africa Ambassador.
Next and last destination was the amazing, beautiful Shaka Marine. Looking at the ocean, all we see are the waves but wait until you see the life that lurks under those waves and you will be blown away. All I can say is WOW! The colours, the shapes the patterns are all in the sea world. Anne from Ushaka gave us a VIP trip around the aquarium. Who ever thought that a sash can open so many doors! I even wear it to bed in case the angels comes when I am sleeping! I also got the pilot’s seat in the cockpit on the flight back to Jozi. What an experience! Thanks to Charles and Nala (Kulula pilots) for making it possible! Power to the sash and of course Miss Earth South Africa and me!
Learnt a lot about sea food, what qualifies as food and what doesn’t. What we should be happily eating and what we should be conserving because they are endangered species. The Southern African Sustainable Seafood Initiative is working tirelessly to educate people on making right choices and spreading the word. They came up with a consumer’s seafood guide to know what you can and can’t eat. It’s divided into three categories, green for best choice (anchovy & tuna), orange for caution (prawns & kingklip) and red for NO SALE (baardman &galjoen)! For more info go to: www.wwf.org.za/sassi.
Another eye opener was the fact that because I don’t stay at the sea side doesn’t mean I am not affected by the happenings there. Did you know that half the oxygen we breathe up here in the concrete jungle originates from the sea? Guess not but now you KNOW! We learn just as much as we teach and that is how we grow! Of course we couldn’t come back without going to the beach and feeling the sand in my toes! Boy that was great!
To join Miss Earth South Africa on her next greening adventure or to invite her to your greening events contact the Miss Earth South Africa office, details on the website. www.missearthsa.co.za
Matapa Maila,
Miss Earth South Africa 2008
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