Sarah Carr from Downings has entered the Richmond Centre 2018 Miss Earth NI competition as she works to make changes in her community’s attitude to waste.
The beauty pageant features young women who volunteer in their communities to promote environmental awareness.
Twenty four year old Sarah Carr won the title of Eco-Warrior in last year’s contest. She is back this year to focus on a campaign for Marine Conservation.
“Growing up in a seaside village I see the first hand effects of environmental issues are having on our beaches and our marine life,” Sarah tells Donegal Woman.
Sarah is a member of her local Tidy Towns Committee, where she runs campaigns for recycling plastic and to reduce the usage of throwaway coffee cups.
“Plastic is a growing crisis and we as people need to come together and make a change,” Sarah said.
She launched a campaign last October to collect and recycle plastic in her area.
Sarah said: “After the six weeks, the challenge had made such an impact in not only the local area but even outside it that myself and tidy towns took it upon ourselves to carry it on. I hope that others will see what I’m doing and follow suit.”
She is also collecting bottle tops for a charity campaign that buys wheelchairs for the disabled.
“I hope that others will see what I’m doing and follow suit,” she said.
After the success of the Plastic campaign, Sarah decided to run another selling bamboo cups.
“My campaign has been growing so much that I wanted to highlight that the one use takeaway coffee cups are not paper and cannot be easily recycled. These cups have a plastic film on the inside and have to be sent to a special recycling centre in the UK and there are only three of these plants.
“The bamboo cups are a more environmentally friendly option as they are made from bamboo fibre, reusable, naturally sterile and compostable. This campaign has also been very successful.
“I was very lucky to receive sponsorship from Cllr John O’Donnell , BodyWorX Gym in Milford, New Look Property Maintenance and also my Personal Trainer Ciara Mc Donald,” Sarah said.
Sarah’s community work doesn’t stop there, as she also raises funds for the Playtrail, a unique outdoor play and educational facility located in Derry.
Sarah dreams of being crowned Miss Earth NI and using the title for good. The local final takes place on July 28th in the Waterside Theatre, with the winner receiving an impressive prize package and a once in a lifetime trip to the world final.
“If I were to be crowned Richmond Centre Miss Earth 2018 in July I would use this platform to continue my hard efforts and do everything possible to continue to raise awareness about my advocacy and try encourage people to get involved,” Sarah said.