BY CLIFFORD JAMES L. DANDUAN/UM INTERN
JESSICA Lane became the first Australian beauty queen to win the prestigious Miss Earth title after besting 75 other candidates during the Miss Earth 2024 coronation night on Saturday, Nov. 9, held at The Cove, Okada Manila in Parañaque City.
Lane was crowned by Drita Ziri of Albania, the first Miss Earth queen from Albania.
Joining the Australian Environmental Journalist Jessica Lane in promoting Miss Earth’s environmental advocacy are her elemental court: Iceland’s Hrafnhildur Haraldsdóttir as Miss Earth Air, USA’s Bea Millan-Windorski as Miss Earth Water, and Peru’s Niva Antezana as Miss Earth Fire.
In the question and answer round, Lane solidified her high chances of winning the crown by sharing her insights on how she can promote old traditions in a world dominated by modern technology.
“I myself am currently studying a double major of journalism, creative writing, and publishing to use modern technology to share environmental sustainability and promote passion,” she expressed.
“In Australia, our heritage relates to dreamtime stories, and they use storytelling to promote this environmental sustainability and teach how to care for the land. I believe that we can use modern technology such as our journalism, such as our social media, such as news and broadcast, to share and inspire one another to be more sustainable in daily actions,” she added.
The top eight finalists including representatives from Cabo Verde, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Russia were proclaimed as runners-up with equal placements.
Meanwhile, the Philippines’ representative, Irha Mel Alfeche, concluded her Miss Earth journey with a top 12 finish after falling short to advance in the top eight.
Following Lane’s historic win in Miss Earth, Australia now joins the list of powerhouse nations in the world of pageantry, having won all four major pageants, including Miss International, Miss World, and Miss Universe.
Together with other crowned queens, Jessica Lane will represent the Miss Earth organization, a Philippine-based beauty pageant that advocates for environmental protection and awareness, to champion causes that bring our planet to a greener and sustainable future.
