Grantham takes on the world

Going green: Miss Earth South Africa 2009, Chanel Grantham, seen here in a construction site, has a special interest in green buildings.

UCT student and Miss Earth South Africa 2009, Chanel Grantham, is set to show off her beauty and her environmental awareness work when she participates in the Global Miss Earth pageant.

A BSc student in property studies at UCT, Grantham is currently in the Philippines where the month-long finale culminates with the coronation on 22 November.

Among other criteria, the 100 contestants from around the globe will be judged on the environmental work they have done in their respective countries, and the "Queen of Green", as Grantham is affectionately known, is well prepared. Recently, she cheered on surfers at the Earthwave surfing and sustainable lifestyle festival in Muizenberg, where they tried to break the Guinness World Record for the most surfers riding the same wave. (They did, managing over 100 surfers on a wave.)

Grantham has also been playing a leading role in the Miss Earth South Africa Organisation which, in association with Consol, is involved in a number of greening initiatives throughout the country, particularly at schools, municipalities and in corporates.

As a property studies student, she has a special interest in green buildings. She says buildings, big and small, have an impact on the environment, and that all stakeholders need to understand the consequences when they fail to embrace the principles of green building.

"As Miss Earth, my vision is to educate and create awareness on the development of green buildings that reduce our ecological footprint," she says.