Shannon makes it to the finals

Shannon Roscher (23) has made the finals of Miss Earth South Africa.

This is a leadership programme that aims to empower young South African women with knowledge and a platform to create a sustainable difference, to combat the destruction of our natural heritage and create awareness of sustainable development, the environment, wildlife and the conservation of natural legacy in South Africa.

The top 16 girls were announced on July 22.

“I was at work when I received the news and the first thing I did was to call my boyfriend, Basil,” said Roscher.

”I then just ran up to my mother to inform her, with tears of joy running down my face, before I called my father to tell him the good news.”The challenge Roscher faced was trying to juggle working full time and giving 100 per cent to the programme.

Miss Earth South Africa is a full time job on its own and she has done exceptionally well giving equal importance to her job and to her dream.

” I feel that, as I have worked full time and still made it this far in the programme, I have done amazing things, which shows how badly I want the title and that I am capable of working well under pressure,” Roscher said.

“Even though I have only weekends, lunch breaks and after hours to do my projects I still manage to get them done to the best of my abilities.”

Roscher biggest motivation has been the impact we have on the lives of others.

“There is nothing more rewarding than having someone, old or young, come up to you and simply say thank you; to me it is more than a competition, it is a lifestyle that I will never get out of,” she added.

Being a finalist, Roscher has a few projects left to do, and will join up with Generation Earth, planting more trees and vegetable gardens.

She also needs to compile a journal on her entire experience and attend events, doing ”good” until the final, in September.

Generation Earth is a youth-focussed environmental organisation that strives to cultivate green leaders for the next generation.

By changing the mind-set of the youth, Generation Earth aims to create eco-conscious leaders for the future, who are aware of how their consumer habits and lifestyles impact on the environment.

This is an organisation that strives to recognise and develop green thinkers, nurturing them to become tomorrow’s global green leaders.

Generation Earth is a green networking platform, with the youth, for the youth, by the youth.

It strives to create a structured action plan for schools and youth to make a difference and change the world for the betterment of the environment.

Through participation in various UN youth-focused conferences, as well as the failed COP 15 in Copenhagen, Generation Earth’s founders realised that there was an enormous gap in the environmental sector; a group that was rapidly becoming disenfranchised, a group of youngsters who had the environmental passion and the drive to make a difference, but lacked the skills, knowledge and platform they needed.

“At the end of the day, its not about winning the prize, but knowing how much good I have done’, how much I have brought and how many lives I have impacted,”Roscher said.

“All the girls are deserving of this title and we have all worked exceptionally hard; in September, the most deserving girl should walk away with the title.

”We are all winners and we are all making a difference, and once this programme is over we all need to carry on impacting and making a difference in our country and in the lives of others.

”If I succeed in achieving all that we set out to achieve and more, then yes, I do think I deserve the title.”

The final will be held on September 4 and, although the location has not yet been finalised, this year the function will be held in Gauteng.