A: I will be competing for Miss Teen Earth New York in the summer and hopefully moving on to Miss Teen Earth United States. I have been doing pageantry since I was seven and was really drawn to this pageant because of its focus "beauties for a cause". Besides the evening wear, swim suit, and interview competition, it is about giving back and getting involved with environmental issues.
Q: Tell us a Little About Yourself
A: I am 18 years old born and raised in New York. I was just featured in Supermodels Unlimited Magazine Most Beautiful Edition and took part in their runway show as well as shooting for their summer issue. I go to the Fashion Institute of Technology for Fashion Design. I do custom designs for proms, pageants, christenings, and am an intern for designer Rolando Santana. In high school I went to a fashion program half a day everyday and at the end of the year we put on a fashion show. One of our show themes was Go-Green and this is where my interest in sustainability in fashion began.
Q: Within the issues of environment, what are you most passionate about?
A: Wasted Wonders is a program that I have started and you can say that is my platform. It is broken down to three categories 1)Fashion 2)Beauty 3) Crafts. This program is about spreading the word of "going green" in our everyday lives but it focus' a lot on children and how they can help. The program is set up for going to schools in NYC and doing projects from one of the three categories. Fashion: men's shirts into skirts, t-shirts into reusable grocery bags, Jewelry and bags from scrap fabric or clothing, etc., and using sustainable fabrics or fabrics with finishings that are better for the environment. Beauty: Making lotions, face masks, makeup, ect. out of organic and natural materials. Crafts: Banks out of bottles, picture frames from cd cases, snack boxes from milk and juice cartons, etc.
Q: What are You Doing Locally to Make a Difference?
A: Besides Wasted Wonder, I also volunteer at Prospect Park for nature crafts with kids and have started a charity project/event called Runway To Recovery which I try and keeps as "green" as possible by selling tickets and sending information through the internet so we can cut down on paper and using scrap fabrics from my school's fabric lab and left overs from fabric stores. I also joined the sustainability club in my college so that I can learn more about this as well. I am also in the process of getting delis and bagel stores to send food over to homeless shelters that I would help them in deliver. My priority is to put use to what is being wasted in many different ways. I am always up for new projects and appearances in order to help out.
Q: What Can Any New Yorker Do themselves to Create a Better Environment?
A: It is so easy to create a healthier environment and there are a million ways to do it. Recycle! It is easy and can make a huge difference. Use what you already have there is no need to create waste. In regards to my project Wasted Wonders, there is so much you can do, like making your own laundry detergent, make a reusable grocery bag so you can cut down on plastic bags, decorating your room or your child's, or siblings with green crafts they are fun and easy and even better than that hand made and personalized. Everybody has a different lifestyle and can research ways be a part of this "green" movement in their everyday lives.
Thanks Brandi!
