“I am Priya Sigdel. I am woman of the earth.”
Miss Earth Nepal 2018 Priya Sigdel’s journey as Nepal’s representative in this year’s pageant has started with her “Eco Video”, posted on Miss Earth’s official YouTube account.
“The majestic Himalayas where seven of the ten highest mountains in the world stand as the roof of the world. The enchanting hills rich in diverse flora and fauna”, the 4-minute video has the 23-year-old Miss Earth hopeful introducing the world to her beautiful country. “Nepal is also culturally diverse with more than 110 ethnic groups with a unique culture and traditional knowledge.”
![](<iframe class="giphy-embed" src="https://giphy.com/embed/d7p9pcf5Y6ynZyVYMc" width="480" height="270" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>)
“Namaste! I am Priya Sigdel, Miss Nepal Earth 2018; and one of the many faces of Nepal”, she then introduces herself. “I have represented Nepal internationally as a Global Changemaker in Switzerland, Youth Peace Ambassador in India, and Country Coordinator in Nepal Bangladesh Youth Convention.”
She talks about a number of challenges that she thinks need to be addressed – “the lack of mass media awareness about menstrual hygiene”, and water pollution, among others. Her core advocacy, she says, is intergenerational equity “where the present generation uses the resources in a manner that doesn’t hamper the access for the future generation.”
Sigdel also talks about Pokhara – the tourist hub of Nepal – where “the use of single-use plastic bags, straws are ever growing.” She feels the need to pledge to prohibit the use of plastic and “bring a positive change in attitude towards the environment.” She says she wants to make Pokhara an eco-friendly tourist destination by 2025. She believes that if she is able to win the title of Miss Earth, it will provide her a platform to be a global advocate.
Above all, she advocates for five Rs — “reuse”, “recycle”, “reduce”, “respect our mother nature”, and “rethink of our actions and impact that it creates.”
With over 33 thousand views in five days, the video — a work of Nishon Shakya, Anis Bastola and Sushant Manandhar — is the most watched Eco-video among those that have been put out so far this year.
“This video represents not only my journey of Miss Nepal but also of, from when I was a child. Life is always full of struggles, it demands hard-work”, she said about the video on an Instagram post. “Sometimes, we are faced with success while at others we meet failures. But the only thing that remains constant is the opportunity to learn something new after every challenge. I believe this has been my greatest strength.”
View this post on Instagram
Priya Sigdel had bagged the title of Miss Nepal Earth 2018 in the Hidden Treasure Miss Nepal pageant in April this year. The Development Studies graduate had also won the subtitle of Beauty with a Purpose in the same event.
View this post on Instagram
Priya Sigdel is representing Nepal in the 18th edition of the environmental-themed beauty pageant in the Philippines. She will be competing with around 90 delegates from around the globe when the pageant kicks off in Pasay City this October. The reigning Miss Earth Karen Ibasco of the Philippines will crown her successor at the end of the event on November 3rd.
