NEED TO KNOW
- Jessica Lane is on a mission to promote more sustainability in fashion.
- She was crowned as Miss Earth in November 2024.
- Jessica hopes her work inspires others to think about their impacts on the environment.
For Jessica Lane, her former title of Miss Earth represents more than just the glitzy crown and sash – it’s a real commitment to taking care of the planet, especially on April 22 which is Earth Day.
“Every day should be Earth Day,” Jessica tells Woman’s Day while on her way to a tree planting event.
“It’s a good reminder that we can always do more for our planet by shopping more sustainably, not buying the things we don’t need and taking care of our ecosystems.”
.png?resize=380%2C285)
UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
The 23-year-old from the Sunshine Coast became the first Australian to win a major international beauty pageant since 2004 when she was crowned as Miss Earth in Manilla, the Philippines in November 2024.
But Jessica’s journey into the Miss Earth pageant didn’t start with picking creating her costumes, which was created from recycled materials or borrowed from local and eco-friendly designers.
It began when she was just a child with a series of grassroots campaigns, including signing her first ever cruelty-free petition when she was just eight years old.
“I’d never done pageants before Miss Earth, it’s not a world I’m well versed in, so it was really unexpected,” says Jessica.
“I’m the kind of girl to climb a tree and fall down just to try and save a baby bird and not give a damn about the scratches.”
BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
While her year of wearing the Miss Earth crown ended last November when she coronated the current Miss Earth, Natalie Puskovina from the Czech Republic, Jessica’s work promoting environmental conservation hasn’t slowed down.
Her first focus is her passion project, Dress for Tomorrow, which is fighting the environmental effects of fast fashion by encouraging consumers to make more sustainably fashion choices.
“Fast fashion is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions that air and maratime travel combined,” Jessica reveals, noting that fast fashion accounts for 10 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions,
“Through trying to fit in with trends, pop cultre and celebrities, we often contribute to fast fashion. If each of us care less about popularity, and stay true to our inner beauty, dig deep for who we are and believe in herself, we can help the Earth.”
“So many people think they can’t look good and dress well and take care of the environment and to me it isn’t a discussion. Looking good should never come at the harm of our environment.”
Jessica is also committed to seeing shark nets be removed from beaches on Australia’s east coast, and replacing them with technology like artifical kelp farms that use magnetic respones to deter sharks.
Small actions can lead to a big impact, and together we can build a more sutainable future,” she says.
