Rubbernecking was unavoidable as the fire truck braked in front of Pinocchio restaurant to watch a gaggle of blondes in four-inch heels and brunettes in Vegas club-worthy dresses strut down Southwest Park Avenue. Firefighters gawked, asking the more than two dozen beauty queens to "hop on" their bright red engine while cameras flashed and smiles were handed out like after-dinner mints. The United States Miss Earth pageant had arrived.
Billed as "beauties with a cause," the U.S. Miss Earth Pageant was held for the first time in Portland last Wednesday and plans to return next year. It's the national portion of the 6-year-old international Miss Earth pageant, which "actively promotes the preservation of the environment" and boasts more delegates from more countries than Donald Trump's Miss Universe pageant.
But despite the hippie-ish connotations of the pageant's name (hemp gowns, makeup-free skin radiant with patchouli oil), the real U.S. Miss Earth has no real "earth-friendly" requirements. The only prerequisites for entry are age (18 to 26 years old) and height (over 5 feet 4). In fact, one doesn't even need any prior pageant experience to enter the national competition, although you must possess "good moral character."
The most environmentally friendly duty asked of last year's winner, Amanda Pennekamp, was participation in an international tree-planting ceremony. Watching this year's three-hour pageant, little suggested that the competition involved anything with the prefixes "eco-" or "green."
Instead, the 26 contestants, including two Oregonians, vied for the $10,000 diamond-and-pearl crown (at least that's "recycled" every year) by donning bikinis and answering questions like, "If you were a road, what kind of road would you be?" in a modest hotel ballroom 150 yards from the Portland airport.
Well, it's a start. Tiaras and $500 evening gowns may seem like an odd fit in a no-frills city like Portland, but given our enviro-friendliness, a pageant titled Miss Earth is easier to swallow than most showy displays of an antiquated tradition. At least Sheraton Portland Airport general manager Kevin Dowdell thinks so.
Dowdell, whose mom was a former Miss World runner-up, joined the Sheraton Portland team last year to build business. His pet project is pageants. The hotel will host the Miss Oregon and Miss Teen Oregon competitions this November as well as Ms. Plus America, a plus-sized beauty pageant that Dowdell's assistant will even compete in. And by getting the national Miss Earth pageant under his belt, he hopes to host the 2009 or 2010 international Miss Earth competition, which, unlike the U.S. pageant, is televised in multiple Asian countries.
"Pageantry serves as a way to bring more attention to Portland," Dowdell says, "and it brings a '50s-style elegance for guests to see pageant girls traipsing through your lobby. My goal is to bring more Asian business to Portland, and they love a pageant over in Asia."
The 2-year-old U.S. portion of Miss Earth has a much lower profile than its global parent pageant. After being courted by Dowdell, U.S. Miss Earth director Evan Skow—an Arizona banker who's worked behind the scenes in pageants for 13 years—moved the pageant from Laughlin, Nev., to Portland. Even though Skow doubled the number of Miss Earth contestants this year, many of the participants still weren't finalized until weeks ago and not every state was represented. Miss Earth Oregon Kelci Flowers, also crowned 2006 Miss Teen Oregon, learned about the pageant through her waitressing job at the Sheraton. (The organizers gave her the Miss Earth Oregon title.)
It's not so glamorous a job: Participants pay a $575 entry fee to compete, although that covers their hotel stay and meals. The pageant winner gets a free trip to compete at the international pageant, 500 bucks, and a few perks from sponsors.
"Not all pageants are bad. And it's frustrating when you knock on [a sponsor's or contestant's] door, trying to explain who you are, and they hear the word 'pageant' and it's a no," says Skow. "Legitimacy is the hardest thing I fought for, that I still fight for."
Although many of the contestants were models, several engage in activities that work well with Miss Earth's eco-gimmick. Curiously, green questions were absent from the pageant itself, but voluntary "environmental presentations" (which were not seen or scored by the judges) were held the evening before the pageant. Contestants in semi-formal dresses were filmed by Stonehaven Productions, makers of the Keanu Reeves-narrated eco-documentary The Great Warming. The company asked the Miss Earth delegates to pitch environmental service projects. The winner would be filmed for a new documentary.
Prepared contestants like Miss Earth Southern Florida Lauren Hall discussed the business of her employer, a pizzeria that only uses hybrid vehicles and organic ingredients and offers their employees gym memberships to stay healthy. Miss Earth Northern California Heidi Mueller, a tap-dancing farm girl, displayed 4-foot diagrams demonstrating how she implemented a "school garden project" for low-income kids. "[One child,] little Carlos, came home from school and asked his mom to make him a salad," Mueller noted.
What other contestants lacked in eco-knowledge, they made up for in enthusiasm. Portlander and Miss Earth Northwest Marnisha Marberry, a former Miss Oregon contestant, joked how canvas grocery bags are "cuter" than plastic ones. Miss Oklahoma Bonnie Gillis spoke about recycling cell phones and Miss Earth New York Marshana Ritchie declared, "You can go green and still go fabulous."
Skow would like to introduce more environmental elements into Miss Earth, but this year his priorities were more basic: securing anyone to get on board. "The Miss Earth pageant is about likability and personality," he says. "They have to be able to sell the product, and in this case that product is the environment."
A quiet man with a serious work ethic, Skow produced this year's pageant on a tight time frame and a tighter budget. His right-hand woman is Carol Hirata, his former boss when they produced the Miss Teen Montana and Miss Montana pageants. Skow's sisters, nicknamed the "Glitter Twins," designed the Sheraton's minimal palm frond-decorated stage. His choreographer, Kristy Kay Jones, is a former Miss Montana Teen he took under his wing, and the pageant auditor was Jones' husband, Nicholas.
One of the judges was the owner of the hotel's gift shop.
The opening dance number of the pageant last Wednesday night captured Miss Earth in full: A show tune from Dreamgirls played softly over the sound system, several of the two dozen long-legged girls in black mini dresses spun in the wrong direction, while others posed with their left arm in the air instead of their right. Skow, sweaty in a modest navy suit, dove behind the shallow stage, checked plugs and played DJ. Later, he cued up the girls, escorted the judges and asked emcee Lacy Matthews to stall for 10 minutes several times.
While the show attracted an audience of 400, most of the $30 tickets were given away to friends, family, media and hotel employees.
"Did you ever have one of those nights where everything goes wrong?" asked Skow after announcing yet another delay due to a tie among the judges. "Well, this is one of those nights for me."
Dowdell was more optimistic about the end result of Miss Earth 2007. "Despite the glitches, overall, this year's pageant was making more people aware of what Miss Earth really is," the Sheraton manager explained.
With more money and support, Miss Earth may have more time to focus of the "Earth" portion of the competition next year. For now, the top "environmental" seller turned out to be Miss Earth Kansas Lisa Forbes. The former Miss USA contestant (she was also once on ABC's The Bachelor) was crowned Miss Earth United States 2007. Skow says he lost money on the event, but he will still pay for Forbes to compete for the international Miss Earth crown this October in Manila.
Forbes did not make an environmental presentation the night before, but she was an instant standout, articulating her responses to questions about childhood memories with grace and towering over her competitors by half a foot. Plus, the plunging neckline of her ocean-colored gown way surpassed those of her competitors.
For more on US Miss Earth visit earthpageantproductions.com.
First, a little about me. I am fairly new to pageants; this was the second pageant I have ever competed in (the first being Miss Illinois USA 2007). I placed as third runner up (Miss Fire), and am very happy and proud of my placement. I felt drawn to this pageant by its environmental platform, and enjoyed my experiences in Portland. I've never been a tree-hugging, birkenstocks-wearing hippie, but I have always loved to camp, hike, and spend time outdoors. When I first began researching the pageant, I thought it would mesh well with my interests.
Once I applied and was accepted, Evan Skow, the national director, made a point of encouraging me to use my state title to promote environmental awareness and positive change in my own community. He sent e-mails to each contestant informing us about Earth Day events and environmental organizations in our hometowns, and went out of his way to give us the resources we needed make a difference. With my title, I have been able to make connections with the Tennessee Environmental Coalition, Clean Air Tennessee, the Tennessee Trails Association, and a particularly rewarding relationship with Edgar Evins State Park. Though the pageant is over, I am still using my title to help these groups, and will be assisting with many trail-building days, awareness walks, and fundraisers throughout the year. I know that other state and regional titleholders have built similar relationships in their communities, and will continue to pursue their environmental goals.
The worth of the pageant should be judged on more than just the final night. There were many production issues, and I was unhappy with the unprofessional-looking show. However, watching the show on final night doesn't show you the whole story. During the five days the delegates spent in Portland, we planted a tree, cleaned a riverbed, distributed environment-themed coloring books to children, participated in an environmental seminar, and were continually encouraged to find new ways to help our earth. We were asked questions about our impact on the environment during the private judges interview - a portion of the competition that the press and public was not privy to.
It is unfair to expect a two-year-old pageant to be at the level of a Miss USA or Miss America production. It is untrue to say that the only environmental activity Amanda Pennekamp participated in during her reign was a tree planting ceremony. It is inaccurate to report that family members received free tickets to the show - mine certainly didn't! One line from your article particularly offended me: "Although many of the contestants were models, several engage in activities that work well with Miss Earth's eco-gimmick." Why are being a model and being an environmental activist mutually exclusive? It's true that many of us are new to activism, and we're still learning how to make a difference - Evan knows that we aren't experienced activists, and has provided us with the tools we need to turn our passion into something productive. Beautiful women get attention (as the scene in front of Pinocchio's shows!) Why can't we try to use our beauty to direct that attention to a worthy cause?
In the end, I've heard a lot of positive feedback and a lot of negative feedback about the pageant. However, I am proud of my association with Earth Pageant Productions, and will strive to spend my year as a titleholder, and the years after that, proving that beauty queens CAN be intelligent, passionate, catalysts for change.
-Carson Hanrath
Miss Earth Tennessee 2007, United States Miss Fire 2007
I have never laughed as hard at anything in the Willamette Week as I did at this piece. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Ms. Hanrath, your intelligence and poise is obvious, and I hope your stay in Portland was a pleasant one. Thank you for planting a tree and distributing environmentally-themed coloring books.
I hope you realize I mean no disrespect when I inquire as to the seeming mutual exclusivity of being both "Miss Earth Tennessee" and "Miss Fire," though I wish you well in both endeavors.
-Bonnie Gillis
Miss Earth Oklahoma 2007
As a native Portlander I found your article very one dimensional and very insulting to everyone involved. For a hotel manager to be seeking business not only for his hotel, but to try and bring an international forum like Miss Earth to Portland is commendable not to be mocked. Pageants have been around since Helen of Troy and Cleopatra, but few large conventions are comming to Portland. Are all the east coast radio stations right about Portland after both the Trailblazers and Seattle Sonics got the number 1 and 2 picks, that we are a city of complainers, a city with no real direction and an unfriendly business climate. I was appalled by their sports and talk show accounts of us when visting New York, Boston and Philadelphia for four weeks in June. You in turn Miss Machado with you one sided reporting have done far more to prove them right. I have never attended a pageant nor has my family but thanks to you put me down for ten "paying tickets". It is so easy to mock but your kind of journalism makes Paris Hilton a lead story and real news delegated to back burner.
First off, I’d like to commend you for calling out the pageant organizers for their lack of environmental consideration when judging candidates competing for a crown titled ‘Miss Earth’. I strongly believe that beauty should be the last thing considered when the environment is the focus of a pageant. I wasn’t there myself, so I can only rely on the feedback I received from your story and Lauren Hall, Ms. Earth South Florida.
However, in Lauren’s defense, I must say that I’m seriously disappointed at the way you misportrayed her representation at the pageant. To quote your story, “Prepared contestants like Miss Earth Southern Florida Lauren Hall discussed the business of her employer, a pizzeria that only uses hybrid vehicles and organic ingredients and offers their employees gym memberships to stay healthy. “
While she may have prefaced her involvement with The Little Sprout Foundation by introducing the company that founded it, Pizza Fusion, she is in no way involved with the business operations of Pizza Fusion (or employed by Pizza Fusion for that matter), whatsoever. Also, while the Little Sprout Foundation was founded by the founders Pizza Fusion, it is in no way connected to the operations of Pizza Fusion. The Little Sprout Foundation was founded by Michael Gordon and Vaughan Lazar to further their environmental initiatives in effort to make a positive impact on the Earth.
To quote the speech that Lauren Hall gave to us, she was quite clear about her role with The Little Sprout Foundation:
“When I was first introduced to Pizza Fusion, I realized that they’re a perfect fit with my core values and I had to approach them about what I was doing. Upon meeting the founders, Vaughan Lazar and Michael Gordon, they not only offered financial backing that allowed me to be here today, but they invited me to come onboard with a new project they have underway. I’m very proud to tell you that I am now the Director of Project Development and official Spokesperson for The Little Sprout Foundation – Pizza Fusion’s newly founded non-profit organization that aims to improve society and the environment through education, outreach and consultation programs. In my role with the company, I will first-handedly design and implement these programs. While the organization is currently in its infancy, we are already organizing our first events. Our goal is to create the world’s largest recycle bin with the help of students from local schools a financial support from the community. Upon completing the construction of this bin, we plan to have it listed in the Guiness Book of World Records to raise awareness for our eco-friendly initiatives. This giant recycle bin will serve as the symbolic focal point in the towns where we will be executing our environmental programs. The idea is to go into a town and, for two weeks to a month, get the entire town, including children, teenagers, parents, business owners and political officials, involved in a series of well organized eco-events designed to educate and stimulate the town to make a change, while at the same time provide in immediate, measurable impact on the town’s environment. Examples of these eco-events, include educational nature walks with young children, trash clean-up of parks and rivers with high school students, seminars on greening your business, environmental political actions that can build momentum and create change for a better environment, and much more.”
To further that, I would also like to tell you that we care very much about the environment and are very proud to be the greenest restaurant concept in the U.S. and also one of the greenest businesses in the U.S. I’ll be happy to reinforce that with supporting evidence if you’d like.
You’re lack of objectivity in describing Lauren Hall’s involvement not only makes me question the accuracy of your story. As a member of the media, you’re role is to remove yourself from the stories you cover and report factual information from an unbiased perspective; not slanted stories citing selected facts that support your opinion. My first career of choice was reporting and it’s what I did for three years before transitioning to PR. Journalistic integrity was the underlying principle behind my education as a journalist in college; reinforced again and again in all my classes.
Again, I wasn’t at the pageant so I can’t evaluate the accuracy of the entire story. I can only base my judgment on the way you inaccurately described Lauren who cares very much about the environment, as we do. Perhaps that’s why she won the title ‘Beauty For A Cause’, which contradicts the pageant’s Miss Earth crown all together. It basically says, here’s the candidate that cares the most about the environment amidst a group of girls competing for an environmental title and yet she’s not the winner. Why? Perhaps that would’ve been a better angle for you to take on your story. Like I said before, I’m happy to see you call out the ‘Miss Earth’ pageant for their lack of environmental integrity. Although, I do think it could have been written more objectively. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Eric Haley
Vice President of Communications
Pizza Fusion