In the history of Indonesia’s placements at Miss Earth competition, only Monica Francisca Khonado has managed to secure a place as one of the semi-finalists at the event. Khonado made it to the Top 20 beauty queens of Miss Earth 2021 pageant and became the first ever Indonesian to achieve this feat, ending a 16-year drought for Indonesia since joining Miss Earth in 2005.

This year, Eunike Suwandi has the responsibility to maintain the streak as Putri Bumi Indonesia 2021. Eunike won the national title in December last year in an event jointly held by El John Pageants and Miss Earth Indonesia organization.

Being elected as the new Miss Earth Indonesia means having the opportunity to make a difference and represent one’s country at a global platform like Miss Earth. Suwandi is engaged in fulfilling her duties as the national queen these days and is simultaneously preparing for her stint at Miss Earth 2022 to be held at some point this year.

The 20-year-old grew up close to nature and strives to do her bit to protect the environment. “Do you know guys, there are many advantages to taking public transportation. One of them is reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” Suwandi highlights the benefits of using public transport in an Instagram post urging people to switch to an eco-friendly mode of travel.

“Research has shown that only three to eight people on a public transport bus are able to cut emissions by half, compared to someone traveling alone in a private car,” she further adds.

Standing at 168 cm tall, Eunike takes a water bottle with herself every time she heads out the house to keep hydrated and reduce the possibility of creating more plastic waste.

Will Eunike be able to fill in Monica’s shoes or will she outgrow them a number further? Let us know what you think in the space below.