EDITED JULY 7, 2022
Orlando, January 11, 2022 – Miss Earth USA announces their newly crowned 2022 winners including Miss Earth USA and the elemental court. As part of their coronation, these representatives pledge to raise awareness about environmental issues and advocate for more sustainable living throughout their reign as the 2022 titleholders.
2022 Miss Earth USA Brielle Simmons (Connecticut) - Brielle is a full time student at St. John’s University majoring in Legal Studies with a focus on Environmental Law. She is set to graduate with her Juris Doctorate through her university’s dual degree program and hopes to become an environmental lawyer advocating for regulations that will protect and preserve our earth. She is the co-founder of Bringing Me Sunshine, a non-profit dedicated to combating homelessness and poverty, by providing environmental resources to children and families. She has earned the Presidential Bronze Service Award and is a member of Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.
To decrease her carbon footprint, Brielle embraces a vegetarian lifestyle, she shops local and she’s rather walk than drive. She has spent her volunteer hours with Casey Trees planting trees in our Nation’s Capital and with the Anacostia Watershed Society by cleaning the waterways and surrounding areas.
Simmons will represent the USA at the next Miss Earth competition based in the Philippines.
2022 Miss Earth USA Air is Faith Porter (District of Columbia) - Faith is a Pace University graduate whose passion is theatre and helping others. Faith currently works as the Company Management Coordinator for the Tony Award Winning Broadway Musical Dear Evan Hansen. She earned her Bachelors degree in Arts and Entertainment Management from Pace University and hopes to become one of the first black female Lead Producers on Broadway.
To decrease her carbon footprint, Faith loves to up-cycle clothing and she says she is inspired by her four older siblings. She is the recipient of the Pace University’s Wilson Center for Social Impact Award and is heavily involved in both CreateHER and SheNYC. She is very well traveled having been to 15 countries with her favorite being Holland when she was a high school foreign exchange student. She is the Co-Director at CreateHER overseeing a mentoring program with the Broadway Women's Alliance that teaches young girls about theatre as well as an Associate Producer at SheNYC, a non-profit theatre festival that showcases women in theatre.
2022 Miss Earth USA Fire Hannah Welborn Lewis (North Carolina) - Hannah works as an Administrative Support as well as Public Education and Social Media Assistant for the city of Greensboro Water Resources Department. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Western Carolina University earning her Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a focus in Sport Management. She has also earned her Master’s in Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Hannah's future goal is to obtain her Doctorate’s, teach Environmental Communication on a collegiate level and Expand her Woman of Substance brand that she started in 2017 & empower young women through finding what gives them substance. This platform helps others by seeking to encourage healthy consumer habits that are rooted in reusing, recycling, refusing, reducing, and rethinking the consumption of common resources. She has been the recipient of the key to the city of Thomasville for her community service efforts, a frequent volunteer with Urban Teaching Farm for the Out of The Garden Project and plans to one day travel to Ireland & Scotland to study the countries ancient sports.
2022 Miss Earth USA Eco Emma Loney (Oklahoma) - Emma is a Law Student and a Plus Model who is inspired by women challenging stereotypes. With a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice and Psychology already under her belt, Emma is in her second year of Law School at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Ultimately, her goal is to obtain her Juris Doctorate and become a District Attorney in her home state and then to be on the Supreme Court. Her biggest accomplishment was receiving an academic scholarship to attend law school and to be featured on the cover of India’s first ever pageantry magazine, P&I Magazine. She created her platform #LegislateChange to encourage people nationwide to contact their representatives to vote in favor of environmental protection bills and policies.
Emma is a national partner for the National Eating Disorder Association and the founder of "Thrift It”, a social platform to inform others on the importance of thrift shopping and donating used items. She hopes to create waves with plus representation as well as implement change to save our planet by getting her hands dirty and putting in the work.
The 2022 Miss Earth USA activities and competition were held January 6-8 at the Orange County Convention Center with the preliminary rounds being hosted by the Rosen Centre Hotel. Delegates from fifty states and District of Columbia competed in the prestigious pageant including activewear, runway, and eveningwear preliminaries, followed by the final judging and final coronation.
Presented by AquaGoat, the Miss Earth USA final coronation was broadcast live on the VIP Pageantry channel. Other sponsors for the event include HOTWORX, Beauty Queens Galore, and Queenly. Additional events during the week included a charity gala benefitting Save the Manatee, Central Florida Animal Reserve, and Seal Society of San Diego, and a presentation of a new national crown designed by Andrew Ibot.
About Miss Earth USA
“Beauties for a Cause” is the key message for the Miss Earth USA organization which holds an annual pageant dedicated to bringing awareness to environmental issues and actively participating in projects that support green causes. Their work includes tree plantings, children's education, local clean-ups, water distribution, climate leadership training, and countless other activities that make a positive impact on our planet. Among industry ratings, Miss Earth USA is one of the top ranked pageants and is a nationally televised production.
Image Credit: The Code Creatives
