For Dr Nisha Thayananthan, the newly crowned Miss Earth Malaysia 2020/21, she wants nothing less than making Malaysia a more greener and better place to live in.

And for that, the 28-year-old medical doctor at Putrajaya Hospital will be embarking on efforts to maintain the ecosystem by reducing waste such as plastics, embarking on planting more trees, and coming up with her own brand of biodegradable sanitary pads.

"As Miss Earth Malaysia 2020/21, I would like to be more of an advocate of environmental issues, the harmful aspects of human activity on the biophysical environment maintaining the ecosystem.

"Nature is a richness of colours, forms and elements, and must co-exist by maintaining a balance," she told Bernama after officially being crowned at a ceremony, organised by Double Event Management, here today.

Dr Nisha, who runs a community health charity programme and has some 38,000 Instagram followers, said Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (PEKA) had planted more than 20,000 forest trees to save the environment, adding that she will be collaborating with PEKA, an environmental non-governmental organisation, to plant more trees.

Asked on what inspired her to come up with her own brand of biodegradable sanitary pads, Dr Nisha, who is currently attached to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Putrajaya Hospital, said she had come across many sanitary pads that are not biodegradable, which are believed to pose adverse effects on the environment.

"We produce some 2.4 billion pieces of sanitary waste annually in Malaysia alone. That is a huge number and that is the reason why I came up with this idea. I felt that whatever I produce has to be sustainable and will nurture the environment.

"Biodegradable pads can biodegrade in six months’ time as every single layer of it is made of biodegradable fibres derived from plants.

"On the otherhand, conventional pads contain up to 90 per cent plastic and they do not biodegrade for 600 to 800 years which is approximately a millennium," said the beauty queen who is actively involved in social work.

Dr Nisha said she will spearhead an initiative to donate biodegradable sanitary pads to the underprivileged and the indigenous community in order for them to practice good self-hygiene through the “purchase one, donate one” campaign.

Asked how she balances her professional life and social work in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr Nisha said: “I believe if you love what you do, there will be no time to complain and procrastinate.

“I love my job. Yes, there are times I have worked 36 hours straight and yet still get back home to continue with my daily routine but I am determined about everything I pursue in life.

"At the end of the day, it is all about balance and how you schedule your activities accordingly,“ said the Seremban-born, who graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

She added that there is a misconception among parents that beauty pageants are a bad influence as it portrays women in a certain way which does not bring any benefits.

“I would say that there are pageants that bring out the best in women (grooming, public speaking, networking and building confidence) besides creating a platform for them to endorse a good cause.

“A good pageant should make a girl grow from within and flourish, not disparage her," she said, adding that she will be participating in the Miss Earth pageant in the Philippines next year where she will be competing against representatives from 80 countries.

-- BERNAMA