Cindy Kohn-Cybulkiewicz - Miss Earth Colombia 2012 Profile

Cindy Kohn-Cybulkiewicz

Miss Earth Colombia 2012

BIO:
Age: 25
Height: 5'7"
Weight: 125lbs.
Vital Stats: 35"-24"-36"
Hometown: Maicao
Profession: Environmentalist

INTERVIEW:

What environmental project will you create to promote the protection of Mother Earth and why?
The environmental project I’m working on to promote the protection of mother earth is the use of LED lights for sustainable energy. The reason why I chose to work with LED lights is because it is something that can be used worldwide and is an easy and plausible change. LED lights are an extremely efficient form of lighting. Not only are they, environmentally safe and efficient, but their life span is longer than incandescent bulbs, and they have a much lower carbon footprint than that of incandescent bulbs. I chose them for their low waste reduction, recyclability, and being mercury free. I want to spread awareness, educate the public on the benefits of LED lights, and be able to reach all parts of the world. It is said that the building sector account for about 40% of global energy use, so being able to work with this percentage can really make a global impact.

What makes you proud of your country and what can you promote about it?
In general everything about my country makes me proud, But to be more specific I will say its culture and folklore , including its music, art , dance and writers. Our diverse ethnic groups, has created an amazing mix of culture creating a unique country. Another amazing part of Colombia is the biodiversity, its multi climate characteristics that make it very unique in South America from high ice mountains to beautiful beaches. And the most important thing its people, We Colombians are very happy and energetic. I am proud to represent a Country where people like to give the best of them to try to show how good we are.

Describe your childhood/growing years:
I have such great and vivid memories of my childhood years. We were and still are a very tight knit family- my parents and my older brother, so we always played and spent time together. We had family BBQ's every Sunday, and I remember playing sports with my brother after school. Another reason why we were so close was because my brother was born sick so we all worked together to help him get better and succeed in life, and he always had such a larger than life personality that made us laugh so much and appreciate the little things.

What lessons did you learn from your childhood/growing years?
There are two lessons that everyone eventually learns in life but I am thankful I learned at such a young age, which are the value of life and money. Due to my brother being in and out of the hospital the first seven years of his life, I learned to enjoy life to the fullest at a young age. I also learned what the value of money was. My family went through a rough time economically and although we went from being able to travel and buy most of what we wanted to having no vacation for years and hand me downs, my parents made sure that we still had love, we still laughed and we were still happy. So I learned that although money may facilitate many things, it's an entity that comes and goes and it does not define our character, our happiness, or us.

What is your most memorable moment?
One of the most memorable moments was in ninth grade. In our school it was mandatory for ninth graders to go on Outward Bound, which was basically kayaking and surviving in the everglades for five days. We were split up into groups of eight with two guides who taught us basic survival skills, how to read a compass, a map, and things of that nature. On the last day they pointed to a spot on the map and told us that was our end point and we had to get there without their help. I learned a lot about my leadership skills, and realized that I understood what they had taught me and could lead a group. Even though it took hours and we kayaked in the rain, when we got to our destination it was such a great feeling of accomplishment I will never forget.

What is your environmental advocacy and why did you choose it?
The environmental project I’m working on to promote the protection of mother earth is the use of LED lights for sustainable energy. The reason why I chose to work with LED lights is because it is something that can be used worldwide and is an easy and plausible change. LED lights are an extremely efficient form of lighting. Not only are they, environmentally safe and efficient, but their life span is longer than incandescent bulbs, and they have a much lower carbon footprint than that of incandescent bulbs. I chose them for their low waste reduction, recyclability, and being mercury free. I want to spread awareness, educate the public on the benefits of LED lights, and be able to reach all parts of the world. It is said that the building sector account for about 40% of global energy use, so being able to work with this percentage can really make a global impact.

What tip can you share to promote sustainable energy for all?
There are two tips that I would like to share to promote sustainable energy for all. First and most importantly is the need to educate yourself. You need to educate yourself in order to understand what to do and why you should do it. You need to understand the problem in order to be part of the solution. My second tip is not to forget the little things. I feel that a lot of times people do want to help in saving the planet and solve all these big issues like ozone depletion and water pollution and they get so caught up in trying to figure out how to solve issues that would take years and involve many people to find a solution that they forget daily the small things such as turning of the lights or turning of the water while brushing your teeth. With billions of people on the planet if everyone would remember to turn off the water while brushing their teeth that would save so much water. In addition, I would spread awareness about my environmental advocacy, LED lights.

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