Taking Belize’s Environmental Message From the Office to the Philippines 

Twenty-five-year-old Vashti Thompson walked away with the Miss Earth Belize crown on Saturday night. She is now the beacon to carry Belize’s environmental message to the international stage at the Miss Earth 2026 in the Philippines on November 14.

Thompson holds a bachelor’s degree in biology and works as a community officer at the National Biodiversity Office, where she already practises her advocacy by educating communities on protecting Belize’s natural resources.

“Miss Earth is an environmentally conscious pageant, and it has value within being an advocate for our environment, which is something that I already do and embody day-to-day,” she told News 5. “It’s really something that I’m true to, so I believe this pageant aligned with my values more than any other pageant.”

Thompson believes Belize’s biggest environmental challenge is a lack of public education. She drew attention to ongoing environmental concerns, including plastic pollution, human-wildlife conflict, and other problems that could be addressed if people were better informed about the laws and penalties. 

“The public needs to know this, not just environmentalists, not just scientists, everyone,” she added. 

Thompson will leave Belize at the end of October for a month-long worth of pageant activities in the Philippines, leading up to the international competition scheduled for mid-November. 

“I am carrying the crown with pride because I’m going to represent my country on an international stage,” she said. “And I’m excited to meet the other delegates who are also girls who are environmentally conscious… There’s a lot of work that will go into preparing and training, but I’m up to it.”