IF all environmentalists looked like Hil Yesenia Hernandez Escobar, 23, men would be saving the Earth in droves.

Judging from the number of appreciative stares the statuesque Miss Earth (she's 1.81m tall) received as she strode across the Shangri-La Hotel lobby, if she had asked them to volunteer to plant trees, or stop driving, most of them would have done it in heartbeat.

The Chilean's long eyelashes and skilfully applied dark eye shadow masked the fact that she had just crossed several time zones to get to Singapore to attend the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Champions Of The Earth Awards at the Shangri-La hotel later tonight.

Speaking to The New Paper after a 35-hour flight from Chile, Miss Hernandez said she took her job as a green beauty queen seriously.

The Miss Earth title is not as well known as the Miss Universe or Miss World ones. Those titles, she said, are focused mainly on the beauty of the contestants.

In her halting English, she added: 'Sometimes people say Miss Earth is not as big as Miss Universe.

'Miss Earth has to work harder. It's a beauty contest with a cause. We need to bring attention to environmental causes and that's not easy.'

Miss Universe winners are spokesmen for Aids charities and Miss World queens raise money for children's charities during their stint.

The youngest of three children whose her father died several years ago, Miss Hernandez won her earthy crown last November in the Philippines.

Hailing from an island called Chileo, which is the second-largest island in South America and is known for it's abundant nature, she studied tourism and took up modelling.

She once spent a month working as a model in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen.

After that, she lived in Santiago, the capital of Chile, studying engineering, but gave up her studies to fulfil her Miss Earth duties.

And judging from her resume, she is like a pageant junkie.

In 2004, she represented Chile in the Miss Model Of The World pageant, making it to the semi-finals.

She also participated in the Miss South American Queen and Miss World Chile pageants in 2003.

Miss Hernandez took special pride in mentioning that she is the second Chilean to win a major beauty contest.

'The last one was Cecilia Bolocco twenty years ago, who won the Miss Universe pageant,' she said.

Incidentally, Ms Bolocco was crowned in Singapore when the Miss Universe contest was held here in 1987.

When asked what her 'green credentials' were, Miss Hernandez replied: 'I work with children to plant trees in their schools and around the neighbourhood in Chile.'

She said she can't remember how many trees she has planted to date.

Part of her job as Miss Earth is to work with the community in Santiago to create an awareness of recycling and conservation.

'The environment is such an important topic this year that Chile finally created an environmental ministry. So what I am doing is very important,' she said.

Miss Hernandez also insists that she would never wear fur, even if it cost her modelling gigs.

'I will not do that. It's feels awful having a dead animal on your skin. I would rather not work,' she said.

A self-professed outdoor person, she enjoys cycling and jogging.

She also loves playing volleyball but with her hectic travel schedule, 'it's a bit boring to play volleyball by myself,' she said with a laugh.

'So I do crunches in my hotel room.'

However she admits she hates going to the gym to maintain her slim figure.

'I really don't like all those heavy machines, but when I travel, I don't have a choice. I have to use them,' she said.

Miss Hernandez admits she is reluctant to give up her crown later this year, as she will miss travelling the world.

'That makes me very happy. My goal before I give up my crown is to be the best MissEarth ever,' she said.

After her stint as Miss Earth ends in November, she hopes to continue working with the UNEP and other conservation groups.

She also plans to resume her studies, although she is having second thoughts about engineering.

'I think I want to do communications or journalism. I would like to be a broadcast journalist or even be like Oprah Winfrey and Tyra Banks and have my own talk show.'