I’ve always lived in coastal cities - Mumbai, Los Angeles, Singapore - and that’s why the oceans have been so important to me. And why plastic pollution really frustrates me. It seems like such a giant problem - tonnes and tonnes of plastic that will stay in our oceans and lands forever, choking turtles, being ingested by fish whom we in turn eat, suffocating our lands, leaking microplastics into our food chain - with no easy solution. And I think that’s true to an extent. Living in an urban city, it’s hard to rid your life of single-use plastic. It’s everywhere from takeout boxes and coffee cups, to water bottles and shopping bags, wrappers and straws. I’ve wanted to do something about this for a while - change something about my lifestyle, make a difference in some way. It’s been easy to get a refillable water bottle, buy a reusable coffee cup, and stop using straws.

But I wanted to take a bigger step. So I decided to stop using disposable sanitary napkins and tampons. Instead, I use a menstrual cup. It’s made of silicone, is easy to use, is reusable for years and is even more hygienic and kinder to my body than disposable alternatives. This simple change helps keep a large amount of plastic waste out of landfills and oceans. I hope that more girls take up reusable alternatives and dispel any myths about them being harmful or difficult to use. It’s been over 15 months since I made the switch, and I’m happy to say I’m never going back!

I believe we are all on this planet to make an impact and to create a difference.Often we don't realize how fortunate we are to have water when we open our taps or to not spend our nights in darkness with no electricity. These are things that we sometimes take for granted. Having travelled around the world and being associated with WWF Nepal as the Young Conservative Ambassador in 2010, I realize that we need to own up to our actions and understand that the Earth is our home.

So how can we as individuals take a step to protect what is ours?

Here is my promise - to use wisely any resource that this earth provides. My family and I make sure we recycle and reuse as much as we can. My dad and I are very fond of gardening and we make our own compost from household waste; a means to #connect2earth in the literal sense! As simple as it may sound, I feel this creates our own small ecosystem to support insects and birds with whom we share our space. I also harvest rainwater in our house and use the collected water to water the plants and wash our clothes. By being mindful of less to zero waste, I feel I am able to inculcate the value of sustainable living.

My actions might not speak volumes but they can add up if we are in it together. Just like Earth Hour that harnesses the power of the individual.

I have always been inspired by the power that we have as individuals to make a change, and Earth Hour was just one great reason to channel that power into action.Organizing the largest collective environmental movement in my country helped me realize that the Earth is not only a home to us, humans, but to millions of other species and that we need to restore the balance between the biodiversity for the positive future of our shared home.

My story with Earth Hour starts with my passion for journalism - ever since I started writing about Earth Hour, I was thrilled with the idea of millions of people around the world, uniting for a cause and turning off the lights in one hour to send a visual, symbolic message of their commitment towards the planet. I never thought I could be a part of a global movement, but that is the uniqueness of Earth Hour, it is a movement that spreads across the world, yet, anyone, anywhere, can join, spark awareness and take action!

As editor-in-chief in the editorial desk I have been working on this years, many things have changed since we joined the Earth Hour. We have become a paperless company, meaning that paper is used only if is really needed. We have encouraged people to use public transportation to go to work, especially in those days when Skopje, our capital, has high level of air pollution (did you know that Skopje is one of the most polluted cities in the world?). Also, we have changed all our regular light bulbs with LED lights, making our office even more brighter, but in the same time using less electricity.

Together with the Earth Hour campaign in Macedonia, we were able to give educational institutions and individuals sets of LED light bulbs, we have planted thousands of trees, cleaned public spaces from garbage and spark awareness on climate change and biodiversity!

We connect to Earth everyday, that is why I am dedicating my hour to Earth, the one home we all share, because every action counts!