A LOCAL teacher who is passionate about protecting the environment has made it to the final of a new beauty pageant. Lauri Knowler, 26, from Upper Arncott, will be competing for the title of Miss Eco UK in May. She has spent years being an environmental issues ambassador and wants to take her platform of being a voice of hope and change rather than doom and gloom that surrounds environmental issues, to the next level. Ms Knowler said: I have been passionate about the environment for as long as I can remember. I have always been interested as to where food has come from and how the world works.