By Theodora Filis Professor Wangari Maathai was internationally recognized for her persistent struggle for democracy, human rights, and environmental conservation. She had addressed the UN on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit and served on the Commission for Global Governance and Commission on the Future. She and the Green Belt Movement (GBM) Kenya, a non-profit grassroots, non-governmental organization (NGO) based in Kenya, have received numerous awards, most notably The 2004 Nobel Peace Prize. Prof. Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in 1977, working with women to improve their livelihoods by increasing their access to resources like firewood for cooking and clean water. She became a great advocate for better management of natural resources and for sustainability, equity, and justice. The Green Belt Movement and Professor Maathai are featured in several publications including The Green Belt Movement: Sh...
It is imperative we all pay attention to the impact of our collective and personal actions on the environment. During the next decade, our global community will be unable to deal effectively with the formidable environmental challenges posed by decades of environmental mismanagement. I hope you question and research everything.