Wangari Muta Maathai

Wangari Muta Maathai
Kenya

Maathai, who recently spoke at Goucher College, has the distinction as being the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. Maathai was active in the National Council of Women of Kenya from 1976-87 and was its chairman from 1981-87. It was while she served in the National Council of Women that she introduced the idea of planting trees with the people in 1976 and continued to develop it into a broad-based, grassroots organization whose main focus is the planting of trees with women groups in order to conserve the environment and improve their quality of life. This organization is known as the Green Belt Movement. She has also addressed the UN on several occasions and spoke on behalf of women at special sessions of the General Assembly for the five-year review of the earth summit. In December 2002, Maathai was elected to parliament with an overwhelming 98% of the vote. She was subsequently appointed by the president, as Assistant Minister for Environment, Natural Resources and Wildlife in Kenya's ninth parliament.

Maathai has won numerous awards for her work, including:
The Sophie Prize (2004), The Petra Kelly Prize for Environment (2004), The Conservation Scientist Award (2004), J. Sterling Morton Award (2004), WANGO Environment Award (2003), Outstanding Vision and Commitment Award (2002), Excellence Award from the Kenyan Community Abroad (2001), Golden Ark Award (1994), Juliet Hollister Award (2001), Jane Adams Leadership Award (1993), Edinburgh Medal (1993), The Hunger Project's Africa Prize for Leadership (1991), Goldman Environmental Prize (1991), the Woman of the World (1989), Windstar Award for the Environment (1988), Better World Society Award (1986), Right Livelihood Award (1984)
In addition to all these, Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work.

Source: nobelprize.org

Wangari Muta Maathai interview
Green Belt Movement