Sustainable Development Stories from the Field
In the Spotlight: A Vision Statement by the Green Belt Movement
The planting of trees is the planting of ideas. By starting with the simple act of planting a tree, we give hope to ourselves and to future generations.
-- Wangari Maathai
 The health of our planet is directly linked to the health of communities. Meeting the basic needs for family planning and reproductive health services, investing in sustainable development initiatives, and empowering women is key to an improved environmental future.
What is the Green Belt Movement?
The Green Belt Movement (GBM) is one of the most prominent women's civil society organizations, based in Kenya, advocating for human rights and supporting good governance and peaceful democratic change through the protection of the environment. Its mission is to empower communities worldwide to protect the environment and to promote good governance and cultures of peace.
How It All Started
The Green Belt Movement was started in 1977 by Dr. Wangari Maathai, the first African woman and the first environmentalist to receive the Nobel Peace Prize (in 2004). What began as a grassroots tree planting program to address the challenges of deforestation, soil erosion and lack of water is now a vehicle for empowering women. The act of planting a tree is helping women throughout Africa become stewards of the natural environment.
But that's just the first step.
By protecting the environment, these women are also becoming powerful champions for sustainable management of scarce resources such as water, equitable economic development, good political governance, and ultimately...peace.
Achievements
Today, more than 40 million trees have been planted across Africa. The result: soil erosion has been reduced in critical watersheds, thousands of acres of biodiversity-rich indigenous forest have been restored and protected, and hundreds of thousands of women and their families are standing up for their rights and those of their communities and so are living healthier, more productive lives.
Yet, so much remains to be done. Forests are still being lost, democracy is fragile, and poverty is still widespread.
Vision for the Future
Our goal in the next decade is to plant one billion trees worldwide. A healthy natural world is at the heart of an equitable and peaceful society. And protecting the environment is something every individual can take part in.
For More Information, contact Carrie Collins (301) 664-9000, ccollins@BCC-Associates.com.
Photo of Wangari Maathai courtesy of The Greenbelt Movement International (copyright).
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