Grantham University Written by: Christopher Jay
Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement has made tremendous changes for Kenya and surrounding areas. Her historical movement has developed and recreated a new life to the people as they stepped forward with such motivation and determination as challenges and poverty stood in her way. She was was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, gained much love and respect from the people as she set forth to put an end to environmental degradation. Forest's need to used more sustainably, which we will talk about,also we touch upon how the Governments and individuals can reduce tropical deforestation. Whether its the government with the higher anarchy, who usually has the final say or the individuals who live day to day, we all have a place in the sustainability of the environment and Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement brought everyone together, made it possible so everyone worked together and won the hearts and minds of many individuals.
The Green Belt movement was a challenge from the get go. The five forested mountains, Mt. Kenya, Aberdare, Mau, Mt.Elgon and the Cherangani , are what the all the canyons and the surrounding area that lie beneath rely on for survival. Water and electricity are produced by the rivers that flow from these mountains. The degradation of the natural involvement and the lack of water were the key issues which is what motivated Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt Movement start the Green Belt Movement.
The link between what the needs were by the people and what the issues at handwere with the land, is what persuaded her to start this movement in planting trees. She was able to get funding to work with the community to plant over one million trees. Her strides in such a development were methodical and thought through very well. Her biggest was the government. Her knowing that is hard to change such a structure at the top,she went straight to the bottom,