Wangari Muta Maathai was born in Nyeri, Kenya, in 1940. After having studied Biological Sciences, she earned a Master of Science degree from the University of Pittsburgh and obtained her Ph.D. from the University of Nairobi in 1971. She was the first woman in East and Central Africa to earn a doctorate degree. In the mid-1970s she introduced the idea of planting trees as a means to mobilize poor women to improve their quality of life and to conserve the environment. Over thirty years, the Green Belt Movement has paved the way for development in Africa. Professor Wangari Maathai’s “contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace” was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004.