Happy Birthday to the Mother of Trees
April 1, 1940
Wangari Maathai
“When we plant trees,
we plant the seeds of
peace and hope.
READ BELOW FOR QUOTES
AND BIOGRAPHICAL TEXT BY YEE: MARIFER
In 2004, she earned a Nobel Peace Honor
for her essential work of linking peace with the environment,
through THE GREEN BELT MOVEMENT.
There are books about Dr. Maathai for ALL AGES!!!!
Here are links to two wonderful age-appropriate stories about Wangari Maathai!
AND
“A tree has roots in the soil
yet reaches to the sky.
It tells us that in order to aspire
we need to be grounded
and that no matter how high we go
it is from our roots that we draw sustenance.
It is a reminder to all of us who have had success
that we cannot forget where we came from.
It signifies that no matter
how powerful we become in government
or how many awards we receive,
our power and strength
and our ability to reach our goals
depend on the people,
those whose work remain unseen,
who are the soil out of which we grow,
the shoulders on which we stand”
― Wangari Maathai
“We all share one planet
and are one humanity;
there is no escaping this reality.”
Wangari Maathai
It's the little things citizens do.
That's what will make the difference.
My little thing is planting trees.
Until you dig a hole,
you plant a tree,
you water it and
make it survive,
you haven't done a thing.
You are just talking.
“Human rights are not things
that are put on the table
for people to enjoy.
These are things you fight for
and then you protect.”
― Wangari Maathai
“Today we are
faced with a challenge
that calls for a shift in our thinking,
so that humanity stops threatening
its life-support system.
We are called to assist
the Earth
to heal her wounds
and in the process
heal our own -
indeed
to embrace
the whole of creation
in all its diversity,
beauty and wonder."
- Wangari Maathai
“Recognizing that
sustainable development, democracy and peace
are indivisible
is an idea whose time has come”
Wangari Maathai
“I was inspired
by a traditional African stool
that has three legs and a basin to sit on.
To me the three legs
represent three critical pillars of
just and stable societies.
The first leg stands for democratic space,
where rights are respected,
whether they are human rights,
women's rights, children's rights, or environmental rights.
.
The second represents
sustainable and equitable management and resources.
.
And the third stands for cultures of peace
that are deliberately cultivated
within communities and nations.
.
The basin, or seat, represents society
and its prospects for development.
Unless all three legs are in place,
supporting the seat,
no society can thrive.
Neither can its citizens develop
their skills and creativity.
.
When one leg is missing,
the seat is unstable;
when two legs are missing,
it is impossible to keep any state alive;
and when no legs are available,
the state is as good as a failed state.
No development can take place in such a state either.
Instead, conflict ensues.”
“Education, if it means anything,
should not take people away from the land,
but instill in them even more respect for it,
because educated people are in a position
to understand what is being lost.
The future of the planet concerns all of us,
and all of us should do what we can to protect it.
As I told the foresters, and the women,
you don't need a diploma to plant a tree.”
“Throughout my life, I have never stopped
to strategize about my next steps.
I often just keep walking along,
through whichever door opens.
I have been on a journey
and this journey has never stopped.
When the journey is acknowledged
and sustained by those I work with,
they are a source of inspiration,
energy and encouragement.
They are the reasons I kept walking,
and will keep walking,
as long as my knees hold out.”
― Wangari Maathai
“In the course of history, there comes a time
when humanity is called to shift to a new level
of consciousness, to reach a higher moral ground.
A time when we have to shed our fear and
give hope to each other.
That time is now.”
Wangari Maathai
“We are called ...to embrace the whole creation
in all its diversity, beauty and wonder.
This will happen if we see the need
to revive our sense of belonging
to a larger family of life,
with which we have shared
our evolutionary process.”
Wangari Maathai
“You cannot protect the environment
unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources
are their own, that they must protect them.”
Wangari Maathai
“We cannot tire or give up.
We owe it to the present and future generations
of all species to rise up and walk!”
Wangari Maathai
