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GBM helps Kenya enter a new era

September 8, 2010 - 10:55AM
Published by Professor Karanja Njoroge

On August 5th 2010 Kenyans voted overwhelmingly in favour of a new constitution, marking the beginning of a new era in Kenyan politics. In this special blog our Executive Director Professor Karanja Njoroge explains how GBM was involved in bringing about the new constitution and what it means for the environment.

Going The Extra Mile...

August 20, 2010 - 10:00AM
Published by Hannah Smith

The Green Belt Movement International Team are joining up with The Rainforest Foundation UK and dusting off their running shoes on 5th September to run 10km to raise money for our tree planting projects in Kenya… and we need your help!

Education and Inspiration: Growing Trees for Peace

August 3, 2010 - 01:30PM
Published by Kathryn Gelder

Last summer, GBM shared the story of two kindergarten teachers and the kind hearts of their students with the blog entry, “Big Trees Come From Small Seeds.” At that time, we were writing metaphorically about the power of Professor Maathai and the Green Belt Movement to inspire these small seeds, these young schoolchildren learning about peace. Now, we are honored to announce that the story is also literally true. As Jane Schumer, one-half of the amazing peace team at Daniel Warren School in Mamaroneck, New York, writes, “I am proud to tell you that the dream that Connie Levin and I had in building a Wangari Tree Nursery at our school is now a reality.”

Are you a hummingbird?

July 30, 2010 - 09:55AM
Published by Anna Collins

Often when Professor Maathai speaks people ask her to tell the hummingbird story. The hummingbird story reminds us all that however small we are, in the face of hard times, of huge problems we can still do something, we can still make our voices heard, we can still have an impact.

Biofuels: Recent Report Highlights Problems With Jatropha

June 29, 2010 - 06:55AM
Published by Hannah Smith

Presented as the future of combustible energy, biofuels have been gaining a growing interest and enthusiasm over the past few years. This is due firstly to the oscillation of oil prices and secondly to concerns about climate changes. In fact biofuels are often described as an effective alternative to petroleum in order to avoid its disastrous effects for the environment and for human health. They are biodegradable, offer energy security and produce cleaner and lower emissions in comparison to classical fossil fuels. As a result an increasing number of investments have been made in this sector.

The Nobel Women's Initiative Delegation to the ICC: Part 2 - Africa & The International Criminal Court

June 21, 2010 - 09:20AM
Published by Hannah Smith

From May 28 to June 5, the Nobel Women’s Initiative took a delegation - led by Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai and Shirin Ebadi - to the first ever Review Conference of the International Criminal Court.

The Nobel Women's Initiative Delegation to the ICC: Part 1 - Gender Justice

June 15, 2010 - 11:50AM
Published by Hannah Smith

From May 28 to June 5, the Nobel Women’s Initiative led a delegation to the first ever Review Conference of the International Criminal Court. The delegation, led by Nobel Laureates Wangari Maathai and Shirin Ebadi, called for a global end to impunity and a strengthening of laws that punish perpetrators of crimes against women.

What's logging got to do with saving the climate?

June 10, 2010 - 09:45AM
Published by Anna Collins

For the last two weeks the UN have again been meeting to discuss climate change at the UNFCCC in Bonn, Germany. I was there to keep up with everything that is going on and try to make sure any decisions that got made, especially with regards to forests were the kind of decisions that we here at Green Belt Movement would consider good ones.

New funding for forests: the launch of the Fast Start REDD+ Partnership in Olso

June 2, 2010 - 08:15AM
Published by Francesca de Gasparis

Last week I joined Wangari and the team in Oslo to attend the launch of the REDD+ Partnership Agreement. This new initiative for forests (2010-2012) came out of the Fast Start funding discussions also known as the Paris-Oslo process.

Millennium Development Goals, MDG 7

May 26, 2010 - 05:50AM
Published by Hannah Smith

Almost ten years ago, in the UN Headquarters in New York, 192 countries and 23 international organizations adopted the Millennium Development Goals Declaration. This was a landmark in the history of the international cooperation and reflected a global aspiration to provide an effective solution to the most important problems affecting developing countries. The MDGs involve aspects such as the eradication of extreme poverty, the improvement of universal primary education and the mitigation of some epidemic diseases. These goals should be achieved by 2015. This year draws ever nearer. The question rises quite spontaneously: With less than 5 years to 2015, are we on the track to meet the target? Is the world on its way to achieve the seventh MDG, the goal regarding environmental sustainability?

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