Today more than 30 million trees are planted in Kenya thanks to Maathai’s efforts, and the tree remains a symbol in the struggle for democracy in Kenya.

Maathai used environmental issues as a  jumping off point to advocate for human rights and women’s rights issues.  She was one of the first women in east and central Africa to receive a phD from an African university, and spent much of her career working in academia, the head of the veterinary department at the University of Nairobi. She opposed the authoritarian policies of and protested against Kenyan President Daniel Arap Moi in the mid 1980’s. The Green Belt movement during that time called for the release of prisoners of conscience, and successfully stopped the construction of a high rise building in Nairobi. Maathai faced threats, and was beaten, arrested and at one point charged with sedition for her activism.  Maathai later worked as an Assistant Minister on Environmental Issues in  the Kenyan parliament. She received the French Legion of Honor in 2006, and was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2009, focusing on environmental issues.