History of Gender Commons^™

Environmental Justice And Women's Rights: A Tribute To Wangari Maathai, Mechthild Nagel

Wagadu: A Journal of Transnational Women's & Gender Studies

The United Nations Millenium Development Goals (MDG) focus on key social, economic and political issues; gender and environment are just some of the areas noted. What are the lessons learnt from Kenya’s Green Belt Movement (GBM), spearheaded by Wangari Maathai? MDG analysts might benefit from understanding an NGO’s strategies, like GBM. It will be argued that GBM’s consensus movement mobilized urban and rural women around tree planting income-generating activities, consciousness raising, women’s rights, and political empowerment. GBM’s harambee spirit has the potential of replication across the continent.