Tree by Tree - Plant-for-the-Planet

Wangari Maathai (1940 - 2011):
Mama Miti – the
Mother of the Trees
The most common reason why people plant trees is
because they want to use them later on, as fuel for a fire
or as building material. Sometimes, people might want
fruit from the tree, for example apples, plums, pears, or
cherries. Trees are often planted for aesthetic reasons.
Indeed, the special charm of most parks and gardens can
be attributed to an abundance of lush and beautiful trees.
In earlier times, trees were planted along the roadside, in order to provide
shade for travellers and horse-drawn carriages. There have always been people
who planted trees with the aim of improving their environment. For example,
designers of ancient cities knew that forests or green-belts can improve the
quality of the air if the wind blows through them before it reaches the city. With
this knowledge they began the tradition of planting forests on the side of the
city from which the wind typically came.
Felix first came up with the idea of Plant-for-the-Planet when he read about
Wangari Maathai, an African woman who planted trees in order to save her
country. For her, it wasn’t necessarily a question of obtaining wood or fruit, it
wasn’t even about the beauty of the trees themselves; what she wanted was to
make something that was about more than personal use. She wanted to create
something that could be used and enjoyed by everyone.
Wangari Maathai was born in Kenya on April 1st *
1940
1940. When she
was young her mother often sent her out to gather wood, telling her many
interesting stories about the trees and shrubs of her African homeland. “Do
not take dry wood out from under a fig tree. It is a tree god! We do not use
him and we do not cut him down,”* was something she used to say. Many of
the children in Africa may have also heard such advice … eventually forgotten,
but not Wangari. She soaked up all information to do with the living world, like
a tree root soaking up water. Another thing that Wangari’s mother often told
her, hoping that she would someday make it her life motto, was “Do not just sit
around idly, go plant something!” Later, Wangari would become world-famous
for doing exactly that.
This is a quote
from the book,
“Trees Save the
World!” in which
Wangari Maathai’s
life and story is
reported about in
great detail.
18 We from Plantfor-the-Planet
give this book
to all of our
Climate Justice
19
Ambassadors as a
gift. Through it
you learn how Wangari
Maathai became
the “Mother of the
Trees,” as well as
bright role-model
for the world and
especially for us
from Plant-for-the-
Planet.