Global Sustainability Activities – Pre-Program
Activity 4: More Than Planting Trees
How It Works
Here you will learn about Wangari Maathai and The Greenbelt Movement, taking a close look at how this environmental movement affected the people and culture of Kenya. Later on your program, you will apply those ideas and principles to your project abroad with Walking Tree.
How You Do It
- Watch the following two videos: TAKING ROOT: The Vision of Wangari Maathai and Rehabilitating the Aberdes: The Trickling Effect.
- Download and print out the More Than Planting Trees Worksheet
- Complete the worksheet identifying the greatest impacts of The Green Belt Movement’s Aberdes Project, as well as the people involved/affected (i.e. stakeholders) by their work.
Take Away Points
- Environmental issues don't just affect the environment. When the environment is negatively impacted, people, communities, and cultures can also be significantly harmed. By stepping back and considering the large scale and long term effect of a project, you can ensure that your work has a longer, more sustainable impact on both the environment and the community as a whole.
- When you are abroad on your program with Walking Tree, think deeply about the greater implications and impacts of your group's project. How is it making an impact on the greater community and the people in that community?