Wangari Maathai "Unbowed" and Unbroken

You'll find nothing easier than growing a tree, Dr. Wangari Maathai told a rapt audience at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City last Tuesday. "Just dig a hole, plant the seed, the Lord provides the rain, and lo and behold!"

Maathai was in town promoting her memoir, Unbowed—which we've been told has climbed to the No. 27 spot on the New York Times bestseller list for the week of Oct. 7—and, of course, to speak of her favorite subject: trees, which are more vital to our existence than many of us may realize. "I learned in Japan that in order to stay alive, each of us needs 10 trees," she said. "So I encourage you to learn where your 10 trees are. So you don't suffocate in your own carbon dioxide." Word to the wise.

Don't wait for government to do the big things, she also urged. "We, as citizens of the planet can do something."

Even if that something is planting a single seed. :: The Green Belt Movement

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• Ed Begley, Jr. on Green Elementary Schools, Biodiesel, and More
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