Wangari Maathai, 'The Tree Lady,' Dies at 71

Political and environmental activist Wangari Maathai, known as the Tree Lady of Africa, died Sunday night at 71. Maathai started the Green Belt Movement in Africa in 1977 after realizing the threat deforestation posed to the continent's future. Since the movement began, some 20-30 million trees have been planted throughout Africa. After studying at the University of Pittsburgh, Maathai went on to become the first woman to receive a Ph.D. in Eastern Africa while studying at the University of Nairobi in Kenya, her home country. In 2004 she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, primarily due to her work with the Green Belt Movement. According to news outlet AllAfrica.com, "With Wangari Maathai's death, Africa has lost one of its most vocal and influential women, a committed protector of the environment and human rights and an intelligent and compassionate voice in the great debates which define how Africa develops. But her real legacy continues to grow, literally, in the form of the millions and millions of trees which, without her, would never have been planted."