Green Belt Movement Founder Will Address Language, Environment at Public Lecture

Nobel Laureate Wangari Maathai, an internationally recognized advocate for the environment, human rights and democracy, will visit UC Irvine in March to speak as part of the Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Series and to accept the fourth annual UCI Citizen Peacebuilding Award.

Maathai will give her public talk on "Environment: The Language of Human Life" at 7 p.m. Monday, March 20, at the Humanities Instructional Building, Room 100. The lecture is free and open to the public; seating is limited.

"Professor Wangari Maathai is a multifaceted talent who has fought tirelessly to protect the integrity of our environment," said Ngugi wa Thiong'o, director of the International Center for Writing and Translation, which is co-sponsoring the event. "It is an honor to have her at UCI, especially on International Earth Day."

Maathai won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the Green Belt Movement, which she founded in 1977. The grassroots organization has helped women plant more than 30 million trees across Kenya - an effort not just to reforest their communities, but to encourage self-empowerment, environmental conservation, community development and improved quality of life.

In addition to her work with the Green Belt Movement, Maathai has addressed the United Nations several times, and served on the Commission for Global Governance and the Commission on the Future. She has served in Kenya's parliament since 2002, and in 2003 was appointed assistant minister for environmental and natural resources. Maathai also has been a professor of veterinary anatomy at the University of Nairobithe.

The UCI Citizen Peacebuilding Award is being given to Maathai in honor of her impact on fostering sustainable economic and social development, democracy, women's rights and peace in Kenya and Africa. The first UCI Citizen Peacebuilding Award was given to former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, the second to the XIVth Dalai Lama, and the third to 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.

About The Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Series: The Chancellor's Distinguished Fellows Series brings distinguished scholars and nonacademics to campus to share their experience and expertise with the UCI community. The series features fellows who have been selected for their contributions in disciplines that address the challenges of an increasingly interdependent world. As part of their residency, fellows give a free presentation to students, faculty, staff and the public. The 2005-06 series began in October with ballerina Veronica Tennant. For more information about the series, visit www.chancellor.uci.edu/cdfs.shtml.

About The International Center for Writing and Translation: The International Center for Writing and Translation in the School of Humanities fosters writing, translation, and criticism in multilingual and international contexts. The Center possesses an international scope, a focus that champions writing, and an earnest exploration of translation as a challenge and practice. For more about the center, visit www.humanities.uci.edu/icwt.

About The Center for Citzen Peacebuilding: The Center for Citzen Peacebuilding in the School of Social Sciences engages in research, education and action supporting citizen participation in public peace processes locally and globally. Its activities aim to prevent violent conflict, and in areas where violence occurs, to promote reconciliation and sustainable peace. For more information about the center, visit www.citizenpeacebuilding.org.

About the University of California, Irvine: The University of California, Irvine is a top-ranked university dedicated to research, scholarship and community service. Founded in 1965, UCI is among the fastest-growing University of California campuses, with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students and about 1,400 faculty members. The second-largest employer in dynamic Orange County, UCI contributes an annual economic impact of $3.3 billion. For more UCI news, visit www.today.uci.edu.

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