A Call to Leadership - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 11

But this is not her claim to fame. Having spent much of her youth studying
away from her country, Wangari was heartbroken when she returned to discover
that the beautiful green countryside in which she had spent her early childhood
was beginning to disappear. Mining, logging, and other developmental activities
had eaten into the lush forests of her homeland. Examining the problem further,
she found that this devastation was not limited to Kenya, but was spreading
across Africa. Industrialization of the continent required raw materials to feed
these industries, which was, in turn, destroying Africa's forests. There was no
organized awareness of the ecological disaster that was facing the continent at
the time and thus there was no action to contain the deforestation.
Wangari realized that she could not sit idly by and watch the looming eco-
logical disaster ruin her homeland. As one of the few women from her part of
the world to have achieved so much academic distinction, and the prestigious
Chair of Veterinary Anatomy at Nairobi University, she felt compelled to do
something. She started the Green Belt movement, employing the economically
weakest section of African society - women from the poorest families. The
Green Belt movement has created a renewable source of lumber by planting
over 30 million trees. It has also enabled women employed by the organization
to earn a livelihood [18] .
Today, Wangari is known as “the Tree Woman of Africa” [18] . Besides her
environmental activism, she is also an advocate for democracy and human
rights and has addressed the United Nations several times on these issues. In
2002, Wangari entered politics and was elected to parliament. In 2003, she was
appointed as Assistant Minister for Environment & Natural Resources. In 2004,
she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Wangari had the means to live a com-
fortable life in the higher echelons of society, but her conscience urged her to
step outside of her cocoon and make a difference in the lives of not just the
women of her country but the entire continent of Africa.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TODAY?
While it can take years and hard work to rise to a leadership position in your
company, you might be wondering what you can do now, today , to nurture the
leadership qualities that you already possess. Leadership is not a mystery; it is
a process of acquiring skills and knowledge. Everything you do in support of a
candidate, in support of community issues, and in your work in public office is
part of the learning curve. Use what you learn today to commit to learning more
tomorrow. The more you know, the stronger you are. As Francis Bacon once
said, “Knowledge is power.” If you know more than your opponents you have
the power to overcome their opposition.
Leadership is in some ways like building a house. The actual construction
requires material, equipment, and specific skills. The builder must be competent
and knowledgeable, but without the architect who had the vision and compe-
tence to design the house he would have nothing to do. The world is full of