Nobel Peace Prize winner to visit Ohio State on Oct. 12

Kenyan environmentalist and social activist Wangari Maathai, who pioneered the Green Belt Movement, a grassroots effort that led to the planting of more than 30 million trees in Kenya, will be speaking to Ohio State students at 7 p.m., Thursday (10/12) at Weigel Hall Auditorium, 1866 College Road. Maathai received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace. She is the first African woman to receive this award.

Sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and First Year Experience, the program brings prominent individuals to campus to engage first year students in discussion around topics of national or international importance. A limited number of free tickets are available to the university community and the general public in room 120 Enarson Hall, 154 W. 12th Ave.
SEE: http://fye.osu.edu/speaker.html

Maathai says, "It is evident that many wars are fought over resources which are now becoming increasingly scarce. Protecting the global environment is directly related to securing peace. We must not tire, we must not give up, we must persist."

She is currently a member of Kenya's Parliament and Deputy Minister of Environment and was recently a visiting fellow at Yale University's Global Institute for Sustainable Forestry.

WHAT:Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai will be the featured guest in the First
Year Experience's Distinguished Speaker Series

WHEN:7 p.m. on Thursday (10/12)

WHERE:Weigel Hall Auditorium, 1866 College Road.

WHY:The Distinguished Speaker Series was developed to give first-year students the opportunity to interact with opinion leaders.