Wangari Maathai, African Environmentalist and Nobel Laureate

Adored
Supporters dance and offer congratulations outside Maathai's Oslo hotel on December 10, 2004, the day Maathai accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway. She was recognized for "her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace," and the committee noted her aggressive stance against unfriendly government administrations, and the broad reach her Green Belt Movement had in affecting other countries' strategies against desertification.

• The Legacy of Wangari Maathai, Nobel Environmentalist