Elizabeth Wathuti (ke)
Elizabeth Wathuti is a Kenyan Environment and Climate activist and founder of Green Generation Initiative which nurtures young people to love nature and be environmentally conscious at a young age and has now planted 30,000 tree seedlings in Kenya. In 2019, she was awarded the Africa Green Person of the Year Award by the Eleven Eleven Twelve Foundation and named as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Africans by the Africa Youth Awards.
Elizabeth graduated from Kenyatta University with a bachelor's degree in Environmental Studies and Community Development.
She grew up in Nyeri County, which is renowned for having the highest forest cover in Kenya. She planted her first tree at the age of seven.
In 2016, she founded Green Generation Initiative, with a focus of nurturing more young environmental enthusiasts, practical environmental and climate education, building climate resilience and greening schools. Her video "The Forest is a Part of Me" was featured by the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) as part of a series on Youth Voices in Landscapes.
She is a recipient of a Wangari Maathai Scholarship award for her outstanding passion and commitment to environmental conservation. Elizabeth is also a full member of the Green Belt Movement, which was founded by the late Professor Wangari Maathai who is Wathuti’s role model and a big inspiration and influence.
In 2019 she was featured alongside Vanessa Nakate and Oladuso Adenike by Greenpeace as one of three young black climate activists in Africa trying to save the world.