Teleconference with Wangari Maathai

From the Marion Institute:

MEDIA ADVISORY

***FOR PLANNING PURPOSE ONLY**

December 17, 2004

WANGARI MAATHAI, 2004 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENT, AND MARION INSTITUTE TO HOLD TELEPHONE NEWS CONFERENCE

To RSVP and obtain call-in information, contact Fenton Communications:

Cathy Renna, (212) 584-5000 ext. 319, crenna@fenton.com

Jenny Park, (415) 901-0111 ext. 341, jpark@fenton.com

NEW YORK, Dec. 6 — The Marion Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to identifying and promoting long-term sustainable programs, is partnering with Professor Wangari Maathai on a number of U.S. tours, with her first visit Dec. 18-22. Two more U.S. tours are planned for early 2005.

In efforts to accommodate the heavy volume of media requests, Maathai and the Marion Institute will hold a telephone news conference. Credentialed media only; RSVPs are requested.

WHEN: Tuesday, Dec. 21, 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET

WHO: Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Wanjira Mathai, International Liaison, Green Belt Movement

Callum Grieve, Director of Marketing, Marion Institute

CALL-IN INFO: Contact Cathy Renna or Jenny Park to obtain dial-in number and passcode.

Maathai is the first environmentalist as well as the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She was awarded the prize for her work to protect Africa’s forests by planting trees, recognizing that “Peace on earth depends on our ability to secure our living environment.” She is a founder of the Green Belt Movement, a partner program of the Marion Institute for close to ten years.

Since its inception, the Green Belt Movement has championed the cause of environmental protection under its mission to mobilize communities for self-determination, justice, equity, poverty reduction and environmental conservation, using trees as the entry point. Today it has over 60 community networks across Kenya that care for 6,000 tree nurseries and has planted more than 30 million trees to date.

For more information, still photographs or other inquiries please contact Cathy Renna, Media Relations Director, Fenton Communications, at (212) 584-5000 ext. 319 or at crenna@fenton.com.

For more information online:

Marion Institute, www.marioninstitute.org

www.planttreesforpeace.org

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