The air we breathe; the water we drink; the complex interactions between human genetics and our surroundings. How do the built and natural environments influence our health and how can we reduce risk factors? These environmental risk factors can cause diseases such as asthma, cancer, and food poisoning. Specialists from chemistry, toxicology, engineering, and other disciplines combine their expertise to answer these important questions. Environmental health studies the impact of our surroundings on our health.

Religious laws, such as Moses’ Law, writings in the Old and New Testaments and laws in the Koran, played major roles in the lives of ancient peoples. These laws mainly concentrated on the provision of personal hygiene. Dead bodies and contaminated surfaces were known to be unclean or unhygienic to touch. The importance of burying human feces was also strongly indicated. The importance of body cleanliness before praying was a motive for maintaining the integrity of hygiene with a religious practice. 

The importance of hygiene and sanitation flourished at the times of Greek, Roman and Egyptian civilization. The use of private and public baths and latrines, cleaning of the body, shaving the head for protection from lice infestation, and the construction of water pipelines and sewage ditches were widely observed. The transmission of schistosomiasis (bilharzias) was linked to bathing and swimming in the Nile River. In these civilizations, the focus was on personal hygiene (hygiene) and human waste management (sanitation).

In 1997, with hopes of producing sustainable wood for fuel and combating soil erosion, Wangari Maathai formed the Green Belt Movement in Kenya. Through these movement women were mobilized by Wangari in order to plant millions of trees. Within a period of 30 years, more than 30 million trees were planted in Kenya, serving as an inspirational model to East and Southern Africa countries. 

During her environmental work, she was arrested several times by then the late Kenyan President Daniel Toroitich arap Moi. Maathai was imprisoned in 1991 and in 1999, she suffered head injuries when attacked while planting trees in Karura Public Forest. Wangari has been a true hero for the environment. She was committed to protecting the environment and its aspects.