Julia Butterfly Hill had never protested a day in her life before climbing 180 feet up a Redwood tree in 1997. She remained in the tree for 738 days, the longest tree-sit to prevent deforestation. Hill is now an activist, poet, author, and founder of Circle of Life, an environmental program dedicated to activating people through inspiration and connection.
In a speech given Oct. 30, Hill spoke about her childhood and how it affected her as an adult.
“I was raised very poor,” said Hill. “We wore clothes that other people gave us. And I was made fun of, because we live in a culture that says money is God and it’s all about the way you look.
“So I was made to feel stupid, ugly, bad, and ashamed from a very early age. So that made me decide that I wanted to make money. When I got to college, I didn’t study anything that had to do with the environment or social justice. I majored in business.”
When she graduated, Hill and her father operated a restaurant together. They sold the business two years later and Hill then went through what she described as a “self- destructive period.” She then became an independent consultant for the restaurant and bar industry.
Hill recounted how she felt during the period of her life before she was an activist.
“I never quite felt full. I never quite felt alive. I always felt like I was on the verge, but couldn’t quite get there. But then of course if you look at our media you’ll see that we have a culture that perpetuates that story of not quite getting there. Right when you buy the clothes that are in style what happens? It changes. Right when you buy the next big vehicle what happens? Hummers!”
The turning point in Hill’s life began when she was in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Hill suffered memory loss and motor skill damage.
Hill went on a road trip after recovering from the accident. The Redwood forest was one stop along the way. She was overwhelmed with the energy and spirituality she felt there.
Hill was horrified to learn that 97 percent of the Redwood forest had already been destroyed. She was also shocked to discover that police pepper-sprayed non-violent protesters.
“If you walk away, it’s the same thing as supporting the injustice,” said Hill.
She decided to take action, though she had no activism experience and had no idea where to go. She was told to go to the base camp, a place where activists organize tree-sits to prevent Redwoods from being chopped down.
They needed someone to sit in a tree they call Luna. Hill wanted to be the one to sit in Luna, but the activists at base camp wanted someone with experience. No one else volunteered so Hill got the job, and so began her life’s journey.
Loggers tried desperately to get her down, harassing her endlessly. They cut her supply ropes in an attempt to starve her. They flew helicopters above her. They blew air horns at night to deprive her of sleep. They even knocked other trees into Luna to scare her down.
The tree was equipped with a solar powered telephone that Hill used to make calls to congressmen and other officials. She conducted work all day in the tree.
She came down after 738 days, but her work wasn’t over. She began writing about her experience, and she continues to work with Circle of Life to inspire people to act as agents of change for a sustainable planet. Right now, Circle of Life is presenting the We the Planet bus tour.
The bus runs entirely on 100 percent recycled vegetable oil and the on-board appliances are solar powered.
“She brings her strength as someone who’s been through an incredible experience,” said junior James Cliff. “Not many people have the opportunity to do something that extraordinary. What she does is facilitate conversation and discussion about problems in the sustainability movement, and she tries to remedy those. She’s much more of a facilitator and a mentor than someone with a message.”
Hill is on a tour around the country now, opening lines of communication about sustainability and how to reverse environmental damage.
“I felt that this was an important event to have at Guilford because there are so many of us trying to sustain the one planet we have to live on. At times it’s extremely overwhelming,” said Gabriela Spang, President of Forevergreen, “This was an opportunity for us to create community and get back to why we are saving our planet.”
Julia Butterfly Hill has inspired many to make decisions that will positively affect the sustainability of the earth. A woman who no one knew climbed a tree and came down 738 days later as a heroine and an inspiration.