Arts & Culture
Julia Butterfly Hill lived in this tree she named Luna for approximately two years.
Tree-dwelling author climbs down to Stevens Point for Earth Week
The Pointer
lgern177@uwsp.edu
Best-selling author and renowned environmental activist Julia Butterfly Hill will be speaking on campus in an open forum this Tuesday, April 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Dreyfus University Center Theater.
Bringing Hill to campus was a collaborative effort on behalf of student organizations like the Society for Ecological Restoration, Student Government Association, the Geography Club, the Waste Management Society, the Environmental Educators and Naturalists Association and Centertainment. Individuals like Chris Diehm in the philosophy department, President of the Environmental Council and SGA Sustainability Director Nate Pollesch and geography professor Lisa Theo were also instrumental in this effort.
Environmental Council secretary and treasurer Jennifer White is also playing a large role in helping to coordinate the event and is serving as a main communication representative to the public.
“Julia is an international figure for the environmental movement,” White said. “She has traveled all over promoting her beliefs and retelling her experience. We are lucky to have such an influential figure coming to Point.”
During her visit, Hill will be speaking about her book, “The Legacy of Luna,” which details her plight to protect the redwood trees in California from deforestation and logging. Her efforts included a two-year tree sit in a redwood tree she named Luna. She was awarded the Courage of Conscience award in October 2002 for her act of civil disobedience.
As is evident from her book, Hill’s tree-sit was a microcosmic symbol of changes that must occur on a macro level--by attaching herself bodily to one tree, she made a statement about humans’ inherent connectedness to the environment as a whole and the need to protect it.
This statement resonated not only among the individuals it served to inspire, but also among prominent logging companies like Pacific Lumber, who repeatedly tried cutting the tree down. Their efforts and Hill’s actions engendered both bad press for the company and a new wave of environmentalism.
“I think that she has brought about awareness of lumber practices,” White said. “While in the tree, she fought the entire time for more strict regulations on the movement. She has inspired many people not to turn a blind eye to the lumber company’s blatant disregard for the law.”
The scope of Hill’s career as an activist has widened to include involvement with organizations like the Circle of Life foundation, which she founded in 1999 with other activists. According to White, she also works with Van Jones, an individual hired by the Obama administration to create green jobs in urban areas.
However, this demanding schedule has not mitigated Hill’s passion for educating the public on the urgent priority of environmental issues.
“We can no longer deny that the earth is in trouble due in part to massive deforestation that has helped eliminate species from this planet and in part to the often harmful practices of big business,” White said. “Julia is not afraid to fight for these issues.”
