An environmental campaigner who spent two years never touching the ground living in a 200-foot-tall tree has revealed the lessons she learned.
Tree enthusiast julia hill, who does not capitalise her name, was only 23 when she decided to embark on her vertigo-inducing protest in the world’s tallest species of tree, with this one named Luna.
Ms hill, who was given the middle nickname Butterfly as a child, took up residence in the branches of a tree she named Luna from December 10, 1997, and December 18, 1999.
During her time in the tree Ms hill lived on two six by four-foot platforms and used solar power for her a mobile phone to give interviews to the press. For food she had a small stove and used a hoist to bring up meals into the canopy.
Her brave protest happened in Humboldt County, California, in response to a logging company felling the large valuable giant redwood trees in the area.
At the end of Ms hill’s leafy sit-in an agreement was reached to save Luna and the tree still remains standing today despite some vandalism attempts in later years.
Speaking to Express.co.uk Ms hill said her time with Luna made her realise how “deeply interdependent” human beings are with their environment, so much so she no longer capitalises herself when using the word ‘i’, or uses capitals in her name.
She said: “While i was in Luna, i realised how deeply interdependent we all are, and that i am not separate from any anything.
“From that time forward, i quit using capitals for the letter “i” as well as my name. This is just a small way i have of recognising and honouring the vital importance of our deep interconnectedness.”
As well as making changes to way she views herself, Ms hill said she learned many other lessons from her time with Luna including confronting a need to be “right”, realising “every choice in life counts” and that “love is a powerful force”.
She said: “We see sadly, so much in our world today, everyone just wants to be right about their opinions and point fingers and place blame, and meanwhile things in many areas are getting much worse as a result.
“That every choice counts. Because no choice happens in a vacuum it is literally scientifically impossible to make no difference and have no impact.
“It is not can one person make a difference. It is that each and every single one of us does make a difference every moment of every day.”
Summing up a few of these lessons julia added that “love” was the most powerful force, saying “i have found power and solutions i never imagined possible”.
Commenting on the climate situation today and protesters like Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and Just Stop Oil protests julia said she believed the media and governments portray those carrying out direct action as “extremists”.
She said: “The greatest changes in history and herstory have happened when people put their bodies where their beliefs are.
“All the rights that are taken for granted today come from those who came before and made sacrifices for us.
“So many people feel they can’t make a difference and have become apathetic and over-consumers.
“The media and government officials portray people involved in direct-action as ‘extremists’ yet what we, everyday people, are allowing our governments and massive corporations to do to our lives, our world, our planet and our children’s future that is what is extreme.”
On the future for the world julia said she still has hope despite “more and more problems” around the globe, she concluded: “This is our Earth, our world, our home. We need to take it personally and choose that caring for the Earth and one another is much more beautiful, sexy, and cool than caring about what others are wearing, driving, look like, who is dating who, etc… Those are petty things that do not mean anything after we die.”
