Julia Butterfly Hill was born February 18th, 1974, and grew up in Jonesboro, Arkansas as the daughter of a preacher. In her early 20's, she was in a car accident that resulted in a minor brain injury and eventually propelled to her to seek a new spirituality through environmentalism. She gained international fame--and notoriety--at age 23 when she climbed a "180-foot-tall, 600-year-old California Redwood tree" she named Luna (Wikipedia, 2007). Hill ended up living in the tree for an astounding 738 days, from December 10th, 1997 to December 18th, 1999. Her action saved Luna, as well as the surrounding three acres of forest.
After her well-publicized treesit ended, Hill decided to use her celebrity to advance the goals of the environmental movement. She founded the Circle of Life Foundation, which aims to "[activate] people through education, inspiration and connection to live in a way that honors the diversity and interdependence of all life" (Circle of Life Foundation, 2007). The organization's website, www.circleoflifefoundation.org, is a wonderful resource that not only features Julia Butterfly Hill's poems, blogs, and touring schedule, but also ideas and opportunities for individual activism. Of particular interest to educators might be the educational resource pages for kids and adults, and the "Crafty Projects" or "Solutions You Can Use" pages in the "Action" section of the website.
Hill has also maintained an active touring and writing schedule. She has been published in several books, most notably 2001's The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, A Woman and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods. This memoir detailed the two years Hill spent living in Luna and the lessons she learned. Due to her religious upbringing, it is not surprising that much of Hill's work draws connections between ecology and spirituality. In a 2005 interview with Tikkun magazine, Hill speaks about her experiences doing outreach with Christians who argue that she should "worship the creator, not the creation..." (Awehali, p. 30). She responds by recalling their own religious texts, which effectively state that all of nature is, in effect, an aspect of God or the creator.
Another primary focus of Hill's theory is the necessity of personal responsibility to the larger ecological movement. In an interview from 2006, she admits that "the biggest challenge I face is not external at all, but internal. I am my own biggest challenge." (Emanoil, 2006). This attitude is evident in her work with the Circle of Life Foundation, which constantly strives to give people ideas, opportunities and support to overcome the personal struggles that keep them from living more consciously. Julia Butterfly Hill's humanity and accessibility have made her a worthy figurehead in the contemporary environmental movement.
Works Cited
Awehali, B. (2005). Interview with Julia Butterfly Hill. Tikkun, 20, no 2.
Circle of Life Foundation. (2007). Welcome to circle of life. Retrieved March 28, 2007, from http://www.circleoflifefoundation.org/index.html
Emanoil, P. (2006). The hardest part. Delic Living, 22, no 3.
Hill, J. B. (2001). The legacy of luna: the story of a tree, a woman and the struggle to save the redwoods. San Francisco: Harper.
Wikipedia. (2007). Julia Butterfly Hill. Retrieved March 21, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Butterfly_Hill
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