Meet Julia Butterfly Hill, who lived in a tree for 738 days to save it
Julia Butterfly Hill spent 738 days living in a 1,000-year-old redwood tree named Luna to prevent it from being logged. Her protest became a global symbol of environmental conservation and personal sacrifice.
Why it matters
It highlights the power of individual civil disobedience in the history of environmental activism.
At 23, Julia Butterfly Hill climbed nearly 180 feet into the canopy of a towering 1,000-year-old redwood in northern California, expecting to spend only a few days there as part of an environmental protest. Instead, the ancient tree, known as Luna, became her home for the next 738 days. Living on two small wooden platforms suspended high above the forest floor, she endured violent storms, freezing temperatures, isolation and constant pressure from loggers, determined to stop the centuries-old giant from being cut down. Her remarkable act of courage became one of history's longest and most famous tree protests, helping save Luna and inspiring environmental activists around the world.How Julia Butterfly Hill's 738-day tree protest beganJulia Butterfly Hill was born on February 18, 1974, in Mount Vernon, Missouri, but spent much of her childhood travelling across the United States because her father was an itinerant evangelical minister.
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