Luna & Julia

Julia Butterfly Hill risked every- thing to protect a centuries-old redwood called Luna and what she learned along the way

- Minal Sancheti

It was December 1997 when activist Julia Butterfly Hill climbed a 1,000-year-old Redwood tree in California's redwood forest in a protest against the Pacific Lumber Company that was trying to hack down the trees for commercial reasons. Hill was persistent, and nothing deterred her determination from protecting Luna, the ancient tree. So much so that she stayed on the tree for 738 days without touching the ground even once. Her work to protect the environment gained a lot of media attention. The selfless work ended only when the official authorities assured that they would not harm the tree and the forest.