Julia Hill, Essay Example

Nearly killed in a car accident at the age of 22, Julia Hill decided to pursue a spiritual journey. On her visit to California, she came to know about young people trying to prevent the extinction of great redwood forest and decided to join their cause. She climbed a 180-foot-tall tree that she would live on for more than two years. Similarly, when she heard about native Mindo community’s efforts to prevent oil pipeline construction through the Amazon rainforest in Ecuador, she went to their country to join their cause but was arrested and subsequently deported from the country. Julia Hill didn’t always succeed in her objective but she ssupported the right causes.

Julia’s actions were motivated by her conviction that pursuit of material possessions should not be the only purpose of life. She believed that we also have responsibilities towards the society that should not be ignored in pursuit of economic gains. She made the tree her home in order to prevent it from being cut by the lumber company. She succeeded in her mission as she prevented the tree from being cut down and also convinced the lumber company to create a three-acres buffer zone. But she was not so lucky in Ecuador which may be due to the fact that Ecuador has weaker free speech culture and public protection laws.

Julia Hill has opted for the most effective methods of activism which involve winning public support while abstaining from any violent methods. She seeks to raise awareness and win public goodwill that could force the companies to reconsider their actions or at least modify them. Thus, she succeeds in both increasing public awareness of the environment as well as preventing any violations of the law.