A Civil Disobedience to Save Luna

In her book Legacy of Luna, Julia Butterfly Hill narrates the two years she spent living at the canopy of a thousand year old redwood named Luna in Stafford, a rustic town on the North of California, to save it from being cut by Pacific Lumber-Maxxam Corporation. Hill’s story is a detailed journal on how her spiritual journey transformation, the different political interests of environmental groups, corporations, policy makers and the public opinion collude to redefine her mission and its final outcome. Hill is successful at saving Luna and bringing public attention to controversial forestry practices. The book ends with a pledge based on Hill’s belief; trees must be protected because they are vital for survival of earth’s ecosystem. Overall, modern-day actions of civil disobedience, like Hill’s, are effective if the mission sets well-defined attainable goals able to bring popular sympathy.
Hill’s action of civil disobedience obeyed to her mission commitment to be part of the efforts that the environmental group Earth First which was fighting to save the redwoods around Stafford. In accomplishing her mission, it was clear that tree-sitting was the most logical goal action. Hill’s initial mission was based on her beliefs and her commitment when “I went into the forest and for the first time I experienced what it means to truly be alive” and “My God, I’m not going to make it up this grueling hill. I’m not. I just can’t do it. I can’t do it” (Hills 21). Therefore, it was expected that Hill would save the trees because it is a natural response for any living creature to act on self-preservation. In addition, Hill’s actions were also easily understood by the public because they got outraged after learning that saving Luna was an essential to contain at least in part the aggressive deforestation in California. In general, actions of civil disobedience would have a high chance of affectivity if their mission is able to set well-defined goals.
Hill’s action pursued an