Treehugger!

Have you ever wondered where the term “tree hugger” originated?

Around the world, major environmental movements were gaining momentum throughout the late 1960s. But in the Himalayan foothills of northern India, one of the most powerful and unique was starting to unfold.

For about a decade beforehand, Indian societies and social workers had encouraged villages to create small enterprises built primarily on materials from local forests. This offered a level of critical self-sufficiency. The central Government, though, continued to enforce outdated, restrictive, and exploitative polices that led to large-scale deforestation. Recognising the negative impact on their livelihoods, villagers began to fight back.

In 1973, for example, the Indian Government granted a sports goods company rights to 300 ash trees to make tennis racquets. The villagers who depended on those forests for fuel, water, and food were never consulted. Instead of giving in, villagers formed circles around the trees, literally putting their bodies in harm’s way. This became known as the Chipko Movement, with chipko translating to “hug" in Hindi. Hence, tree huggers.

A year later, near the village of Reni, a larger patch of 2,000 trees was scheduled for felling. Officials called away all the men of the village, falsely promising monetary compensation. Thinking they would meet no resistance, the loggers went in and had to face the wrath of Reni’s women. Led by Gaura Devi, they refused to move from the forest and eventually forced the loggers to withdraw.

The women weren't making a political statement. They were protecting their livelihoods. As one activist later put it, "It was a struggle for life and livelihood for all."

The movement drew inspiration from the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan, who I’ve spoken about before. It also drew from Gandhi’s approach of non-violent resistance. Between 1972 and 1979, more than 150 villages were involved, resulting in 12 major protests across the north of India. The Movement became so widespread, it forced Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to call a 15-year ban on tree felling in the Himalayan regions. It also inspired other acts of resistance around the world, including the taperos of the Amazon and Kenya’s Green Belt Movement.

The Chipko Movement proved something the sustainability sector still struggles to internalise: that the most powerful environmental strategies often look nothing like strategy. They’re simply communities protecting what they can’t afford to lose.

Grassroots action, when it's grounded in genuine stakes, changes policy every time.