Emily Hunter

It is alarming that such an intimidating fight would take place in the Galapagos Islands, a place famous for its rich flora and fauna, a place filled with lush, perfect greenness, yet here it was. A problem completely swerving off the word "green", caught with the navy on one side and exploitative fishermen on the other. And then, they were there, smack in the middle. Just a small cluster of six warriors, shining with just the right amount of courage. In that miniscule group of warriors, standing as the only female activist, Emily Hunter silently held her ground to the dangerous fishermen, oblivious to the powerful story she would live to tell at the end of the day. Born May 20th Robert and Bobbi Hunter, co-founders of the famous Greenpeace organization. Even as a child, Hunter was exposed to the passions of her parents, but she never knew she would grow up to continue their legacy as an environmental activist. At the young age of 19, Hunter traveled with Sea Shepherd, a marine wildlife conservation organization, to the Galapagos for a conservation campaign, and she has continued to participate in many more campaigns. Furthermore, Hunter brings her own unique talents into her fight. With her journalism and film making talents, she has an impressive list of credits writing for magazines like This Magazine, and broadcasting on shows like MTV Canada. Hunter has authored The Next Eco-Warriors, filled with 22 stories on young women and men who are saving the planet, and is currently filming her environmental documentary, Activist 2.0. Hunter's consistent dedication in doing all she can for this eco-war , 1984 in Vancouver, Canada, Hunter is commonly known as the daughter of reaches young hearts and lifts them up in good spirits. Her successful campaigns give people hope that change will happen, that the triumphant stories are true, and that passion is alive in this worn world. Her rallying voice breaks out behind the words she writes and the questions she answers, stirring this new generation of warriors to fill with a zealous fire. A true inspiration in this consuming period of environmental danger and damage, Emily Hunter is the embodiment of courageous selflessness, unending encouragement, and urgent passion.

Emily Hunter selflessly sacrifices herself for the ambitious dream of "saving the world". At the United Nations Climate Change conference (COP15), in 2009 Copenhagen, Denmark. Hunter gathered with 100,000 people, including world leaders, to "take a part in the making of policy decisions that would affect the environmental future of our planet" (Jewell): "We were quite worried about Emily, as she was outside covering the protest of thousands of people who had made their way to the Bella Centre to meet hundreds of delegates leaving the talks, demanding that their silenced voices be heard. Chaos finally broke out and the police clubs, tear gas and water cannons brought this peaceful march to a bitter end" (Jewell). Even though she was only there to cover the conference as a journalist, Hunter ended up in the front lines of the protest and rallied along with fighters from all around the world. Participating in the protest was a dangerous decision, especially considering how a "peaceful march" turned into complete chaos. Sacrificing her safety, she joined the ranks to take a part in the environmental revolution and demand that their voices be heard. As a filmmaker, Emily Hunter is currently recording a new documentary: "Activist 2.0 (in development) is a documentary series that follows environmentalist Emily Hunter inside a new generation's battle for the planet.Emily documents the efforts of emerging leaders, rebels and innovators to find solutions to some of our 21st century ecological problems" (Activist 2.0). Instead of using her filmmaking talents in creating productive, secular movies, she is documenting other's efforts in an environmental war, in an endeavor to bring the world's environmental problems to attention. She uses her forte with the camera to capture the spoken stories of other environmental activists, selflessly thinking of how she can benefit the planet instead of greedily using her talent for her own gains. This fight to save our only earth demands sacrifices and dedication, and Emily Hunter portrays this effort endlessly. From her courageous actions in self consuming times to her personal sacrificial deeds, her selflessness continues to raise her up as a hero.

Hunter enlightens our generation with inspiring stories and an encouraging voice. She has written a book named The Next Eco-warriors, encouraging the world to read the narratives within and become an eco-warrior: "'Therefore, in this book, I share with you the stories of men and women who have taken up this eco -battle.many before me and many after me will note that the x factor for social change is storytelling. Stories are what have shaped our world and continue to shape it, whether through books, movies, or folk telling. And in continuing this effort of storytelling, this book provides just that: Stories from the next eco -warriors. Stories that attempt to reclaim hope in a world that seems to have very little. Read them, and know that this is your revolution too'" (The Next Eco-warriors 29).  Hunter uses this book to prove that we are not fighting for a lost cause, to share the hopes and dreams of many yearning for better world, and to encourage those who are on the edge of decision's cliff. With examples and stories from other environmental heroes, readers' spirits are lifted up and inspired, fulfilling her attempt to recruit for the revolution. These readers carry on the legacy of saving the earth. In an interview with Shameless Magazine, Hunter recalled the story of Albany, Australia, a city of true environmental miracle: "'Name one person, place, or thing every young woman should know about?' '...After a protest against this whaling town, that people like my mother were leaders on, Albany has become a symbol that things can change. Today, Australia does not kill whales and Albany is an eco- tourist Mecca as hundreds of thousands of tourists flock there every year to do whale watching. Whale watching is now an industry that generates far more than the whale killing ever did'" (O., Desiree).  Of the many places, people, and objects she chooses to inform the population of young women, she selects Albany, because it is true encouragement that impossible things can become possible. In the simple, but wondrous story of the converted town, Hunter starts a spark in reader's hearts. A hero must have the capacity to stir up their audience and transport them to see their views. Emily Hunter does this with ease due to her compassionate encouragement and genuine desires for the best.

Hunter's pulsing, passionate drive brings her forward as a role model in this world of urgent, polluted reality. In writing for Rabble, she recounts her trip to see the tar sands in Canada and the heartbreaking feelings for what she witnessed: "When we got there, I didn't feel a thing as I was filming with a camera and not present in the moment. But once I put the camera down and looked at it for myself, I broke down completely. The tears and emotions poured like a typhoon. It was as if I was starring at my best friend raped and ravaged. I felt helpless and broke staring" ("Witnessing the tar sands"). In this raw and emotional description of the pain Hunter felt from witnessing the destruction of the tar sands, the her passion is apparent and intimate. Her analogy of our earth as her "best friend" reveals the close relationship she has with her dream and the desperate need she has to ensure that the world is not damaged further. In the interview for Shameless Magazine, she shares the reason behind her warrior spirit: "'...There is a need to do what I do. There are a lot of people in this world who sit passively to injustice and destruction, contributing to it by doing so. Numerous individuals think about the issues of our time, read about them and give lip service to them but ultimately do nothing. Some fight on social causes. But very few fight against environment genocide'" (O., Desiree). Her opinion voices the thoughts of many working environmentalists: there is a shortage of support in her side of the eco-war. Hunter feels a need to save the world we all live in, and the knowledgeable truth that she speaks exhibits Hunter's fervor for what she does. It is easy to sit and voice your opinions, but it takes passion and effort in order to get up and out to do the hands- on work. The intensity of Emily's heroic zeal and ardor awakens our generation to see, if only, a glimpse of what it is like to shout out your dream within a world of endless opposition.

Even as the world struggles to maintain a hold onto its last remaining pieces of pure nature, Emily Hunter urges: "I think many of us know this ugly reality one way or another: we can feel the crumbling of the edge beneath our feet...But it doesn't have to be this way. WE can turn away from that edge. There is still time left-though precious little, and less every day. Some of us are trying to do this by pledging to be this new generation of eco-warriors, fighting for something better." (The Next Eco-Warriors 28) As a part of this ongoing eco-war, Hunter's self-sacrifice, support, and enthusiasm prompts us to do something more, especially as our planet is becoming more and more wasted. She has become a role model in how to truly live your life for a righteous war, and in beckoning others to join her, she is building a new generation of eco-warriors. Since the beginning of sixth grade, I have been struck with the sudden need to defend our one and only planet Earth. Maybe it was the realization of how altered and polluted our world had become, how impure it is from when it first began all those years before. Maybe it was the confusion of how people could so indifferently throw bottles into a trash bin when a recycling can was only five feet away. Maybe it was the alarming fact that over 10,000 trees are cut down per day, destroying one acre of forest per second. What I do know now is that I can actually "make a difference", and it is not just a saying people throw around when they act like they seem to care. In truth, I've been afraid to act out on my beliefs, other than the small, personal things like cleaning up behind others and conserving the energy used at home. But because of Emily Hunter, I, and surely other young budding environmentalists, am enlightened with the fact that there are other eco-warriors out there with us, that we are not alone. With this inspired spirit, I suddenly experience a stirring possibility that together, we can change the world. On the Galapagos Islands, in a turn of events, those warriors had been held back. The fishermen had surrounded their research center and kept them helplessly hostage. Persevering with her one allowed phone call, Hunter managed to get her story out live to an audience on her father's hour show. The news quickly spread, and in a matter of a few hours, they were freed and unharmed. This first campaign is what brought her to realize she wanted to live an eco-warrior's life; it was then and there that Hunter decided that she wanted to fight and prevent any further damage to our planet for the rest of her life. Her story on the Galapagos Islands brings a purpose into our battle. Emily Hunter herself is a story, not one of fable, but one of truth. And she is paving the road for future stories to come.