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Warren: Okay, so here we are. We are at the base at the end of the logging road and the
tree's straight up here. So, yeah, we go on the backside for the rest of the way.
So here we are along with Miranda Gibson up in.. I'm not going to tell you where we are.
I'm going to let you do that. We're the Solution Revolution and this time this is kind of a
wild story; probably more revolutionary than some of those stories we've covered so far.
I was going to say,"Welcome, Miranda" but you should be welcoming us.
Miranda: Welcome. (laughs)
Warren: Can you tell us a little bit about where we are?
Miranda: So, at the moment we're right at the top of a tree. It's probably about 60
meters up from the ground and we're in the middle of the forest; the Tyenna Valley which
is west of Hobart in Tasmania. Yeah, and so, we are on a platform that's called the Observer
Tree and it's where I've been living for the past 4 months.
Warren: 4 months?
Miranda: Yeah.
Warren: 100 and..
Miranda: 137 days.
Warren: ..37 days. Yeah, I told you it was pretty wild. So, I'll tell you, I first found
out about you from Bob's Green Oration speech a few weeks back or a month or so back. And,
again, the reaction was,"Holy!" I mean, we are still fighting for forests in Tasmania
so that kind of blew me away but as soon as I heard your story, I think that I would have
to come out and have a chat. Because this project of mine, the big thing about it is
you try to understand how some people find solutions or how we find solutions in some
of the issues that we face. And I suppose for me, part of it is like - I don't want
to put words in your mouth - but part of it is we're looking for a solution here but the
main wild thing about your story is just I think that you came to a point where you had
to take some pretty radical action. I suppose this is the question for me. How did you come
to that point to make that decision?
Miranda: Well, I guess I have been involved in forest actions for a quite a while but
I think this kind of action that I'm doing is quite different from anything I've done
before. I mean, purely the fact that I just haven't been to the ground in 4 months and
I just spend pretty much every day up here on my own and it's quite a unique kind of
action. I guess I kinda came to that point where I've been seeing this forest get cut
down constantly, like, everyday this forest get lost in Tasmania and I just witnessed
so many forest that I'd spent time in getting chopped down. This forest is really amazing
and I've spend a bit of time over the past two years in this kind of area and we've done
a lot of that monitoring and wild life and that sort of thing. When I found out that
this area is going to get logged in - not only the fact that it's going to get logged
but that it was actually meant to be under conservation agreement at the time and then
to hear the machinery coming in they're starting to do work, I just kinda felt likeů It's
just going on forever and ever and at some point we gotta protect this forest and I just
felt like I needed to get up and do something about it.
Warren: Yeah. The way - I'm not sure if I wrote that in that press release - but about
making a stand and go out- Yeah, I know. Another thing. What it reminded me are theseů
It's interesting because I'm like travelling all over these days because everybody's freaked
out about where the world's at and so people want things to change but they don't know
what they can do themselves; it really easy to get overwhelmed. And I thought that about
you is like everywhere you look in Tasmania there's just this logging here, this coupe's
under threat and there's also mining in the Tarkine. So how do you not get overwhelmed
by that? Was it just you picked this spot and just say, "This is where I'm making a
stand"?
Miranda: Well, I think you're right. It is something that I guess a constant struggle
is not being overwhelmed and I guess you do see so much forest get cut down and as you
say, there's so many issues about mining and everything. Once you start thinking about
it all it can get really overwhelming. I think the thing that kind of kept me going is the
feeling that even though it is really overwhelming, I really believe that we can actually make
a difference and I think sometimes it doesn't feel like that you can go for so long trying
to defend an area. I've spend a lot of time in upper Florentine Valley and when they came
in and busted the camp down and start logging, that kind of felt so overwhelming like we
spend years trying to defend it and now that they're in there and doing work. But, I mean,
I guess the thing is you have to appreciate the achievements that you can do and I think
that I felt inspired to come up here and actually being up here is the thing that's inspired
me even further if that makes sense. It's like since I've come up here, I felt like
all of these is going to be a good idea but really I think I was getting to that point
when I was feeling like all of these are overwhelming but I don't really know what to do to fix
the problem. But being up here, it has been this incredible experience where I've realized
that actually there's a whole world out there of people that support protection of the forest
and I've been able to connect with them. And so many people from all around the world have
contacted me since I've been up here and it's been so inspiring and it's kind of showing
me that you can do something. Every person can do something that's actually going to
make a difference and I feel that this is just one action but I feel like the word's
spreading around the world and it's inspiring other people to take action and I guess that's
what inspires me to keep going.
Warren: It's funny because when you think about it, some people hear your story and
they get inspired by it and the wild thing about today is all one person really needs
to do is click "share" on Facebook or something and all their friends find out about it so
you're action is pretty wild. Like, we're 180 ft or whatever or more off the ground.
How high are we?
Miranda: About 60 meters.
Warren: So that's kind of a wild action but other people that are getting inspired can
take relatively small steps or actions like send an email to the Prime Minister, click
"share".
Miranda: And I guess that's what I kind of encourage people because I think that's one
of the things that I found a little bit tricky about being up here is this perception that
I'm like this incredible activist that's doing something to change the world and other people
can't do. Where it's really the actions collectively of everyone doing a little bit, that's actually
the thing that's going to make the difference and I think that my action up here is really-the
real beauty in it is that it can be the catalyst for other people kind of sharing it around
and that's right. Everyone can do something whether it's sharing it on the internet and
all of that sort thing and just spreading the word because really that's how it's going
to happen, that's how we're going to be able to change things. The more people that know
about what's going on here, the more likely that we can actually get an outcome.
Warren: Yeah. I mean, there's you in the tree and then there's all the people that are supporting
you. If you had more, I mean, if you had busloads of people coming from Hobart having picnics
down at the base, I mean, that'll be quite cool.
Miranda: That'll be great.
Warren: That'll catch people's attention. Yeah, I figured you're going to say something
like that. That's pretty cool just about how one person can make a difference because sometimes
we feel really powerless.
Miranda: Yeah.
Warren: Did it take you a long time to kind of come to the point where you were ready
to climb out? Was it something that you thought about for a while?
Miranda: Well, it kind of was, actually because I guess it felt like it's stepping into the
unknown because I didn't know what would happen. I didn't know if two days later if the cops
sort of got me down or they would've kept logging the coupe by now and it might be the
only tree left in the coupe. I guess I didn't - or I might be up here for that long. So
it's kind of like packing out my life and I'm just going to give it a go and I have
no idea what it's actually going to be like or what's going to happen. So it was quite
a big decision and I felt like I had to be in the right headspace for it too because
it is like quite mentally challenging in the fact that you're just pending so much time
on your own. So I think you gotta kinda have a clean head or otherwise you might start
to be overwhelmed by it all. I mean, I can get a bit frustrated at times just being up
here all the time on my own by but I waited until I was in the right headspace to make
the decision to come up.
Warren: Not to mention you're super exposed and we're talking earlier about when the wind
comes up and this tree gets moving. It's pretty different out of it as well.
Miranda: Yeah. I do think that kind of does play into it. I've noticed lately the weather's
been a lot more hectic and a lot colder and it does make it a little bit harder. When
I first came up here, it was like sunny all the time and I was, "Oh my god, this is so
easy." But when it's cold and windy all the time, it does make it a lot more challenging.
You just have to be up here for a reason and dedicated to being up here. I just remind
myself of that.
Warren: The thing I think that people should really know because we had this one when [inaudible]
is that you're a teacher and you could be at a school teaching but you've chosen to
be up here. And I think when somebody's an activist, people always react, "Why don't
you get a good job? Why don't you do something?" and this call to jump into that culture but
for me I think it's so important that people make a stand and that's the thing that's pretty
cool about your story that you're prepared to put things on hold and do this.
Miranda: Yeah. I mean, I think it's just such an important issue and it's just so devastating
to see these forests get cut down and I can't imagine doing anything else. I mean, obviously,
there's a lot of things I want to and I hope that these forests get protected so I can
actually get down and get to go back to teaching because I do really want to be doing that.
And that's right, it's not like activists are just doing this because this is the best
idea we can come up with when we were bored. There's plenty of other things that we could
be doing with our lives and I guess it's the choice to say that this is the most important
thing that I could be doing in the world in such a situation where we're cutting down
the trees all the time and feel like this is what I need to be doing.
Warren: And you're kinda teaching at the same time.
Miranda: Yeah. (laughs)
Warren: That's the cool part.
Miranda: Yeah.
Warren: So one of the things that you said earlier was about when you left the ground
you had no idea what was going to happen. That you might be here for a couple of days
or you might be two days in and they might log all around you, how do you push past that?
Because that stops a lot of people; a lot of people who I talked to, if they don't know
what's going to happen, somebody says to them, "Hey, if you go up that tree, two days later
they might log around it" and so they start thinking, "Well, that's true. That could happen."And
so they stop. How come you didn't?
Miranda: That's a good question. I don't know. I guess it's just about you have to be prepared
for anything. I mean, I guess I ran through my head what the different scenarios and whatever
happens and how would that be for me. But there's also so many unpredictable factors
that you never going to really know. But, I mean, I guess it's sort of a big deal to come up here with so many big
unknown factors but I think that's kind of really a reflection of life anyway. That's
kind of what you do every day as you're going to situations where you don't really know
exactly what the outcome's going to be or what's going to happen. So I guess we just
have to take every day as it comes. And I think it's interesting because my [inaudible]
kind of projects you work on, you often know when it's going to finish or you kinda have
a bit of a sense or you go so away somewhere and when you're going to come back. So I guess
being here and not knowing how long it's going to go for... sometimes that does feel like
a bit overwhelming but I feel like I've kind of just started to get used to it and get
used to the fact that I gotta do this and live everyday for what it is up here. And
I feel like I've got to the point that living up is so normal. It doesn't feel like I'm
waiting to get down, I mean, I kinda am because I want the forest to be saved but it doesn't
feel like imagining tomorrow I might get down or trying to think about the future. I'm just leaving
it open. I'm not putting pressure on what tomorrow's going to look like or what next
week's going to look like because I guess it's hard to know if next year I'll still
be up here, or notů
Warren: Well, we might not.
Miranda: -at a school doing teaching. I just don't know.
Warren: Yeah. That's what's going on any kind of adventure is like. You can't really know
and if we could then it wouldn't be an adventure. But it's interesting because when I say that,
first I was thinking you're going on some kind of adventure and you're going to climb
something but that's life in general. We're kinda locked in and if we wait to know what
might happen, life would be pretty boring I think
Miranda: Yeah, I think so too.
Warren: Well I hope you're not here in a year.
Miranda: Me too.
Warren: I hope what everyone can see is what's been created is it and that we can kinda move
on to doing things more sustainable and what matters and saner.
Miranda: Yeah. Me too.
Warren: Well, thanks for having us up here.
Miranda: Thanks for coming up.
Warren: It's been cool. I gotta give you a hug and say thanks for everything that you're
doing.
Miranda: Yeah, thanks!
Warren: And I hope people can continue to follow you on the blogs and the website. Cool.
Thank you.
Margo: Did you ask Miranda how you've changed in the 6 months or 5 months or whatever that
you've been up here? That you already felt connected to the trees and the forest but
have you noticed any changes in the last 5 months. Did you cover that?
Warren: No, I didn't but you just did so I think that's good.
Miranda: I think it's really interesting because I feel like I actually changed a lot and I
don't think that's something I thought or anticipated about. I think I've spent a lot
of times in the forest and I've spent so much in trees to know it's alright, you know, I've
kind of done this and a lot of those experiences have been life changing like spending so much
time in Florentine I feel like it did change my life. I don't think I really expected that
it would be even more life changing up here in a tree and I did came up here. Yeah, over
the last 4 months it's been totally incredible and I actually have connected with the forest
in such a different way and I think it's such a different experience to be sitting up in
the tree constantly all the time to be experiencing the whole forest and whole experience that
the tree is having is the same experience I'm having whatever the weather is like or
whatever is going on. I think it's such a unique time to kind of connect with a particularly
tree but also this whole area of the forest. And I do think it's changed me already so
far and the longer I'm up here, I don't know what those changes are going to be but I do
feel like it is definitely a life changing experience.
Warren: Yeah, for sure. It's funny that you said you could've never have known it. Well
I can see that. It's pretty amazing. It must be so nice because it's so nice and still
like this.
Miranda: Yeah. You could