Hallum is co-founder of the Alliance for International Reforestation, a nonprofit trying to help Guatemalan villagers in the mountainous country.
Nearly 373 square kilometers of trees are destroyed each year in Guatemala, according to the University of Santa Barbara’s department of geography. “Trees are cut for firewood and to make room for the crops, and without realizing it … they’ve taken away their protection,” Hallum says. “What used to be rainforest becomes an open space for the mud to come right on through.”
Through her group’s efforts — the Alliance has been operating for nearly 20 years — Hallum is inspiring villagers to stop chopping and, instead, use trees to safeguard their lives and crops against mudslides.
