Utne Reader declared her a visionary, saying "she's like a latter-day Madame de Staël or Mabel Dodge, Mills has been an indefatigable organizer of salons; and from the corner store to environmental conferences to far-flung outposts of environmental activism.
[2] She achieved early recognition for her valedictorian speech in June of that year entitled "The Future is a Cruel Hoax.
"[2] The speech predicted a bleak future for humanity because of overpopulation and natural resource overuse.
[3] Following her interest in population issues, Mills worked as a campus organizer for Planned Parenthood.
[4] As someone who has shaped her own life in accord with deeply held personal values, her writing attempts to communicate the significance of major contemporary issues to the lives of individuals.