2015 Expressions on a Sustainable UMD: The Power to Change May 2015 | Page 11

Alice Tarantin
Marketing
Class of 2017
It’s All Downhill From Here
Growing up, my family would take me skiing as often as we
could, whether at a local mountain or at a resort hours away.
Skiing became my getaway from the real world, or at least an
escape from my responsibilities for a day. Over the years, I
came to realize that skiing was a privilege that, like many of
Mother Nature’s wonders, has been harmed by humans’
careless treatment of the environment. Ski resorts around the
globe have started to open late and close early, and those at lower elevations and latitudes are on
the road to disaster. Climate changes, specifically smaller average snowfalls and warmer
temperatures, threaten the future of this incredible sport. I want to preserve our snowy peaks for
future generations because skiing is an experience everyone deserves, regardless of when they
were born. I edited this photo, taken at Loveland Ski Area in Colorado, to show a sickly orange
sky hanging over the slopes. The unnatural colors in the image suggest an unhealthy atmosphere
and depict the slopes as vanishing, natural treasures.

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