"Rail Jam" aims to raise global warming awareness

ANN MARIE TRIETLEY
Staff Writer

PETER VIGLIETTA/ News Editor

Local snowboarding teams did a demonstration on Three Man Hill to promote global warming awareness at the "Save the Snow Rail Jam."

Imagine spending every winter without snow. It would be like waking up every Christmas to no presents. Most experts think that the earth is bearing the effects of our warming atmosphere, due to excessive greenhouse gas emissions. Extreme weather, rising sea levels and loss of ecosystems are some of the alarming consequences that could result.

The first annual Save the Snow Cha-Rail Jam Snowboard Competition on Sunday, Dec. 2 featured snowboarders coming together for global warming awareness. The event took place on Three Man Hill. Snowboarders, both professional and amateur, showcased their talents to promote the cause.

"Snowboarders are affected by global warming because obviously the snow is melting, and when it's too warm it doesn't snow," said Johnny Centi, a 24-year-old pro snowboarder from Jamestown. "If I couldn't snowboard I would probably sit home and stare at the computer screen all day."

The Jam was organized and led by Jen Krupper, a sophomore fine arts major. Krupper is also assistant manager of Phatman, a Buffalo-area skate-and-snowboard shop.

"I'm a hardcore snowboarder," Krupper said. "There's never been a snowboard event on campus before. We're losing our snow; it's getting shorter and shorter every season. We needed to do something about it, so why not throw a rail jam and finally give students an appreciation for snow? It's crazy to hear all of the kids [complaining] about snow day in day out, and we're the kids that appreciate it, that don't want it to go."

Krupper said she worked from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. the night before the event to bring snow in on trucks from Amherst. Rails provided by Kissing Bridge Ski Resort were set up, along with tents for board shops from Colden, Ellicottville and Canada. Western New York board shops provided the most support and sponsorship for the $2400 event.

"Hopefully this grows into a huge event, year after year," Krupper said. "I plan on doing this next year, too. If we can get more people in, all the better."

Suzanne Graham is a senior environmental science major who runs Campus Climate Challenge, a national campaign to get clean energy on campuses. Graham works as a national organizer for the Energy Justice Network.

"One of the biggest issues, especially in this region, is with climate changes," Graham said. "We're already seeing winters disappear, and it's important for us to make connections between the things we think are really fun and how we like to spend our time, with how that will be affected by climate change. This is one example of how we're personally going to be affected by global warming."

Awareness of climate change has been especially important since the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released its Fourth Assessment Report in 2007. In the report, the international panel of scientists who compiled it stated that they were 99 percent sure that increases in global temperature were a result of human activity and the use of fossil fuels."

"A report for the Northeast through the Union of Concerned Scientists basically says that our summers will get hotter," Graham said. "We're going to have upwards of eight days over 100 degrees farenheight, moving towards 15, 16, 17 days over 100. This means more people dying of heat stroke. Not only are we losing our winters, but our summers are going to get out-of-control hot. Less water, less precipitation. It's important to make connections with our real lives and the reality of climate change."

Although the event had to be cut short due to melting snow, news from Washington brought encouragement for the climate change effort. According to a Dec. 1 article from The New York Times, lawmakers in Washington agreed on a policy to raise fuel efficiency standards for American automakers.

Although not yet fully approved by Congress, the provision aims to improve fuel efficiency for cars and light trucks 40 percent by 2020. The law will require the average fuel efficiency of any line of American cars to be 35 miles per gallon.

"I'm an advocate of this event because I enjoy snowboarding, and it's been a long time since I've been able to do that," said Mark Dangler, a senior communication major. "It's a good cause and it's fun to get together with people who enjoy snowboarding as well, throw some high fives, and slide down some railings. I think it's crucial that snowboarders are concerned about it because the whole industry is affected by it. I don't think people do enough."