Nicolas, a lifelong vegetarian, understands the impacts our meats have on the world. A major portion of deforestation, water contamination, acid rain, carbon pollution and ocean dead zones are all due to our meats and grazing patterns. According to University of Leeds Professor Tim Benton, reducing beef consumption would reduce our carbon footprint more than giving up our cars. Sometimes the thought of criticism and resistance can keep us from taking action. As Edmund Burke said centuries ago, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Marie is working to confront this harsh reality: “You can always find faults in everyone. We have to change that mentality. Everybody is scared to take a stand and do something because they are scared of the critics. I am no exception. I never wanted to talk about this subject my entire career. But screw the haters or else you won’t do anything. You have to start somewhere.” Even Sage agrees: “There is so much hating inside snowboarding. It’s cool to hate on people now, and it makes everyone so much more distant. More open-mindedness will strengthen the entire community.”

To change the vicious path we are on, we have to take a stand. Jake Blauvelt chooses to speak against one of our biggest addictions saying, “I don’t think it is having to snowmobile less, or fly helicopters less. It is 2014. I think we should be flying in helicopters that are completely green or run off of thin air. Same with snowmobiles and cars. But we have been so suppressed as a community from the oil industry that they do not allow us to do it. So we have to boycott supporting the oil industry.” Shearer believes working with our representatives will help our life cycles, “I really think it is a political thing here. There are a lot of issues that are related to the mountains. Vote for candidates who protect the environment.”

Our independence cannot exist without our interdependence on each other. How would we snowboard if we didn’t have others to produce the products? Their lives and morals have no less value than our own, so why should we suppress someone else for our own benefit? Instead of unconsciously degrading the economy, the environment and the equity of people, we need to think. Our minds have gotten us this far, and they are more than capable of getting us out. If we start to think in cycles, we will act in cycles. When we better our own lives, we better someone else’s life vicariously.