BURLINGTON, VT
VTCYNIC.COM
VOL. 133
ISSUE 20
sports pg. 11: women’s hockey on road to quarter finals
green FEBRUARY 22, 2017
is UVM?
How
SGA initiative prompts discussion on enhancing environmental sustainability on campus. Lauren Schnepf Staff Writer SGA is working on a program targeting the sustainability of its affiliated clubs and organizations. Carbon Neutral SGA is a program that will ensure student clubs and organizations have a net-zero carbon footprint within the next two years, said Sen. Rachel Gladstone, an environmental science major. This new program falls on the heels of a University-wide initiative started in 2007 called the Climate Action Plan. CAP intends to reduce UVM’s energy consumption and eliminate its carbon emissions by 2025, said Nancy Mathews, dean of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources. While UVM is a environmentally friendly school and passionate about the planet, it still has many areas that could benefit from improvement, Gladstone said. UVM is the ninth most environmentally friendly school
in the country, according to the Princeton Review. Another “green” program at UVM is the Real Food Challenge, with which the University signed the Real Food Campus Commitment in 2011, according to UVM’s website. In the commitment, the University pledged to serve 20 percent real food by 2020, stated Emily Portman, the UVM Dining sustainability manager, in a Feb. 13 email. In order for food to be considered “real,” it only has to meet at least one of the four categories—local, human, fair and ecologically sound— according to the Real Food Challenge’s website. “So many people don’t realize this,” first-year Caroline Spiccioli said. “It isn’t right.” While UVM is close to providing 20 percent real food, up from around 2 to 10 percent when the challenge started, this number needs to be higher, Gladstone said. “We need to stop comparing ourselves to other schools and start comparing ourselves to the earth,” she said. “Twenty
percent real food isn’t enough.” There is a belief that once the 20 percent goal is met, the aim to have more real food will increase, Portman said. “As we get close to 2020, I expect that the Real Food Challenge will be re-envisioning what the campaign will look like going forward,” she said. Junior Kunal Palawat, an environmental science major in the Rubenstein School, said UVM still has a lot to work on with regards to its sustainability programs. “The Real Food Challenge and sustainability requirement are good baby steps, but this University and its student body are known for being
leaders when it comes to green initiatives,” Palawat said. “These programs are not good enough.”
Green Continues on pg. 3
Senior dies, friends remember him as positive spirit Olivia Bowman News Editor
Photo courtesy of Facebook Senior Brett Cohen pictured. Cohen died after a snowboarding incident at Stowe Mountain Resort Feb. 14. facebook.com/ thevermontcynic
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Voices in a College Street apartment chimed over one another while talking about their friend Brett Cohen and his passion for adventure. Hailing from Needham, Mass., Cohen was a senior at UVM when he died Feb. 14 after a snowboarding incident at Stowe Mountain Resort. “He would sacrifice sleep for an adventure in an instant,” senior Ian Lorberfeld said. “I’d watch him hit the coolest cliff and he would just be grinning ear to ear.” Cohen was an avid snowboarder and could often be found on the mountains of Vermont with his friends, according to many people who knew him. “Whenever he went out, Brett was always so conscientious about safety and was
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always wearing his helmet,” senior Sloane Ross said. Everyone in the room agreed. “That’s why his death has been so hard for our group,” senior Maggie Medzigian said. “This could have happened to anyone.” On Feb. 13, Cohen fell into a tree well while snowboarding, and the position in which he fell made it very difficult to get out, according to a Feb. 16 report by New England Cable News. Tree wells are cavernous open spaces that develop under the base of coniferous trees like spruces or firs. The snow below is very thick and can be deep, making them dangerous, said John Abbott, assistant director of student life and outdoor programs director. Cohen went missing around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 13.
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after being separated from his friend and the trail at Stowe Mountain Resort, according to a Feb. 14 MassLive article. He was found unresponsive 60 ft off-trail at 11:30 p.m., according to a Feb. 14 Boston Globe article. Dozens of ski patrollers and other rescuers spent eight hours searching in a grid search pattern for him, according to a WCAX article. There has not yet been an official cause of death from the medical examiner. It is believed Cohen could have suffered from hypothermia or suffocation due to snow immersion, according to WCAX. “This could have been anyone: me, you or Brett.” Abbott said. “I mean, you see a ride and separate from your group momentarily, assuming you’ll meet them at the bottom of
Brett Cohen Continues on pg. 4
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