Gibbon Slacklines sponsored a slackline competition on Norlin Quad Friday, Oct. 14. Participants came from all over Colorado, including the winner of the competition, Mickey Wilson, a first year graduate student studying materials physics at Colorado School of Mines. For winning the tournament, Wilson will receive an all expenses paid trip to compete in a slackline competition at the Boston Ski and Snowboard Expo in Boston, Mass. against thirty one other slackliners from across the nation.
The competition was just a part of the day’s activities to raise awareness about damaging trees on campus and about rain forest deforestation. Spencer Roberts, a junior ecology and evolution major, helped to organize the event Slacking for Trees.
“Half of the Slacking for Trees’ message was about our trees on campus and how we need to take care of them,” Roberts said.
The other half of the day’s message was about raising awareness of slash and burn agriculture in Indonesia, and it’s role in developing palm oil.
“It’s not anyone’s fault but ours that the rainforest is disappearing,” Roberts said. “So we wanted to raise awareness for how avoiding products like palm oil in your candy and soap can keep rainforests standing.”
Slacking for Trees also encouraged those watching the competition and taking advantage of the slacklines set up around Norlin Quad to donate to One Million Trees. The money donated went to help plant trees in Indonesia that can provide a sustainable ecosystem to locals so that deforestation can be avoided, according to the One Million Trees site.
“We’re the ones funding the destruction,” said Roberts.
Click on the first photo below to view the slideshow.
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Contact CU Independent Assistant Editor of Photography at robert.denton@colorado.edu
