News. Easy environmental tips during the holiday season By Maria Asselin-Roy, News Editor Ithough the holidays can A« full of joy, they are also a time when people forget to be environmentally conscious. It is during this time that a little consideration can go a long way towards reducing waste and consumption, and lessoning our environmental footprint. Here are a few simple tips to help give a gift to the planet during this holiday season. The tree. Artificial trees can be reused year after year which is environmentally friendly; however, they are often manufactured with harmful chemicals and plastics, and need to be shipped long distances from manufacturer to retailer. If you are going to purchase a real tree this year, try and pick one up from a local tree farm. Buying local for all your holiday goods lowers the environmental costs of transportation, and helps to stimulate your local economy. One acre of tree farm trees can remove up to 13 tons of airborne pollutants per acre each year and provides enough oxygen for about 18 people. A potted tree is perhaps the most environmentally friendly tree to include in your festivities this season. It can be brought inside during the holidays to look great and smell wonderful, and left outside for the rest of the year to await the next season, provided it is in an adequate pot. You may find that your tree starts to feel like a part of your family as it grows with you. If, after the holidays, you mean to recycle your tree, don’t take it to a landfill; check with your community’s waste department to see whether they offer a mulching service—that mulched tree might be used in a nearby hiking trail. The home. Switch your old incandescent holiday lights for new LED lights. LED lights have a long lifespan and are far more durable than classic incandescent, so using LEDs will save you a lot of time formerly dedicated to finding that one broken bulb. LED lights don’t get hot because they use a fraction of the wattage and they come in a variety of radiant colours. Also, turning off or unplugging holiday lighting during the day saves energy and will also make your lights last longer. The gifts. If you are going to purchase gifts this holiday season, shop smart. Check to see if a product is recyclable and/or made from recycled materials: buying these types of products encourages companies to keep supplying them. Choose gifts that are durable. Over time, less durable gifts will inevitably increase holiday waste. If purchasing electronics, check there energy efficiency and go with models which are more energy efficient. The holiday season accounts for roughly 40 per cent of all battery sales. To reduce the number of these highly toxic items entering the landfill, buy rechargeable batteries to accompany your battery- powered gifts, or give sporting equipment or gift certificates for outdoor activities like ski passes instead of battery-powered toys. A significant amount of holiday waste comes from wrapping paper. To lower the amount of wrapping paper ending up in the garbage, avoid buying wrapping paper with metallic colours (it cannot be recycled). Instead, look for wrapping paper made from recycled materials or package your gifts in reusable cloth bags. Choose a ribbon that can be reused, as most are not recyclable. Wrap gifts in wrapping paper that you recycled from your own gifts. Save and recycle as much wrapping paper as you can and prevent it from going into the garbage—a lot can be saved for the next holiday season. These tips aren’t that difficult to follow and may just add a little creativity to your festivity. Remember to reduce, reuse, and recycle and have a happy holiday. Vancouver Police Department takes riot investigations to the streets By Dylan Hackett, Staff Writer fter five months of ongoing investigations, the Vancouver Police Department-led Integrated Riot Investigation Team took the investigations to the streets and public spaces of Metro Vancouver. The team consisted of 150 non- officer volunteers, whose job was to hand out a flashy “Riot Roundup” today,” read Chu’s statement, “A team of 150 volunteers is blanketing our region. They are standing outside of colleges, shopping malls and... the stores that were victims that night.” The posters indicate no charges proposed for any of the photographed individuals, only labeling them as Riot Suspects. The posters read, “On June 15, 2011 Vancouver suffered the largest “The current total of rioters arrested is 118, a number expected to grow five-fold by the time investigations end in the next couple of months.” poster with the faces of 100 suspected rioters. The posters, some of which were handed out at Douglas College New Westminster campus two weeks ago, ask readers to identify any recognized faces on the poster. Many of the photographs of the faces are grainy and hard to see. Vancouver Police Chief Constable Jim Chu hopes that at least 100,000 people will see the posters. “In the history of the VPD, we have never done what we are doing 4 crime spree in its history. It rocked our reputation and self-image as one of the best places in the world to live. Thousands of rioters caused millions of dollars of damage as they rampaged, looting and burning.” Thus far, 93 public tips have been given for 48 of the people on the poster. The current total of rioters arrested is 118, a number expected to grow five-fold by the time investigations end in the next couple of months. As well as the = J faces on posters, the Integrated Riot Investigation Team website is being continually updated with photos. Although the VDP made appropriate arrangements for the chance of riots after this weekend's Grey Cup final, the BC Lions won and the city was without the need for shields and truncheons. Still, requests from bars and pubs to city officials to extend operation hours beyond the constraints of liquor licenses were denied as a precaution not to repeat the situation of June.