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THE NEW TANNERWEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2009 7 GRAPEVINE Literacy mentors needed Wanted: Patient adult vol- unteers with a good sense of humour and three hours per week to tutor people who need help with literacy. Literacy North Halton offers full training to tutors - no ex- perience is necessary. The organization offers free Read, Spell, Math and basic computer workshops, which require a small registration fee. For more information call 905- 873-2200. Library beckons It is never too soon to intro- duce your children to books and there is still time to register for preschool literacy programs that begin in January at the Acton library. Free programming - Baby Tales, Tales for Twos and Library Lion Tales - is offered for kids aged six months to five years. A family personal identifica- tion number and one for each registering child are required. For details call 519-853-0301 or visit www.hhpl.on.ca Youth dance Acton youth in Grades 6, 7 and 8 are invited to a Town-run youth dance at the Acton arena/ community centre on January 15. The chaperoned dance runs from 7:30 to 10 p.m. Owl prowl All things owls will be fea- tured at Halton Conservations Owl Prowl family night on January 16 at the Mountsberg Conservation Area in Milton. Along with lots of owl infor- mation, there will be a night hike in search of owls and par- ticipants can get up close and personal with the Mountsberg owls. Pre-registration is required for the Owl Prowls at 905-854- 2276. Unity Service The congregations of all of Actons churches will join together at the annual Acton Ministerial Associations Unity Service at the Acton Legion on Sunday, January 24. For details call 519-853-2711. Lottery winner Congrats to former Acton resident Todd Lang who won the $1.1-million Muskoka cot- tage in the Princess Margaret lottery. Lang was the winner of one of over 28,000 prizes in the December 16 draw. Groaners We do get some interesting e-mails at The New Tanner especially during the holiday season. Here is part of a list of groaners that one wag suggested we had to know. The roundest knight at King Arthurs round table was Sir Cumference. He acquired his size from eating too much pi. I thought I saw an eye doctor on an Alaskan island, but it turned out to be an optical Aleutian. A rubber band was confiscated from algebra class, because it was a weapon of math disruption. A dog gave birth to puppies near the road and was cited for littering. A backward poet writes inverse. When cannibals ate a missionary, they got a taste of re- ligion. A small boy swallowed some coins and was taken to hos- pital. When his grandmother phoned to check his condition she was told there had been No change yet. Two silk worms had a race they ended up in a tie. The butcher backed into the meat grinder and got a little behind in his work. Science Matters By David Suzuki By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola In much of the Western world, the December festive season has become little more than a celebration of excess and con- spicuous consumption. We run around in malls like maniacs as we count the shopping days till Christmas, searching for the perfect gifts for everyone we know. We stop briefly to gorge ourselves on turkey and pie, and on the day after Christmas, we rush back to the malls to see what kind of deals we can get. Now, theres nothing wrong with offering gifts to friends and family, and theres certainly nothing wrong with celebrating those connections with wonder- ful feasts. Although Im not a Christian, I love the rituals and family time that come with the holiday season. But its gotten out of hand. It may be good for the economy, but is it good for our mental health and is it good for the environment? Whats really important as we celebrate this time of year when longer nights give way to longer days? I had a chance to think about some of these things this month, as I prepared to give what has been called my Leg- acy Lecture in Vancouver and to accept a Right Livelihood award in Sweden. In writing them, I reflected on the values I have learned during my 73 years on Earth. It re- affirmed my belief that our most important need as social animals is love. Everything else flows from this our commitment to protect the environment so that our own lives and those of our children and grandchildren will be healthier; our recognition that we are all connected to each other and to the natural world through the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat; and our belief that all the worlds people have a right to justice and freedom. Whether its for holy days or the winter solstice or both this time of year offers the chance to reflect and to be with people we love. For many people, the solstice symbolizes renewal and rebirth. We should take advantage of this by using the time wisely. And maybe the wisest use of our time is not to run around shopping and stress- ing, but rather just to spend time with our loved ones and to con- sider what we can do for this Earth that gives us so much. To start, we can make the holiday season itself greener. Gift-giving is a tradition with tremendous symbolic value, but rather than giving each other gadgets and gewgaws that end up in the landfill in less than a year, we should put some thought into gifts that are meaningful, and that are preferably made local- ly and made to last unless the gift is food or drink, of course, even though some of the Christ- mas cake Ive seen seems like it could last forever! How about recycling something that weve already used, like a good book? You could also consider gifts offered by conservation groups or other nonprofit organizations that help advance worthy caus- es, or give a donation in the gift recipients name. To me, one of our most im- portant rituals is giving gifts to others who are not as well off as us, either at home or in poorer countries. Gift wrap and cards also have an impact on the environment. If you must wrap your gifts, save a tree and use recycled paper, gift wrap from previous years, or even newspaper. Use cards that are made from post-consumer recycled paper or send e-cards. You can also tear of the fronts of old cards to re-use them, or even forego an envelope and make them into postcards. The David Suzuki Foundations Queen of Green, Lindsay Coulter, suggests cut- ting old cards into cool holiday shapes to make excellent gift tags. Speaking of trees, Im often asked whether its better to use real or artificial Christmas trees. A life-cycle assessment study conducted by sustainability re- search firm ellipsos inc. found that real trees are better for the environment overall than fake trees. In Vancouver, the Carbon- sync organization will even rent you a potted tree that they will deliver and pick up after Christ- mas and plant, with some of the proceeds going to the Burns Bog Conservation Society. Im sure we can all think of ways to make this season a cele- bration not just of family and friends but of the wonderful Earth that is our home. Have a happy holiday. What do you want for Christmas? AND THE WINNER IS: Past president Margaret Anderson and Marj McDonough are mak- ing the draw for the huge seasonal gift hamper at the Acton Seniors Christmas Dinner. The winning ticket was purchased by Sheila Jefferies. The slightly smaller one was won by Dave Cox. Julie Conroy photo