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Show Tues/Wed/Thurs/Fri, December 24-27, 2019 A-15 The Park Record W Green Tips ‘Tis the season for giving Avoiding a Christmas energy nightmare AY WE WERE Toy drive in 1949 reflects a long tradition DALTON GACKLE Park City Museum While it’s great to receive gifts for the holidays, especially from loved ones, most would argue that it’s even better to give. Parkites have had a tradition of giving over the years, as there have been many organizations in town that do charitable work: the Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts, the Kiwanis, Elks and Lions Clubs, the Miners’ Union, the Woman’s Athenaeum, and more! The love for giving in Park City was never more evident than MARY CLOSSER Recycle Utah We turn down our heat at night and when away. We turn off the LED lights when not in use, run full loads in the dishwasher and washing machine, use drying racks and cook efficiently. The burning question is, though, do we unplug? Phantom power, energy drawn from items plugged into outlets even when not in use, is the energy ghost unknown to many. The Natural Resources Defense Council calculates the cost at around $165/year per U.S. household, $19 billion nationally or 44 million tons of carbon dioxide. In an office, printers, computers and phone chargers can absorb 25% of a building’s energy. In a home, home entertainment centers, heated towel racks and older items like VCR’s and cable boxes are peculiar hogs. But even turning off a computer can spare 65% energy verses leaving it in idle mode. PARK CITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY AND MUSEUM, KENDALL WEBB COLLECTION Boy Scouts and Lions Club members in a room filled with dolls, doll carriages and other toys for the 1949 Christmas drive. in 1949, when community groups banded together for a toy and clothing drive during the Christmas season. The Park Record reported that toys and clothes for underprivileged children were “very urgently needed” that year. They prodded their readers to not “let neglect on your part mean despair and discomfort for someone else. The help of everyone is need in this drive.” The plan was for groups to collect used toys and clothes on Saturday, December 26, with the Park Record saying “solicitors will visit every home in town.” Then “civic, fraternal, and school organizations” would spend time organizing items, repairing toys, and mending clothes in the Memorial Building, which was the community center at the time. Boy Scouts and school groups helped members of the Kiwanis and Lions Clubs collect items around town, and the Kiwanis Club set up a toy workshop in the basement of the Memorial Building. Parkites got the message and gave heartily. The Park Record then reported on December 29 that people “gave so generously to make this drive the biggest success in the history of Park City.” They continued that everyone “should be happy to know they gladdened many a heart that would have been saddened without [their] generous contributions.” They also thanked the community for their generosity for one another. Their most poignant observation established that “the spirit of giving is always prevalent at Christmas time, and this year the spirit of giving was stronger than ever.” We hope you participate in this season of giving. The Park City Museum could use your help in our efforts to protect and preserve Park City history. Volunteer to catalogue collections, give tours to school children, or for one of our other areas of need. To learn more, go to parkcityhistory.org or stop by the Museum. Happy Holidays from the Park City Museum! Get in tune with your energy usage by loading a smartphone app called Dr. Power or purchase a Kill-a-Watt meter, which measures energy usage on appliances and gadgets. Search out your worst vampire of all. Best yet, purchase a Smart Power Strip, available in a smorgasbord of sizes and types from simple to remote. One switch has the magical power to disconnect three to eight phantom loads. While our refrigerators, safety devices and some internet routers or cable boxes may merit an exemption from unplugging, there are many devices in our electronic saturated homes and offices that can be during the evenings or when away. Lower power bills and greenhouse gas emissions are a draw to conquer your worst vampires. Recycle Utah, your community non-profit drop-off recycling center, provides these weekly tips. Visit their website for more information – www.recycleutah. org. Register for free tree collection Submitted by Spoil to Soil Spoil To Soil, Park City’s community curbside compost collection service will be offering free curbside Christmas tree collection. In an effort to continue to provide affordable access to and support for sustainable lifestyle choices such as recycling and composting, Spoil To Soil will be collecting trees on the three Fridays immediately following the Christmas holiday: Friday Dec. 27, Jan. 3 and Jan. 7. This curbside collection service is priced at $20 for Spoil To Soil members, $25 for others in the community, and free for those who are elderly or disabled. Composting requires both brown and green organic material. By diverting Christmas trees from the county landfill, Spoil to Soil mixes the tree chippings to our food scrap and create amazing compost. Spoil To Soil asks that you have your tree set curbside by 9 a.m. on the day of your collection. All tinsel and lights should be removed. Register for the Christmas tree recycling service at the Spoil To Soil website, www.spoiltosoil. org, and select the date. |