Photo: S. Patricia Welsh
December 2005 | Choice News
Conquering Clutter
With the holidays approaching, do you find yourself compelled to save every last teeny-tiny scrap of wrapping paper and ribbon? Are empty boxes piling up for that day, just in case? Are you loath to throw out your old torn slippers in exchange for the new ones you received as a present? If so, then you may qualify as a “compulsive hoarder,” which is one step beyond your average pack rat.
The pack rat moniker derives from the North American rodent notorious for hoarding food. The human version lives in a similar vein. In extreme cases he or she will collect all sorts of miscellaneous stuff in piles that grow larger and larger until the bed is no longer visible, the kitchen is rendered unusable, unpaid bills accumulate late fees and people face the real danger of being buried alive under an avalanche of their own stuff.
Compulsive hoarding is thought by some to be caused by obsessive compulsive disorder, and affects an estimated one million Americans. In recent years, psychologists have begun to study it and develop treatment strategies.
In the meantime, while awaiting the anti-clutter cure, those looking to dig out from under the morass of their mess can find some support. The Hoarding Group has been meeting once a month since July at an undisclosed local location. Those interested in joining need to apply through an email and phone interview process with Christi (first names only, please, for this support peer group). Keeping things on a first-name basis helps self-proclaimed hoarders feel comfortable within the group, which, Christi was quick to note, does not diagnose or treat the syndrome.
“The goal of the peer support group is to provide each other with mutual support in a non-judgmental, confidential setting, sharing experiences, ideas, knowledge and resources,” she said, adding that hoarding has been an issue for her since she was young.
For those who prefer to deal with being “organizationally challenged” even more anonymously, New Englander Beth Johnson is working on a self-help book. Johnson was inspired to help the “chronically cluttered” after feeling overwhelmed during the painful task of cleaning out a departed loved one’s home. She spent some time studying with research psychologist Randy Frost of Smith College, and now offers phone and email coaching for those who can’t attend her East Coast-based workshops in person.
“Meditation and visualization are two of the tools I use in my workshop,” Johnson said. She emphasizes that it is important for hoarders to learn that there is hope and that this behavior does not make them bad people.
Do you qualify as a bonafide pack rat? Here are some red flags, provided by the Hoarding Group, that may mean you could use some help finding your way out of the maze of your messiness: Is excessive clutter affecting quality of life? Do you no longer feel comfortable inviting others into your home? Is walking through your living room the equivalent of negotiating an obstacle course?
To sign up for the local Hoarding Group, email. For Beth Johnson’s clutter workshop, visit clutterworkshop.com or call 860-232-3838.
— Christine Mangan
On the other hand...
Be not afraid of clutter!
One person’s Mess is another’s serendipitous Juxtaposition of colors, and textures, and sizes and shapes: a mine-field burgeoning with Possibility!
I hoard:
• unusually-shaped bottles from ethnic food stores;
• cartons of old catalogs and brochures (waiting to be cut up for collage)
• photocopied book pages, for various projects…
I think: I may need this [whatever “this” is] some… year.
My clutter becomes Unexpected Cat Toys.
There is a 12-Step support group for obsessive-compulsive Disorganized People:
it’s called Messies Anonymous. But I think they miss the point: Don’t ruin one’s perception of potential; clutter is HOPE—manifesting in a very tangible form.
“Mess”. “Disorder”. “Chaos”.
Not one horizontal surface free of clutter: A clutter-phobe would say: “I’m
overwhelmed! “How can any sane person call these messy rooms ‘home’?
“Why would someone want to return here, at the end of the work day?”
Clutter-phobes don’t understand that this is:
• my “Dreaming Castle”
• my “Safe Zone”
• my “Creativity Nest”
Excerpt from the poem, “In Praise of Clutter or: Clutter is My Buddy (My Friend)” by S. Patricia Welsh
Tree Heave Ho Ho — Not
DO YOU dread the end of the holiday season, when the needles on the Christmas tree begin to drop and you know the time is approaching when you will have to kick it to the curb? Well, as the decorations come down this holiday season, there may be another option, one that can eliminate the depressing sight of another dead tree. Christmas tree farms throughout Illinois sell balled and burlapped trees that are ready to be planted once the holidays have passed, lending new meaning to the gift that keeps on giving.
But after this summer’s drought, the holiday lights may be dimmed for some Christmas tree farms. Paul Deizman, from The Christmas Tree Forest at Flora Tree Farm, said that he lost about everything to the drought. Joey Daniken estimates that she lost up to 5,000 trees, saying that the drought took its toll on the small younger ones. And John Uhl, from Crete Cascades Christmas Tree Farm, said he won’t even be offering live trees this year because “the odds of (the trees) surviving the shock of transplant is really reduced because of the stress from the drought.”
Still, some Christmas tree farms will be offering live trees this year. The balled and burlapped trees are slightly more expensive than the regular cut ones and require a great deal more care. Joey Daniken, owner of Daniken Tree Farm, a 40-acre property with nearly 38,000 trees, along with her husband David, warns customers against the danger of transplanting the tree outdoors directly after the holidays.
“The tree would be in shock,” she explained. “You need to remove it from the house, leave it in a shelter, such as a garage, and wait for the ground to thaw.” As long as it is kept moist, Daniken said, the tree will survive.
Though they are still not as popular as regular cut trees, Daniken, whose farm has been selling live trees for 30 of its 35 years, said that last year alone they dug up around 400 trees to be sold live. At the end of the season, there were only five left.
Choices of live trees vary from White Pine to Blue Spruce. You can read all about the different choices, along with their prices, on Daniken Tree Farm’s website, which also includes an instruction page on how to care for your new tree. So this holiday season, consider trading in your axe for a shovel, and start a new tradition of planting trees, one Christmas at a time.
Daniken Tree Farm, 945 IL Rte. 140, Greenville, IL, 62246; 618-664-4067; or visit them online at danikentreefarm.com. The Christmas Tree Forest at Flora Tree Farm, Irene Road and Bates Road, Belvidere, IL, 61008; 615-509-8367; or visit christmastreeforest.com. Crete Cascades Christmas Tree Farm, 1001 W. Old Monee Rd., Crete, IL, 60417; 708-672-7586; or visit ascades.com.
— Christine Mangan
Animal Friendly Holiday Gifts
SEARCHING FOR that perfect last-minute stocking stuffer? Well, here’s an idea: this holiday season, give your friend or family member a gift that is fresh, handmade and, best of all, animal-friendly.
A company that specializes in natural beauty products, LUSH has over 185 stores worldwide, including one right here in Chicago. Passionate about their quest to stop animal testing, the company offers products made with fresh organic fruits and vegetables, essential oils and safe synthetics, without any animal ingredients. In fact, LUSH does not sell, purchase, or do business with any company that tests their products on animals.
With such tempting choices as rose-scented Bath Butters and massage bars that heat up your skin with the help of cinnamon leaves and spice oils, how can you possibly resist?
LUSH products can be found at its store at 859 W. Armitage Ave. and at the Water Tower Marshall Field’s store at 835 N. Michigan Ave.
— Christine Mangan
Interfaith Power
CLARE BUTTERFIELD has spray-painted green several electrical switch plates to give away as mementos to churches that decided to “go green and do the right thing” by supplementing the development of non-polluting wind power in Illinois.
Butterfield is director of Faith in Place, a grant-funded organization aimed at engaging Chicago-area congregations in issues relating to long-term environmental sustainability. She also represents Illinois Interfaith Power and Light, the renewable energy stewardship component of Faith in Place.
Butterfield’s special green switch plates can be found in 13 Chicago area churches, including Beverly Unitarian Church on Chicago’s South Side.
“We came to this with many concerns about the environment,” said Allan Lindrup, chairman of the church’s 10-member Green Sanctuary Group. “Some people have been doing things on a personal level in terms of energy conservation, but this was something we wanted to do as a congregation.”
In 2003, the Unitarian Universalist Society in Geneva became the first church in the state to enlist in the Illinois Interfaith Power and Light Program and designate that wind-generated electrical power be used for all of its monthly kilowatt usage, said Sandy Justis, chair of the church’s Green Committee. Driving the decision was the congregation’s concern over the use of fossil fuels, particularly coal.
“Mercury produced by coal-fired power plants is incredibly devastating to infants,” Justis said. “People need to understand the (correlation) between this and autism. I’m a special ed teacher and I’m seeing more of this. … Meanwhile, we’re seeing that annually 49,000 tons of mercury is dumped from our nation’s power plants.”
Justis appreciates seeing other churches going green. “There’s more of us starting to hear what the earth is saying, hearing the voice of the earth,” she said.
Because wind power is relatively new, it still costs more than power generated from more conventional sources. So paying for wind power means paying slightly higher utility bills. Beverly Unitarian Church pays an additional $75 per month for electricity. Spontaneous and pledge donations cover some of the added cost.
“The first step was to encourage conservation,” said Butterfield, who made initial contact with the churches and eventually recommended engineers who could implement energy-saving strategies such as lighting retrofits and installation of climate controls.
The next step was to encourage the congregations to apply the energy savings to supplementing development of wind power, Butterfield said.
Churches can sign on to the Interfaith Power and Light Program by paying a $25 monthly minimum, or they can opt to pay an additional $25 for every 1,000 kilowatt hours, or up to an additional 20 percent of the monthly utility bill.
Participating churches receive copies of certificates supplied to utility companies, verifying that electricity generated from Illinois wind farms in Mendota Hills and Crescent Ridge has been delivered to the regional electric grid. The certificates also note the environmental benefits or “green attributes” such as reduction of smog and greenhouse gases.
The Illinois Interfaith Power and Light Program works much like the City of Naperville’s Renewable Energy Program, which applies to residential and commercial customers. Behind both programs is Community Energy, Inc., a retail marketer of wind-generated power based in Wayne, Pa.
By this fall, 900 residential customers had signed up for Naperville’s Renewable Energy Program, but there were no commercial customers, said Lucy Hynes, senior electrical engineer for the City of Naperville’s Department of Public Utilities.
Community Energy, Inc. representative Amy McGinty would only say, “They are a significant group and, yes, they have helped us.”
Regardless of their collective financial contribution, Butterfield claimed the interfaith group is responsible for a 4,000-ton reduction in carbon dioxide since signing on. Church institutions are eclipsing larger institutions such as schools and hospitals in supporting wind power development, she added.
The Interfaith Power and Light Program has also raised environmental consciousness among congregation members. “There’s a friendly competition among members of a Geneva-based congregation on Prius ownership,” said Butterfield. “I think they’re up to about six by now.”
“Care for God’s creation is one of the seven tenets of our faith,” said Fran Kosek, co-chair of “Care With God’s Creation,” an eight-member committee at St. Thomas the Apostle charged with educating members about environmental issues.
The Roman Catholic congregation, which serves 4,000 members in the Naperville area, has signed on to the Interfaith Power and Light Program for the next five years. Kosek’s church committee also encourages congregation members to sign up for Naperville’s Renewable Energy Program.
Also, two other churches are looking into geothermal heating and solar hot-water systems as a result of their involvement with Interfaith Power and Light. Butterfield expects another 20 churches to sign on to the wind power program for 2006. “These are very doable goals,” she said.
For more information, call 773-235-4640 or visit faithinplace.org.
— Susan DeGrane
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