Rethink...Your Environment

 This week's discussion topic at Rethink What Matters is

RETHINK YOUR ENVIRONMENT.

To catch up, read Rethink and Grow, the first post in this series.

The house you grew up in....

the road you walk to school...

the mountains your camp in...

the ocean you swim in...

the air you breathe...

This is your environment.

How has it impacted you?

How have you impacted it?

On a large scale - the largest scale - we must all think about our Earth and what we can do to relieve the stress on our planet...even simple gestures help. I conserve energy {seriously it has to fall below 55 in the house for the heater to be turned on}, I repurpose, I reuse, and I try to find homes for my own unnecessary items. I bring my own bags to the grocery store, the drug store, the craft store...or skip the bags altogether. I buy in bulk to reduce packaging waste, purchase locally grown and/or organic products, and we have pretty much weaned ourselves from bottled water.

And, you may notice that I have saved probably the easiest, most obvious one for last...recycle. I am proud to say our recycle bin {which is the same size as the trash bin} is fuller than the trash bin. I have been recycling forever. True, it may have started by high-tailing it to the redemption machine outside the grocery store to get 3 cents per bottle...and it may have been mainly a way to get the empty wine cooler bottles out of the house before Mom and Dad found them...but it counts!

On the other hand, I do not drive a hybrid, nor do I have solar power, and I will admit I do drive sometimes when I could walk {Ed Begley Jr. will not be asking me to be a part of his show anytime soon}.

In my home, I surround myself with memories...the old Victrola, the beveled mirror that hung in my Granny's house, the gumball machines, family photos, homemade artwork. I once wanted my house to look like a page in the Pottery Barn catalog, and, I am not knocking Pottery Barn, but I am so much happier with the way it looks now...it reflects us. We have made it our own. Of course, it could have less dog hair...fresher paint, fluffier pillows, and a lot less toys...but all in all it is the place my children can play and be kids. It is a place my friends can hang out with a cup of coffee or glass of wine and be comfortable, it is the place I am the happiest and most serene. When my children are grown and come "home," if they can feel they way I do when I go "home" to my childhood home, I will have done my job.

In the less physical sense, I have tried to create a stimulating {in a non-video game sense, of course!}, safe, secure, creative, and loving environment for my children and my family, no matter where we may be physically. I want their lives to be filled with wonderful memories. I want them to know what it is like to be loved, and cared for, and nurtured. I want them to have a glorious sense of who they are, and the ability to be whatever they choose to be. I want to foster independence and responsibility.  And the best way I can do that is by being an example of all that I expect from them.

I know that I am a product of my environment. Are you?

So, do it, go visit Rethink What Matters,
answer the five questions,

and come back and tell me if you learned anything!

OR just let me now how you are rethinking your environment,

how you are helping the environment, or

how you make your environment special?

Then come back next week for some more!

Happy Weekend!

Holly

Rethink What Matters is a campaign by Bare Escentuals that challenged me...challenges all of us to Rethink What Matters. Each Friday through March 26, 2010, Bare Escentuals will pose a new topic for us to consider, to ponder, and to discuss. It is not just about makeup...it is about living your life and what is truly important. So gather your girlfriends...you never know what you'll discover! 

Want to join in on the discussion...

There are prizes and free products to be had..and more importantly thought provoking topics coming your way. Just visit Rethink What Matters to answer 5 simple questions. Then you can see how your answers compare with others. Seriously it takes no time at all to do this...and you may learn a little something about yourself or your friends! And if you are lucky enough to live in San Fransisco, New York, or Chicago the Quickie Van could be coming your way!

DISCLAIMER: So, here's the back story and legal who-ha I must include. I was contacted via email about this campaign and checked it out myself. I thought it was interesting and thought provoking. I was not paid for this review/post or compensated in any way (products or otherwise).