Saturday, January 30, 2010

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).

22 comments:

  1. Great post - thought provoking.

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  2. I'm not the most eco conscious person out there. But we recycle, use cloth bags, try to conserve water (I'm failing at that with all the dishes and laundry I do.), and buy recycled products. Also, I'm trying to switch to green cleaning products.

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  3. I love the idea of rethinking...the possibilities. Great words, beautiful thoughts.

    Enjoy your weekend!

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  4. We do what we can when it comes it being eco-friendly; like you we don't drive a hybrid or have solar panels on our home (it's really just a cost issue in both cases). However, my daughter's school is considered Zero Waste, which means all the trash at the school is either recycled or turned to composte (or at least, 90%), so my kids are learning more about being Green than I could ever teach them.

    And I'm glad your house doesn't look like a catalog! I think it's so impersonal when you go to someone's home and it was obviously decorated in one day by picking stuff out of a catalog or store. I like to build my home up in time, collecting memories to display.

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  5. Hi, I put the link up for following. Thanks for stopping by!!

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  6. Holly, I always believed that the best gift we can give our children, are happy memories. I love that your home reflects you and that it's a nurturing place for both family and friends.

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  7. You kinda really got me thinking here. I recycle my pop cans and bottles but that's because they have deposits on them. I really could be so much more eco-conscious. You just really made me become aware that it's not that hard to recycle. There's no reason why I can't do it.

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  8. Sounds like you are doing a great job! I am ashamed to admit that I am the worst recycler on the planet. I throw cans and plastic bottles in the trash and forget to put the recycling bin out most times. I know. I'm awful!

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  9. I'm following you from Follow Friday. Come Follow me too!

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  10. It's funny that I would choose ocean front property(if I could) when I live over 60 miles inland and in a desert region. But I do love the beach.

    Do I recycle? You bet. Do I use those florescent lights...not everywhere but in a few places. (Migraines don't like them)

    I am in introvert in that I don't go out of my way to be around people, but I like it when I am--provided I know them. Strangers....well that is different.

    I am getting reacquainted with reading. I love it.

    What a great post. These are all good thoughts.

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  11. Anonymous8:08 PM

    I'm afraid I haven't been very good about this topic. :0(

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  12. I am a HUGE fan of Bare Escentuals products and have been for several years.

    We are getting ready to build a new home and are researching the MANY new options in heating/cooling/water conservation and building materials to use to make our new home a Green home. It's really exciting!!! Plus we'll have a yard big enough for me to plant and grow my own garden. I most looking forward to that...growing and cooking with what I've grown.

    Great topic Holly!

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  13. Beautiful post.

    Enjoy the weekend.

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  14. Hi Holly-

    Following you from Follow Friday and I see your are a SITs girl too. I enjoyed your post, especially about your home and how you love it the way it is, dog hair and all. My children are grown and I used to want everything to be perfect, but learned that it didn't matter as long as I created a safe, warm , and loving environment for my kids to grow. I find it far more interesting when I see a home where the character of the occupants shines by the telling gestures of their life in progress, not just the furnishings themselves.
    My best- Diane

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  15. Hey Cookinglady here following you from Friday Follow

    Have a great weekend

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  16. Sounds exciting and interesting :) I will have to look into this a little deeper. I have many friends who wear BareEssentials Makeup and they swear by it...

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  17. We are always trying to "re-think" our ways. We are recycling more, conserving energy where we can and no bottled water at all. I love where we are headed and love your post! Stopping by from SITS!

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  18. great post and a wonderful inspiration for reflection. I am a 3rd generation re-purposer. I grew up with a mom who washed out the dog food cans and put them out for the "guy" who would reuse them for something or other....and I am in my 40's...so we are talking about the 70's here.
    I was taught not to be wasteful...and I appreciate the lesson more and more as i get older. I too hold memories in things which surround me, but I have also learned to become thoughtful about what I bring into my home. Does it have more than one purpose...is it made well...can it survive a trend?
    I can honestly say that I never was into the bottled water craze...but i think perhaps that might be because i am sicilian (some people might interpret that as thrifty others might say cheap!)

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  19. I do a lot of the same things. And when it came time to buy a new "used" car, I insisted on a hybrid. I love it, although it took some time to get used to it cutting off at stop signs and lights. ;-)

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  20. Anonymous7:05 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  21. love the idea of rethinking...the possibilities. Great words, beautiful thoughts.
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Thanks for stopping by and joining the conversation! I sure hope you come back for more!