Oh, this post is a touchy one. It’s a topic that I feel rawther badly broaching, not for fear of upsetting the politically correct police who are constantly on net-patrol (come at me!), but because the damning behavior coming under scrutiny is, in its essence, a really, really well-intentioned one.

Common among the reasons why many people’s spaces end up in cluttered states is a concern for the environment.

I know! It feels rotten to squash that inclination, believe me.

Such people are aware of the fragile nature of our planet; aware, too, of the effects of excessive waste and pollution, and, knowing all that they know, they want to do their part to protect our world.

And so they are careful not to dispose of things. They pride themselves on how light their trash receptacle is come pick-up day. They recycle with a fervor and they save.

They save the materials that come into their possession for fear of what will happen to said items if they let them go. Where will all of those paper boxes end up, anyhow? And wouldn’t it be better just to keep those bags around since someone is bound to use them eventually?

They’re in the habit of conserving and re-using whatever possible: crumpled tissue paper, old notebooks, organizing and storage products.

They are as conscious about the planet’s wellbeing as we all ought to be.

The thing of it is, you can’t very well save the planet if you can’t save your house.

If your looking out for the environment is to the detriment of you and your family’s environment, you need to check yourself because your priorities are out of whack. 

Like every other matter in life, this one comes down to the big B: Balance. And while that’s more instructionally vague than I’d like it to be, it really is the best I can offer.

You must continually strive to be and live in balance.

You need to do your part to care for the planet, yes. And equally, you need to do your part to provide yourself and your family with an orderly, calm living space.

You are not expected to save the planet on your own. Yours will not be the trash bin that makes the eternal difference. And while you play a part like each of us, you are responsible for only your own. You do not have to work overtime to make up for what others aren’t doing.

I know that in other circumstances this logic would be negated. Pro-environmentalists would urge you that your part is critical, that it does make the difference. And neither one of us would be more right than the other in principle. There are merely many dimensions to the conversation, and if you’re finding yourself at the mercy of the stuff piling up around you due to your worry for the environment, then this is the side you need to heed now.

Find additional ways to live an environmentally-friendly life. Seek out companies that are producing sustainably sourced, fully recyclable products and shop only from them if you like. Buy a hybrid car or ditch the car for a bicycle. Look for organizations who collect exactly what you have a ton of whose sole purpose is to use those materials for the good of the planet. The Google is infinite and if you take to it with a mission you will find.

But just as you don’t view the earth as your personal waste bin, neither should you, your home.