Ever since I can remember I have believed that we are profoundly affected by our environment. From an initial feeling that ugly buildings result in ugly thoughts this has developed to a conviction that our environment affects every aspect of our lives, our thoughts, feelings and behaviour, our physical and mental health. Think about it!

Have you ever walked down a run-down inner city street, buildings dilapidated and uncared for, weeds growing through the cracks in the pavement, litter, graffiti, broken windows, dog-fouling, rubbish dumped in alleyways? How did you feel? I bet you feel depressed just thinking about it!

Have you ever walked on to an empty beach, waves gently lapping the shore, a light breeze, clear blue sky? How did you feel? I bet you felt like running, skipping, turning cartwheels, laughing, singing? (Of course, you may not have done any of these things, being a sober, sensible grown-up, but I bet, if nothing else, you breathed deeper and walked lighter.)

Now, you may be thinking, “Well that’s all very nice, but we can’t all go and live by the sea. Some of us have got to earn a living.”

Yes! We have! And where do most of us earn that living? In (at best) bland, non-descript offices and factories, or spending endless hours trapped in little metal boxes, surrounded by other people in their metal boxes on endless stretches of tarmac. And how does that make you feel? Now many of us don’t like our jobs particularly anyway, we just do them to earn money to do the things we want to do. But wouldn’t it be easier to go to work if it was at least in a pleasant environment?

And what about the streets we live in? Do we look out of our windows and see sights to inspire and comfort us? Or do we live on streets lined with wheelie bins (because refuse collectors no longer collect from the rear of the premises), cars parked on pavements, chewing gum stuck to pavements, litter collecting in flower beds and hedges, graffiti on fences and walls?

I don’t know about you, but I know which I prefer.

And what about when you get inside? When you return to your home, your castle, your oasis, what then?

Do you feel relaxed? Do you feel that at last you are surrounded by beauty and peace. Do you feel inspired, happy, free? Because you should.

Now you may not live in your ideal home, it may not be big enough, you may not have the ideal garden, you may have no garden at all, it may not be in your ideal location. It may be a flat when you want a house, it may be a house when you want a bungalow. It may be terraced when you want a semi, it may be in the city when you want to be in the country, it may be in the suburbs when you a want a city apartment with views of the river.

But it should still be beautiful, it should still be relaxing, it should still make you feel good about yourself and your life. It should support your lifestyle and aspirations. It should make you feel that even if you’re not yet where you want to be, you’re on your way, you’re getting there and this house, this flat, this home is helping you get there. If only by being a safe haven at the end of the day.

Still need convincing? How about this? In 1990 New York’s crime wave hit an all-time high. That’s all crimes, serious and ‘petty’ crime. (In my book, there’s no such thing as petty crime but that’s a whole other discussion.) By 2000 it had the lowest crime rate in the US, with crime rates on the subway having dropped by 75%.Why? How? Zero tolerance! From the mid 80’s a number of key figures in positions of authority targeted ’petty’ crimes like graffiti and fare avoidance and within a few short years all crimes, were on the wane. It is argued that this was as a result of the successful application of the Broken Windows theory. The theory being that if passers by walk down a street with broken windows they will conclude that nobody cares and no one is in authority so they can do what they like and ever-increasing numbers do just that.

Think about, if you’re in a tube station and you can see that 80% of the people around you are walking through the barriers without paying, wouldn’t you be tempted to do likewise (why should I pay when no one else does?) and if it happened every day, how much more tempted would you be?

And what about graffiti? When you were at school were the toilet cubicles covered in graffiti, was it regularly cleaned off and painted over? And what was the rest of the school like? How did your fellow students behave? How did you behave? What was the school’s reputation like?

So, the point of all this is a campaign. A campaign to make all our environments beautiful and supportive, from our homes to our workplaces, from the streets we walk and drive along, to the shops we spend our money in. We all deserve to be in an environment that supports and nurtures us. Not just by growing the food we need to nourish our bodies, but the sights, sounds, textures and smells we need to nourish our minds and souls.

Fanciful? Maybe! Someone once said to me years ago “If it doesn’t feed your inner child, get rid of it.” So what are you feeding your inner child? What are you feeding your children?

Jamie Oliver has managed to do the seemingly impossible in persuading the government and local authorities to feed our children real, nourishing, exciting and imaginative food, it’s good for their physical and mental health, it’s an investment in the future. So let’s do the same for our environment. Let’s acknowledge that environment makes a difference and it’s worth spending a little time, money and effort on, for all our futures.

So now you’re thinking “ "Well ok, I get the point, but what am I supposed to do about it?" Am I supposed to go out and challenge kids who are spray painting a wall, remonstrate with every passer by who spits their chewing gum out on the pavement?” Hmm, no, potentially risky (I’m a slightly-built 5”6’ woman, there’s no way I’m remonstrating with gangs of youths in the street.)

Start small! Start with your home! What does it look like? Is there any clutter? Where is the furniture placed? Do you like the furniture? Or is simply functional? William Morris said “have nothing in your home that you do not believe to be beautiful or useful,” I would say “Have nothing in your home that is not useful and beautiful.

Then move on to your garden (if you have one.) Then join up with neighbours to see if you can do anything to improve your street, contact your local councillor, ask questions, ask for better services. (There’s just been a local election, they should be keen to help.) Talk to your boss. Is there anything you can do to improve your work environment?

Now, if you live or work in a cluttered, cramped and, let’s be frank, less than inspiring space, you may well be feeling depressed, disillusioned, dispirited and have no motivation or energy to do anything about it, it just looks like an impossible mountain to climb. If that is the case, get help.

There are professional services that will help you de-clutter your home or office, sort out your storage problems, advise on interior decoration, etc, etc. Now depending on your budget that may be all you can afford. But it’s a start, and it can have a real and positive effect on your life.

To find a service in your area you can contact me at rachel@spacerenovation.org.uk or you can log onto www.apdo-co.uk, the association for professional de-clutterers, many companies offer a wide range of services.

My service is available to homeowners, landlords, tenants and businesses. Anyone can benefit from this service and I would be delighted to work with social landlords to assist their tenants and other public services to improve office and customer service areas for their staff and service users.

Think about it! This is a very simple and cost-effective way to improve the quality of your life and those around you. And who knows where it may lead?