Memorial Day
“Don't tell me not to live, just sit and putter

Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter

Don't bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.”
~Bob Merrill and Jule Styne

Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who have died on distant shores, drowned in far away seas, seared on hot desert sands or have battled in desolate jungles all while performing their military service to our country. When Memorial Day began, the casualties of the American Civil War were the center of remembrance with its original name being Decoration Day - a day when many still leave flowers at cemeteries. Today Memorial Day is acknowledged in the United States as a Federal Holiday on the last Monday of May and as a time to remember those who have passed on, whether in war or otherwise.

Many people thoughtfully observe the importance of this day by participating in a national moment of remembrance, by flying the U.S. flag at half-staff from dawn until noon, by visiting burial grounds such as the Arlington National Cemetery where volunteers place an American flag on each gravesite or by visiting monuments of remembrance such as the minimal yet moving Vietnam War Memorial by sculptor and architect Maya Lin in Washington, DC.

Beyond all of the solemnity - if sunny, warm and lovely - it’s also a day committed to ball games, picnics, side-walk sales, veterans selling poppies, small town parades, barbecues, department store sales, and the formal “kick-off” of summer.

Having grown up in the small town of Lansing on the south side of Chicago, I enjoyed all of the hokey things that life there had to offer. The traditional Memorial Day parade, an extravaganza that involved Girl Scouts, Brownies, the Little League, the local high school band accompanied by a bevy of buxom ladies from the pep-squad, fezz-ed’ shriners in their little cars, the local fire and police departments, the representatives from the Knights of Columbus and of course our local veterans – almost two thirds of the town watching the other one-third march.

As a kid I marched in every Memorial Day parade with the local high-school band. (Go Rebels!) We skillfully memorized the music to “The Star Spangled Banner,” “America the Beautiful,” “A Horse With No Name,” “God Bless America” and “Bad-Bad Leroy Brown.”(It’s good to mix it up. The bystander’s stay surprised that way.) The parade would start on the north side of town and end up on the south side of town at a local park where refreshments were offered and the barbeques were warming.

You may be wondering why barbecue is sometimes spelled “barbeque” or "BBQ." (C’mon… don’t we have bigger fish to fry—or grill?) Evoking strong primal urges, barbecuing for many is a religious, zen-like experience with the combination of glowing coals and slow roasting; a ritualistic event that occurs in parks, backyards, your own personal “garden of eaten,” or anywhere one might fire up cookers. To describe barbequing from an enthusiast’s point of view, it’s about mindfully and patiently cooking, slathering and preparing food over an open flame to produce bold flavors in every tasty bite. It’s also about choosing regional and seasonal food that’s slow cooked so that the neighborhood, friends and family may enjoy, eat, nibble and slowly graze over it all.

On this National Holiday, in the event that you’re making plans to join the ranks at the outdoor-alter-of-gastronomy, here’s my recipe for what I consider the Best BBQ sauce:

· 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
· ½ cup of ketchup
· 2 tablespoons of olive oil
· 1 large onion, finely chopped
· ¼ cup steak sauce
· ¼ cup of brown sugar
· ¼ cup of Worcestershire sauce
· hot sauce to taste

Begin by sautéing the onions in olive oil until tender and clear. Then just add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for about fifteen minutes on a low heat.

Then, may I suggest that you douse it on everything - get it everywhere - chops, ribs, burgers, tofu-pups, steaks, chicken, soy-burgers, mushrooms and even the corn – ours is an “equal opportunity” grill. And if you’re not covered with the stuff too, you’re clearly doing something wrong. (No paper-towels or napkins on Memorial Day. That’s what sleeves are made for!)

And when the parades and the picnics have ended and the spoils of the day lay before you, remember that all good things come to an end…even the stains. For the best removal of the Best BBQ Sauce, first eliminate the surface “schmootz” and then rinse the stained areas with cold water from the reverse side of the offender. Follow by creating a mound of baking soda covering each stain, and finish with a drizzle of white vinegar on top. Then simply launder as usual. The bubbling and sizzling reaction will force the sauce out of your fabric, and hopefully – in perfect Memorial Day style - you can salute your stains good-bye, too.

Happy Memorial Day!

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).Please consider the environment.

Liberace’s Birthday
“A piano is full of suppressed desires, recalcitrance, inhibition, conflict.”
~Anita T Sullivan

Through his live Las Vegas shows, highly popular television series, and oodles of promotional appearances, we all came to love the complicated “One-man Disneyland” known as Liberace. There he was, in all his glory, decked out in his trademark glitzy diamond-encrusted jewelry, capes trimmed in ostrich feathers, ermine and rhinestones (mountains of tough-n-tedious-to-clean finery, some literally weighing hundreds of pounds) — and sets crowded with custom-made grand pianos, live animals, one-of-a kind cars and stretch limos, high-kicking chorus girls and boys, hypnotists, jugglers, magicians, puppeteers and, of course, his ever-present twinkly candelabras.

Wladziu "Lee" Liberace was admired for the same reasons that folks dig Vegas. He took the haughtiness of high-culture, haute couture, fine art, and classical music - everything that once defined the upper echelons of society – and made them all approachable to the masses by calling into question what was considered “good taste.” With millions of dollars worth of high-priced props and his over-the-top persona, however, while on stage he was still able to vanish into what made him happiest of all–just playing the piano. Underneath it all, he was a true virtuoso.

To write this post in honor of Liberace's recent birthday (would have been May 16) I watched an hour of Liberace performances on You-Tube just to see for myself. What an original he was–his wacky stage antics clearly influenced the likes of Little Richard, Elton John, Bette Midler, Marilyn Manson and probably even KISS. But most miraculously, I saw the way he quietly disappeared into his music – off somewhere happily lost inside the rhythm and endless notes that lay scattered across the piles of sheet music in his head. How Zen…that even during his self-manufactured, stagey Las Vegas tumult, he found peace and joy in his own ability to masterfully play the piano.

What most people don’t know about “Lee,” however, is that in November 1963, the spectacle of Liberace almost ended when he was nearly killed by his own beloved costumes. It seems that night after night, while on stage, under the spotlights, as well as in his dressing room, he continuously breathed in the toxic fumes of the carbon tetrachloride used for cleaning his stage outfits. Additionally, the intense chemicals were released from the fabrics and were then absorbed into his skin, shutting down his kidneys and causing momentary renal failure. Although the prognosis was grim, he made a miraculous recovery and went on to entertain another generation of admiring fans.

I’m guessing that marabou doesn’t launder all that well. But then again, who of us wears capes trimmed in feathers, mink and rhinestones? (Publicly that is!) Most of us wear cotton and/or cotton blend clothing that can be easily washed. I personally prefer purchasing clothes that can be laundered over those that require dry cleaning. Not just because I’m a cheapskate, but because I don’t care to support the dry cleaning industry until it has a truly green standard (something they are working on). As for now, I choose to not wear clothing that must be chemically cleaned, with the potential to release those toxins into my skin (ala Liberace), as well as into the environment.

Liberace was all frills - and I am no frills! So if you’re like me and prefer to wear clothing that can be hand or machine washed, and would rather not use commercial detergents, it’s incredibly simple to make your own laundry soap. In a food processor, grind one bar of Ivory soap with two boxes of baking soda and a cup of borax (as a water softener). Pulverize the contents until the mixture is powdery and soft. Depending on the size of the load and how dirty the contents are, use one-quarter to one-half cup per load of laundry. Run your washer using the appropriate settings for the size and type of cycle required for the contents. Your clothes will be clean and the water used will not harm the environment.

Though the world almost lost a truly original entertainer because of toxic cleaning agents, over the years, with his bravado and charisma, Liberace amassed an astonishing assortment of esteemed honors. He was named Instrumentalist of the Year, Best Dressed Entertainer (says who?), and Entertainer of the Year. He also won two Emmy Awards, six gold albums, and was honored with not one but two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Best of all - despite his “dirty laundry” - he was known and loved throughout the world as the well-deserved “Mr. Showmanship.”

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).
Please consider the environment.

Mother’s Day
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing up
is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.
~Phyllis Diller

“Don’t blow your nose. Just use your sleeve.”
“Is that shirt dirty? Ehhh…whatever.”
“Yeah, I ditched school too.”
“Sure…lets keep the dog.”
“Curfew –Schmurfew.”

…not exactly what you’d expect mothers to say. But if they did - the world wouldn’t be nearly the same place.

In the United States Mom’s Day falls on the second Sunday in May. The social activist, Julia Ward Howe toyed with the concept after the end of the Civil War but then; unfortunately, she failed to get it officially recognized as a holiday. Ann Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker, then again picked up the idea. And through her and her daughter Anna’s efforts we now have an official national holiday dedicated to the women who have given birth and/or have raised children.

Mother's Day, one of the most commercially successful U.S. holidays, is when female parents across the country get acknowledged for their contributions during the often thankless task of raising children.

Mothers are universal. There’s no denying it…we all had one. My mom, for instance, was wacky - sure - but she was a swell parent and probably no different from many others. Though it took me a lifetime to learn, she did the best she could with the resources and information she had. And despite her challenges and limited energy, her three children all turned out to be solid citizens. (A few college degrees here and there and no drug convictions or jail time served.)

And although my mom has been gone for almost twenty years I’ll never forget how she made our clothes, baked our bread, preserved our jams and jellies, cleaned like a twister out of control, helped us with our homework, read to us quietly each night before we went to bed, and ultimately, how she prepared us for the world. She made holiday treats and Halloween costumes, dressed us for proms, encouraged us to practice our music lessons, painted rooms single-handedly in an afternoon, and even occasionally mowed the lawn.

In response to their knitting sweaters (the ones my mom completed were “interesting” to say the least), preparing special meals (no matter how you slice it, a boiled cow’s heart on Valentines day is just plain sick), words of encouragement (“Honey, I know you just flattened a mailbox during you’re driving test…maybe next time.”), religious training ("You better pray that comes out of the carpet."), wisdom and guidance (“Maybe a pet alligator wasn’t such a good idea.”) and unconditional love and forgiveness (on Christmas Day, 1970, at the age of eight, I almost burned down the garage…sorry mom!) and quite simply doing, doing, doing and going, going, going—to all mothers everywhere, on this special day, we stop, take notice, pay honor, take her out for brunch and scramble for a bauble or trinket to show her how we feel.

So instead of giving a traditional gift like a box of drugstore chocolates or a Forget-Me-Not-Bouquet (Forget-Me-Not? How could she ever forget giving birth to you? The woman still has stretch marks on her backside with your name on them!), how about giving her a Forget-About-Cleaning-The-House-Bouquet. I suggest you make an arrangement of coupons committing yourself to a year of household duties. It might say something like “For your nine months of carrying me, I promise to carry out the trash for the next year.” Or how about “For your thirty-six hours of mind-numbing labor, I promise to clean the bathroom for any thirty-six hours of your choosing (non-consecutive hours of course, unless your mother was Joan Crawford).” Or what about, “For supporting and feeding me for 18 years, I promise to take you out or cook you dinner 18 times over the next year (just no cow hearts, OK!!??)”

Now that’s gratitude!

On Mother’s Day, whether she’s right there at home, hundreds of miles away, running for President or long gone and just a faint memory - for good or for bad, for better or for worse – take a moment and thoughtfully acknowledge her. Remember, she’s the one who gave you your first breath and lovingly looked into your eyes for the very first time. To the world you might just be one person, but to her - you are the world.

(Happy Mother’s Day, Mom...)

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).Please consider the environment.

May: Vinegar Month
“It is better to be preserved in vinegar than to rot in honey.”
~ E. Cobham Brewer

Although the fine folks in Roslyn, South Dakota hold an International Vinegar Festival in June, May is actually National Vinegar Month. However, if you do make it to Roslyn in time, you’ll see a mighty fine small-town parade consisting of the Roslyn marching band, children dressed as pickles, the Roslyn Firefighters (in my opinion - the best part), the guy who mows all of the municipal lawns (okay, he’s pretty swell too), horse drawn carriages, tractors, tractors and yet even more tractors and the Day County Veterans being pulled by – yes - a John Deere tractor. The festivities also include the crowning of the Royal Vinegar Court (a sour looking lot,) cooking demonstrations and food at the nation’s only Vinegar Museum.

Vinegar, from the French translation meaning “sour wine,” can be produced from all kinds fruits, berries, melons, coconut, honey, beer, maple syrup, potatoes, beets, malt, grains and whey. But the fundamental process remains unchanged no matter what the initial ingredients may be–first a fermentation of sugar to alcohol, and then a second go-round to vinegar. Viola! Acetic acid (aka vinegar) is born.

Whether rice, red wine, distilled white, aged balsamic or apple cider, the overwhelming essence of vinegar, to most of us, is always the same—sharp, tart and biting. But compared one to another, the subtle and not-so-subtle flavors are very different and are as varied as fine and not-so-fine wines are.

Vinegar has been around for millennia, and every faith, it seems, parables references to it, whether it be Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism or Christianity. When and how their deity or followers responded to the tangy flavor of vinegar was then metaphorically used as a symbolic view of life and its situations.

The ancients stumbled upon the versatility of vinegar probably 10,000 years ago. The Babylonians used it as medicine, and also mixed it with herbs to flavor their meals. The Romans drank it as a beverage. Cleopatra dissolved pearls in it to prove she could devour a fortune in a single meal. (Ladies, please do not try this at home!) Biblical references show how it was used for its soothing and healing properties and yet as recent as World War I, vinegar was still being used to treat wounds in the battlefields.

Susan B. Anthony, referred to as the “vinegar” of the Female Suffrage movement was aggressive, ebullient, frisky, spunky, a fighter, and a no-nonsense kinda woman, who displayed all the classic traits of being full of “piss and vinegar.” The earliest citation of that term, however, is from 1938 in John Steinbeck's, The Grapes of Wrath.

Vinegar? Why am I writing about vinegar? Well…not because it’s new-fangled, or is in any way ultra-modern. And it can’t be confused for something that’s state-of-the-art, or attempts to be up-to-the-minute or high-tech. But what it is, is a highly affordable and super-safe eco-cleaning staple we should all get familiar with. Distilled white vinegar easily neutralizes alkaline soaps, effortlessly breaks down stubborn urine odors, quickly polishes patent leather, instantly removes static cling from clothing, flawlessly cleans mirrors and glass, simply deodorizes the air, effortlessly polishes chrome, carefully removes soap scum and hard water spots, dependably cleans your automatic drip coffee maker and, in a pinch, even lifts accidentally spilled white glue. This 10,000 year-old elixir is a modern-day cleaning miracle!

It’s said, “You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” So be a sweetie and just simply clean with the sour stuff. Store it in a sealed container full strength, dilute it 50/50 with water in a recycled spray bottle for everyday use, or mix 1 tablespoon in 1 quart of water in another recycled sprayer for a great window cleaner. There is never a need for refrigeration. Vinegar’s shelf life is eternal.

Don’t find yourself in a pickle by letting Vinegar Month pass you by. There are 1,001 uses for it other than dressing a salad—so why not invent the 1,002nd eco-friendly way to celebrate vinegar for yourself.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly blog on Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green” (www.thedailygreen.com). De Jong is also “Ask Mr. Green” for NBC-Universal’s new eco-website www.GreenIsUniversal.com where you can send him your questions about housecleaning problems. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. “CLEAN” is also an online course about “zen-cleansing” at Latitude U (www.LatitudeU.com).

Please consider the environment.

Zipper Day

”Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay—My, oh, my, what a wonderful day.

Plenty of sunshine headin' my way—Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay!”

~Ray Gilbert

(from Disney’s Song of the South)

In spite of the miracle of Velcro, it appears that the zipper, and annual Zipper Day, are here to stay. Never heard of Zipper Day? It’s when all people, adolescent or octogenarian, can proudly display and play with their zippers.

Be annoying and obnoxious…yes, that’s right…up and down, up and down, up and down. This zippy holiday only comes once each year, so make the most of it. But may I suggest monkeying with the zipper on your coat rather than the one on your pants or dress? (Noodling around with either of those in public might just send the wrong message—but that’s for you to decide!)

The modern-day zipper is the culmination of a series of improvements made over more than twenty years by inventors and engineers. First, in the early 1890s, a mechanical engineer from Chicago, Whitcomb L. Judson, an appreciator of gizmos, doo-hickeys, and Rube Goldberg-esque thing-a-ma-jigs, invented what he called the “clasp-locker,” the precursor to what we know as the modern day zipper. Alas, though poor Whitcomb proudly exhibited his new closure device at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, it was a complete and utter failure (OK, he did sell a grand total of 20 clasp-lockers to the Chicago postal service, but that was it!). His original device was more like a mechanized version of the button hook than the zipper we know of today, and he sadly died in obscurity in 1909, long before his revolutionary idea caught on and became one of the most commonly used and well-known technological advances of the 20th Century.

In 1913, however, the Swedish-American engineer, Gideon Sundbach, successfully improved on Judson’s primitive contraption, turning it into the item we all know and love—a simple, but brilliant contraption meant to temporarily join two pieces of material when engaged and then as easily, separate them when disengaged. The name “zipper” was actually coined by the rubber tycoon, Charles Goodyear, who flipped over the onomatopoetic noise the closure made on his newly patented vulcanized golashes—“z-i-i-i-i-p” up, and “z-i-i-i-i-p” down.

Simply put, a zipper is two strips of fabric tape with hundreds of oddly shaped interlocking “teeth” stuck onto the two pieces of fabric intended to be joined. A separate element called a “slider” (No…not that famous White Castle mini-burger we all crave when we’re drunk!) is moved up or down between the rows of teeth temporarily but securely joining the two separate sides, creating a perfect closure. We find zippers on anything from Elvis-inspired jumpsuits, haute couture evening gowns, tents (in some instances, indistinguishable from evening gowns), jeans, corsets, handbags, parkas, slipcovers, sleeping bags, hoodies and go-go boots.

While the basic principle has remained the same for nearly 100 years, the material for zipper teeth now includes plastic as well as the original metal. The teeth, regardless of what they are made of, dovetail together in an ingenious yin-yang-like fashion. In Chinese philosophy, yin-and-yang describes the contrast of exact opposites (earth and sky, water and fire, the left and the right), which, when combined, create a perfect unity of opposites…kinda’ like the slider on a zipper causing a perfect yin-yang interlocking of the teeth.

What most people fail to realize until it’s too late, however, is that like most types of gear and equipment, zippers also require some maintenance every now and then to prolong their usable life. Forcing zippers takes its toll on both the zipper and zipper slider (Think about how many times the slider “pull” has come off in your hand at the most inappropriate or inconvenient of times—forcing you to run for the pliers or a paperclip make-do!).

The flotsam and jetsam of life should be removed regularly from zipper teeth (if we were discussing your pearly-whites we’d both be on the same page about regular brushing and flossing.) An occasional lubricating with paraffin (a wax candle will do) grazed across the connecting teeth will both grease-the-works and add protection. Also, if your zipper is rusted or stuck, never force it. Instead, when seized up, if manufacturer’s cleaning instructions permit (or you test a hidden patch for color-fastness first), soak the garment with said stuck zipper in white vinegar, or better yet, brush it on along the front and back of the zipper (hopefully with you not in it.) The acid in the vinegar should dissolve whatever tiny particles may be causing the malfunction.

Regardless of the functionality of your zipper, whether “yin-ing” or “yang-ing,” always be mindful to “close your barn door!” Remember, XYZ-PDQ (Examine Your Zipper Pretty D@MN Quick!)

Made ya’ look!

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U. www.latitudeu.com

Please consider the environment.

Earth Day and
the complexity of care.
“Ever mindful what it cost; Ever grateful for the prize…”
~ Joseph Hopkinson.

Every April showers us with special events and holidays. There’s Publicity Stunt Week, Straw Hat Week, National Reading a Road Map Week, National Coin Tasting Week (ya’… really!), Argue About Gun Safety Week (did I already say “ya’…really?), National Bubblegum Week, National Lingerie Week and the not-to-be-forgotten Egg Salad Week. But squished into the tail end of the month is just one day devoted to our planet… Earth Day. Just 1/365th solitary moment in the whole expanse of a year devoted to the place we all call home. Not even a month or a week, just a day.

Well, the truth be told, Earth “Day” gets even a bit more confusing because with the same name but two different dates on the calendar, the United Nations has Earth Day penned into their agenda for late March but the rest of us global citizens celebrate it officially on April 22nd. In any event, I suppose we should be grateful that there are actually two days a year dedicated to arouse our sensitivity for our delicate mother-ship, planet Earth.

The United Nation’s date (the 21st of March) is when we mark the beginning of the Vernal Equinox by welcoming in the first signs of spring—early bulbs breaking through the thawing ground, though often left to survive the dangers and unpredictability of foreboding late snow flurries and frost. Ever-hopeful, the days begin to grow longer, and nature begins to stir from under the four-month long frozen blanket of winter.

The lifelong activist and Earth Day founder, John McConnell, believed that love and prayer were more powerful than the destructive nature of man, and suggested his dream of Earth Day at a UNESCO Conference on the Environment in 1969. In hopes of celebrating the Earth's life and beauty, McConnell created the Earth Day Proclamation for Global Awareness, detailing mankind’s responsibility for stewarding, cleaning and preserving our planet for future generations.

In 1970, the April 22nd event that ultimately blossomed into the more widely recognized Earth Day, was founded by seeds originally planted by Senator Gaylord Nelson. Using activist tactics, he organized huge college grass-root protests over what he saw happening to the environment. With only limited media coverage to get the ball rolling, 20 million demonstrators, and thousands of schools and local communities participated, with each year bringing greater and greater awareness and activity to the issue.

But regardless of when it is celebrated, whenever I hear the name “Earth Day,” what first comes to mind for me is the word “care.” And interestingly, “care” is one of those rare words that implies the notion of both “giving” and “taking.”

Let me explain.

We can “give care” or we can “take care.” (And it’s easy to confuse the two but they are really very different things.) By “taking care” we lose ourselves in private, thoughtful, reflective, and introspective, self-preservation. By “giving care” we offer help, aid or support to those around us—an external activity. Both are equally important, for without taking care, we have no care to offer.

So let’s all “take care” on Earth Day 2008 to “give care” to those we love, to our communities, to our cities, to our states, to our country, to our planet. Sounds like a huge undertaking, no? Well, in reality it can all begin with the simplest of activities that you were probably going to do anyway: Spring Cleaning. (It’s what you do in spring, isn’t it?)

Only this year, I am suggesting that we mix things up a bit—literally and figuratively. Instead of unconsciously reaching for those expensive, toxic products locked away under the kitchen sink, let’s be more mindful of the effects of our actions. I propose that this year, we make a clean sweep by using some safe and wholesome ingredients you probably already have around the house to create healthy, non-toxic cleaning recipes that are equally, if not more effective! It might come as a surprise, but commercial cleaning products—you know, the ones that are made “new and improved” on a yearly basis—are actually only a modern, and highly successful, 20th Century marketing "convenience.” Prior to the technologies of the Industrial Revolution, the means to produce mass-market pre-mixed cleansers didn’t exist. And while I am no Troglodyte, and actually enjoy many of the benefits of modern conveniences and technologies, I do try to use those that are helpful and life affirming, and opt for healthier alternatives to those that I know are harmful and life-threatening.

OK—so back to Spring Cleaning. First, let’s clean the windows and let all that glorious springtime daylight fill your home. Wipe away the winter grime with a simple but highly effective solution of one teaspoon of white vinegar added to a re-cycled spray bottle filled with warm water. Squirt it on and wipe it off with re-cycled newspaper, and you’ll be amazed at how shiny your windows (and mirrors) will be. And your entire bottle of new glass cleaner cost you only about $.02, to boot! (Remember, the price of store-bought cleansers takes into account the costs of advertising, shipping, packaging, supermarket real estate, etc.—while a simple bottle of white vinegar costs under $1.00 and can last over a year.)

Next, by mixing one cup of baking soda, one cup of borax (yes, it’s still made and you’ll find it in the laundry detergent section of your grocery store), and a pinch of table salt, you’ll easily create a gentle, non-toxic bathroom and kitchen cleanser that works great. Sprinkle it on, give it a good scrubbing and rinse it clean with warm water. And here’s my favorite tip: if you use the cut side of a half a lemon as your scrubber, you’ll have the added benefit of that wonderful, natural, fresh citrusy scent.

Remember, whatever you use to clean your windows, mirrors, sinks, bathtubs, showers or toilets—either these homemade recipes or those store-bought chemicals—all gets washed down the drain and into the ground water. The only difference is that these easy, non-toxic recipes don’t pollute and aren’t harmful to the flora and fauna of our lakes, streams and oceans—and you won’t even have to use rubber gloves while cleaning because they’re so gentle. Plus, your family and pets won’t be exposed to air-bound chemicals or toxic residues.

Your house will not only shine and smell fresh, but Mother Earth will thank you because you’ve just taken the first step towards grass roots environmentalism! Everything in the glass cleaner and all-purpose cleanser you just used is chemical free, not to mention costing next to nothing as well! Store-bought cleaning products are a poisonous, chemical nightmare. The list of their side effects to children, adults and pets are mind numbing. And when those pollutants leave your home, they join forces with the pollutants leaving all your neighbors’ homes. Collectively they wreak havoc on our environment, and according to the Environmental Protection Agency, all those expensive, fancy “new and improved” commercial products are the number one pollutant we know of—harmful to animal and plant life.

So I suggest that this year, we all not only celebrate Earth Day by taking care of others, and ourselves but by also offering care. Former Soviet President Gorbachev once suggested that it took only 5% of the leadership of Russia to create Perestroika. Just imagine what a “caring” 5% of the population could offer right here and right now to make an environmental difference locally and globally.

At least for just this one-day, show the world not only that you care,

but how you care.

For Earth Day Festivities I’m having book-signing events with Macy's on April 22nd at the Roosevelt Field Mall on Long Island and again on Saturday April 26th at the Herald Square Macy's on 34th Street in Manhattan.
I hope you'll stop by!

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U. www.latitudeu.com

Please consider the environment.

Thomas Jefferson’s B-day
Happiness comes when your work and words
are of benefit to yourself and others.
~Buddha

Archaeologist, architect, author, horticulturist, inventor, paleontologist, and statesman – the one-man Renaissance that was Thomas Jefferson was born into a well-healed family in 1743 in Albemarle County, Virginia. He studied at the College of William and Mary, and because of his extensive travels and all of the nifty stuff he stumbled across while exploring, he’s responsible for introducing vanilla ice cream, macaroni and the indoor cook stove to Colonial America, all before becoming the third president of the United States of America.

Though quite the ladies’-man, he was also self-conscious of his lanky, fair-haired, and freckly silhouette. Luckily for us all, Thomas Jefferson was a keen observer of humankind and an articulate writer and journalist—and rather than yammering on-and-on and waxing poetic as did many of his peers in the Continental Congress, Jefferson chose to contribute his flair for the written word over his audible voice to the new American patriotic cause. Muted by his insecurities and humility, in 1776, at the young-ish age of 33, Jefferson penned our Declaration of Independence, a document relating the loftiest ideals of death to tyranny and the birth of Democracy in fledgling a country.

The first draft of the Declaration of Independence addressed “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of property.” Jefferson, in his infinite wisdom, insisted on the change that all these years later still reads:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”

I’m guessing that Jefferson didn’t merely mean the happiness we get from “The Partridge Family” reruns, or being the first on our block with a new I-Phone, but rather, the happiness we feel for and with those around us. The pursuit of our dreams to rise above our station in life, and provide a better world for our children than the one we inherited. To be honestly happy when others have something good happen to them (though, even Jefferson would have hated whoever won last week’s Mega Millions lotto!). The kind of true happiness that allows us to move beyond our conventional barriers, to embrace a faith that embraces us back, to be content, to be grateful, to show gratitude for the little stuff and to be joyously willing to share ourselves with the world. Whatever our current situation, our new Democracy would allow us to pursue happiness any-which-way.

Folks find happiness in so many different ways. Sarah Jessica finds hers in her Jimmy Choo pumps. For Oprah it’s her huge (ummm…) viewer-ship and a fresh bar of soap for each hand washing. Tiger finds his center when he’s got a nine-iron in his hands. Ozzy is one with the universe when he’s pulverizing what’s left of his vocal chords. And Brittany, well let’s just say she seems to be doing more pursuing than finding at this stage in her life.

And where do I pursue my happiness? Well that’s a piece of cake—a hunk of it that is. Especially when it’s glopped and crusted onto our stainless steel range. Thanks to founding father, and foodie Thomas Jefferson, he himself prepared the way to my never-ending joy. As proud as he may have been to have invented the first “modern” built-in kitchen stove, generations later I’m my happiest when our stove sparkles. (Believe it…I’m really that shallow.)

Instead of using the expensive commercial stuff to make the stovetop sparkle and shine, I apply a generous sprinkling of unadulterated baking soda directly onto the greasy-grimy-goopy mess of an overspill. With a lightly dampened dishcloth and just a touch of elbow grease, our entire oven is as clean and shiny as the day it was delivered. (Remember: Never, never, never use those green, wire or steel wool pads on your precious metal surfaces. Treat them like gold and they’ll shine forever.)

Had Jefferson done the same, his stove might still be in the same condition as when he invented it. But then again - he was kinda’ busy pursuing so many other things that gave him happiness.

Michael De Jong, is the author of “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing,” (www.zencleansing.com) produced by Joost Elffers Design and published in 2007 by Sterling Publishers. He lives in Jersey City with his partner, dog and three (now four) goldfish, all of which benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. De Jong, who cleaned apartments in New York City while working as a fine artist, began researching and inventing many of the recipes in “CLEAN” because of his own allergic reactions to commercial cleaning products, and he is continually experimenting with safe, effective and eco-friendly alternatives. Raised in the mid-West by a family that valued the environment and re-cycled before it was fashionable, his quest for non-toxic solutions comes naturally to him. He is currently writing a companion series of “CLEAN” books dealing with such topics as the body, first aid, organization, and food, as well as posting a weekly Blog on www.thedailygreen.com. “CLEAN: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” can be purchased at Barnes & Noble stores across the country or on-line at www.barnesandnoble.com or www.amazon.com. Take the “zen-cleansing” quiz at Latitude U. www.latitudeu.com