All Hallows Eve

About michael.dejong

Environmentalist, artist and author, Michael DeJong, was born in Chicago Heights, IL, in 1962, earning his MFA from the University of Illinois in 1987 before moving to NYC. Once settled, to support himself as a working artist, DeJong ran a housekeeping business for 7 years. In response to his own health challenges caused by multiple daily exposures to toxic commercial household cleaners, he began researching healthier, natural alternatives, using his clients’ homes as his “laboratory,” formulating and testing his eco-friendly, human-friendly and pet-friendly cleaning recipes. He currently lives in Jersey City with his partner of 18 years (Richard,) dog of 10 years (Jack,) and 3 goldfish of 2 years (Phil, Jill and Gill) who all benefit from his natural cleaning techniques. After launching a successful career as a commercial photo-stylist, he put aside his hundreds of cleaning recipes and notes, only to return to them in 2005, after a chance meeting with publishing legend, Joost Elffers, for whom he wrote the popular environmental cleaning book, “Clean: The Humble Art of Zen-Cleansing” (Sterling Publishing/Joost Elffers Books, 2007). http://www.zencleansing.com/ Upon its release, “Clean” quickly found a large following and was Sterling’s best seller for 2007. DeJong and Elffers donated 2,500 books to Al Gore that were included in the “Trainee Tool Kit” for the international attendees of his “Climate Project” trainings. The book was also touted by Teresa Heinz Kerry in her lecture series, “Women, Health & the Environment,” and was auctioned by Bette Midler to raise funds for her “Restoration Project” in NYC. “Clean” has been quoted, reviewed and/or recommended by the Sierra Club, Women’s Voices for the Earth, Town & Country Magazine, Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart’s Blueprint Magazine, This Old House Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Denver Post, The Seattle Times, USA Weekend Magazine, Lifetime Television and several other media outlets. DeJong is currently working on the next 2 volumes for his My Kind of Clean series of “green” cleaning, beauty, and lifestyle books. “Clean Body” and “Clean Cures” will be released by Sterling Publishing/Joost Elffers Books in spring and fall of 2009 respectively. Michael is currently the eco-cleaning advisor and weekly contributor to Hearst Publishing’s first online magazine, “The Daily Green,"  http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/blogs/nontoxic/ and was the eco-expert “Mr. Green” for the “Ask Mr. Green” column on NBC-Universal-Bravo’s new environmental website http://www.greenisuniversal.com/ask_mr_green.php . He is currently blogging for The Huffington Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-dejong/ With Dutch and American partners, he is currently heading up an exciting, sustainable, social-entrepreneurial, “for-benefit” company in The Netherlands, OneCleanWorld Group, and beginning the OneCleanWorld Foundation in the US. OneCleanWorld’s first subsidiary, CleanHome&Body International will produce families of safe and eco-effective products based on the time-tested recipes in his My Kind of Clean book series. The first line of 15 eco-friendly household cleaners will be launched in late spring 2009 under the brand “CleanHome,” and as each new book in the series is released, a new line of related products will be developed and launched. The company is also developing an open-source, interactive, social-networking, “We-Think” style, web portal for environmentalists, activists, entrepreneurs and bloggers interested in improving the planet one-household-at-a-time. OneCleanWorld, it's subsidiaries and the OCW Foundation have a commitment to profits with principles, and royalties from all of the books and a percentage of profits from the commercial ventures will all go towards endowing and underwriting the foundation, which will focus on providing monetary grants, technical assistance and/or micro-financing for eco-projects worldwide.