Green Paige

Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  It’s time to polish up the good silver and and break out the family china.  Here are some natural cleaning solutions that will make polishing those precious metal heirlooms a breeze: 

• Brass - Mix 1 tbl sp. of cream of tartar with enough lemon juice to make a paste.  Apply the paste to the surface of your brass item.  Let stand for 5 minutes and then wash with warm water.  Dry it off with a soft cloth. 

         Cream of tartar also cleans porcelain.  Sprinkle it on a damp cloth and

         rub onto a porcelain surface.  Rinse then dry.

• Silver - This year, polish the good silver with toothpaste.  Rub the surface of your silver with plain, white toothpaste.  Clean with warm water and a soft cloth.  This works for gold items as well.

• Stainless Steel - To give your stainless steel a thorough cleaning, mix 3 tbl sp. of baking soda with enough water to form a paste.  Apply the paste to the surface of the item you are cleaning with a scouring pad.  Rinse after cleaning.  To polish, rub club soda or olive oil over surface then dry with soft cloth.

• Copper - Mix 1/2 c. of either vinegar or lemon juice with a tsp. of salt.  Rub the mixture over copper surface with a soft cloth.  Rinse then dry.

• Pewter - Dissolve 1 tsp. salt in 1 c. of white vinegar.  Add enough flour to make a paste.  Apply to the surface of the item you are polishing.  Let the mixture set for 15 to 60 minutes.  Rinse with warm water and then dry with soft cloth.

Post a comment and share your own recipes for home made cleaning solutions.

1. Precycle.   Make sure the food and other items that you purchase for your holiday feast are packaged in recyclable containers.   If you can’t recycle or compost it, don’t buy it.

2. Waste not. Set your table with reusable plates, utensils and napkins.  If that’s not possible, use post-consumer products that are recycled or compostable.

3. Clean house.  Coronato recommends using a solution of two parts vinegar to one part water and the juice of one lemon to clean kitchen surfaces.  Polish silverware with a paste made from baking soda and vinegar for a shine that will make your table sparkle.

4. Go natural.  Send your kids on a treasure hunt to collect rocks, leaves, pinecones, nuts and various other items from nature to use as decorations for your holiday table.

5. Feed the birds.  Spread chunky peanut butter or vegetable shortening over a pine cone.  Roll the pine cone in sunflower seeds and bits of fruit.  Hang the bird feeder outside so everyone can enjoy a Thanksgiving feast inside and out.

6. Simmer up some aromatherapy.  Create a non-toxic potpourri by combining sliced orange and lemon with cloves, cinnamon sticks and a bay leaf in a crock-pot. Cover with apple cider or water and let it simmer up the aroma of Fall.

7. Unplug your holiday.  Institute a ban on electronic devices for the day and have an old fashioned Thanksgiving with games, music and a family walk to the park.

8. Express your appreciation.  Start a new tradition by designating one of your plates as a peace plate.  The person who sits at the setting with the peace plate is the guest of honor. During the meal, each person at the table must state one thing that they admire about this person.  Each holiday, rotate the peace plate to another guest of honor.

9. Give thanks.

“Our family lights a gratitude candle during every meal and then we take turns expressing our thanks for the wonderful people and experiences in our lives.  It helps us refocus,” says Coronato.  “I have noticed that my 3-year old son thanks the universe for his brother but he never says anything about his toys.  It’s a reminder to me of what’s really important, family.”

Helen Coronato  is the author of, “Eco-Friendly Families“-a family guide to greener living with activities that engage and inspire toddler to teens. 

 I am thankful for many things in my life-my family, my friends, living in a great community.  I am also thankful for resources like Helen Coronato’s new book, “Eco-Friendly Families“-a family guide to greener living with activities that engage and inspire toddler to teens.  It makes my job as our family’s environmental coach and eco-cheerleader a lot easier.

Coronato was motivated to write this step-by-step approach to green living after the birth of her first child.

“I realized that I needed to live a healthier and more sustainable life not only for myself but for him.  In order to do this, I had to unlearn a lifetime of bad habits,” she recalls.

“All the books I found at that time gave the impression that if you couldn’t do everything they suggested then you might as well do nothing. I didn’t agree. I knew very few parents out there could afford to throw everything out and begin again with new, green products so I decided to write “Eco-Friendly Families” to help other families make big changes incrementally and affordably.”

“Eco-Friendly Families” guides us on a journey from over-consumption to sustainability by helping us to set goals that are attainable.

“In my book, you will find a 12-month calendar that can be used as a map.  Each month has four suggestions to help you get started living more sustainably including hands-on activities and every chapter ends with a checklist so that you don’t miss a thing,” points out Coronato.

Another feature that makes this guide accessible for busy families is the 5-Minute Makeover - activities designed to be easy, affordable and environmentally-friendly.

An example of a Five-Minute Makeover would be to remake your beds with extra blankets and lower the thermostat to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Everyone will sleep comfortably while using less energy.

“As a mom, I know that we are constantly looking for ways to entertain and engage our children.  The activities in my book are designed to encourage kids to make environmentally-friendly choices while using their imaginations,” says Coronato.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, she recommends gathering the family together to craft a thank-you chain;

• Using strips of wrapping paper saved from previous holidays, ask each member of your family to write down the name of someone or something they are thankful for.
• Glue the strips together and then link to form a chain.
• Decorate your home with the chain. 
• Not only will your thank-you chain add a festive touch to your home but it will remind your family of everyone and everything they are thankful for throughout the holiday season.

“We have to live in this world and make decisions and choices based on what is available to us at this moment,” explains Coronato. “Just because we can’t afford solar panels or a hybrid car doesn’t mean we can’t make the most responsible and environmentally-friendly decisions possible. The generation who grew up during The Great Depression knew how to live simply, frugally and sustainably because they had to. We must teach our children to think before they consume to live healthier and more sustainable lives because we have to.”

“Eco-Friendly Families” is available where books are sold.