Q & A with Karen Totino: Inside Green Home Living

Recorded Interview: 20121101 155748-1.m4a

Q: How long have you had your store for?

A: Opened in May of 2009. Karen has her store for 3 and half years

now.

Q: Would you consider yourself to be an environmentalist? Why or

why not?

A: Absolutely. That is what drove Karen to action to practice organic lawn care. She started caring for her lawn first for health and well being reasons.  What prompted her to start the business was because of carter creek watershed and concerns with surrounding areas in Saratoga

 County.

Q: What was your major wake up call/key moment?

A: Aha moment: walking with kids in the neighborhood and seeing that DPW painted over drains, discharges to creek. Chem lawn had also come earlier to treat the lawn. Never thought where run off was going. All runoff was going to Carter creek. No alternative for people use, no organic service. That night told her husband she was going to start an organic lawn care company. Found that materials that are good for you good for the environment. 

Q:  What do you think the best part of this job is? Or set back?

A: Set back: stress of owning a business. Love being self-directed and creative move in any direction she wants to. Don’t know month by month if shes going to be payed. Need to be comfortable with being in the moment and when to plan. The best part of her job is meeting interesting people. Enjoys the aspect of learning about people and their stories. (Interesting people)

Q: Do you get a lot people with allergies?

A: First few calls were people with chemical sensitivities. Another segment of the population she wasn’t to familiar with. She has a lot of empathy for people who have these allergies. Works with families that have allergies, asma, diagnosed with cancer and cancer survivors.

Q: Is your customer base local people from the community or contractors?

A: Work with customers who are remolding and do some new homes. Focused on people who do remolding projects and do business to business work. In the Yarn store in town, she installed cork floor and Emily’s table has clay walls.

Q: How you found that there are other stores like this one?

A: Stores around the county. Not a lot of stores like hers that are nearby. Large geographic area. (NY, western MA)

Q: What is the coolest green substitute?

A: The clay plaster you see on the wall. It’s a plaster and the base is clay and ancient methodology of wall coating. These clay plasters are completely natural and are breathable wall surface and releases humidity. Does not collect dust or dirt. Product has more negatively charged ions in the clay, creating more of an outdoor like environment.

Did you ever consider branching out of Saratoga Springs?

Not yet. She hasn’t been successful enough to do that yet. Business partner in Hawaii, might sell bed line in Hawaii.

Q: You sell mattress?

A: 3rd part of the business are bed sales. Toxic materials in beds.

Q: I know you have kids, has your influence changed how they view the environment?

A: Yes and no. 8 and 10 year old perspective. Why do we have to wear organic deodorant? They aren’t as impassioned as she is. Values will stick with them as they get older and then they will appreciate them.

Q: Do you have clay walls in your house?

A: Half her house is clay walls. More if she had time to do clay walls.

Q: In terms of literature have you been inspired by any piece of literature you have read environmentally.

A: Haven’t read a ton of literature.

Read books about Lawn care and permaculcture and organic lawn/ land practices. Book that she started to read, Rasing Elisah. How to approach issues that parents face. She feels that documentaries have more an impact. Examples: food ink, gas land. Now that she is the business already, can seek out information easily and is more aware her own impact on the environment.

Visit Karen's Website! : http://www.green-conscience.com/