Erica of The Green Laundress

This week, we’re talking to Erica Ahmed of The Green Laundress who dove head first into the world of non-toxic living 10 years ago, after learning about her newborn daughters' sensitive skin needs. This, in turn, inspired her to create her eco-friendly product line of cleaning products that we highly recommend for your non-toxic home!

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BLK+GRN: Who are you and why do you do what you do?

ERICA: My name is Erica Ahmed and I am a trained public health professional with an M.A. in Psychology and an M.S. in Health Education. I do what I do because I know that I am helping people who want to maintain or improve their well-being by reducing their exposure to toxic cleaning products. BLKGRN: What was your "Aha Moment" and when did your vision start to manifest? ERICA: I started making natural, non-toxic cleaning products to accommodate my newborn daughter’s sensitive skin. I continue to do what I do because I now fully understand the negative health implications for “cleaning” with chemicals. For many years, I didn’t even consider starting a business. I was simply happy and thankful to have come up with recipes that worked for my daughter and anyone else who expressed concerns about commercial cleaning products.

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BLK+GRN: Why do you think it is important to Buy Black?

ERICA: Our community like any other community needs a means of sustainability. “Buying black” is foundational. If we don’t make a conscious effort to support black businesses we lose our collective leverage and the proverbial seat at the table, ultimately rendering us voiceless.

BLK+GRN: How is your brand green? ERICA: The Green Laundress is green because of the quality and caliber of the all-natural ingredients we use in our products. We are also taking steps to make our packaging “greener” and more eco-friendly. This is important to me because I want to ensure that my product line serves as a healthy alternative to commercial chemically-based cleaning products.

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