Laurie Walter

A Message From Laurie Walter: After graduating from Tufts University in 1990, I worked as a management consultant for eleven years helping companies develop and implement business strategies. In my years as a consultant, I worked with numerous companies on everything from product and channel strategy, organizational design, customer service enhancement, operational processes, and technology implementations. I found the work intellectually interesting but only marginally fulfilling. With the birth of my second child, I found the demands of my career incompatible with the needs of my family. I decided to stay home and focus on my boys.

With motherhood came other changes. I now had responsibility for the health and well-being my three sons. I worried about what kind of future they would have on our over-taxed planet. I began by switching to non-toxic cleaners to avoid accidental poisoning. As I read and learned more, the changes spread to other areas of our home.

As the children grew, I wanted to teach them to be responsible stewards of the planet in contrast to the materialistic, disposable society that surrounds them. I don’t qualify as an environmental activist. We have ipods and crocs and I have a weakness for pretty, fashionable things. But I try to teach them to make informed, responsible choices. Everything, even free Happy Meal toys, an uneaten hamburger, and the wrapper tossed on the ground impacts their planet.

During the years I was a stay-at-home Mom, I became aware of the enormous untapped potential of thousands of women. These smart, motivated women had responsibilities and interests which conflicted with a nine-to-five, inflexible job. I went to several shopping parties. I loved the social atmosphere, the excuse to see my friends and indulge in a little shopping. And I was truly impressed by the professional women who conducted these parties. They had carved out a career for themselves and were balancing their personal and professional lives with great success. I never signed on as a consultant because I never found a product that I believed in enough to sell.

Chartreuse combines my passion for quality, aesthetics and the environment with my desire to tap into the wealth of talented women (and men) who want balance in their lives. Our mission is to encourage women who don't consider themselves to be environmentalist to consider the environmental costs of their purchases. We want to introduce them to green habits and products in a social, relaxed setting. Most importantly, our products are fun and fashionable and designed to appeal to the most discerning shopper.