our founders:
Lucia Stanslaw
Lucia is from Guadalajara, México, has lived in Hot Springs since 2011 and opened her store, Lucy and The Green Wolf, in downtown Hot Springs in the Summer of 2014. Her business mission is to support and inspire sustainable living by offering goods that help reduce our negative social and environmental impact around the globe. In its mission statement her business explains: "We accept the responsibility we have as producers, consumers and traders and are daily committed to challenging and changing our ways of thinking and practices so together we become part of the solution. We believe in transforming from the ground up. We partner with individuals, businesses and organizations in our efforts to encourage sustainable living practices."
At Lucy and The Green Wolf, Lucia enjoys carefully curating her large, unique inventory so people find diverse paths to more balanced ways: products to transition from disposables to reusables, jewelry and ornaments created from sustainably harvested materials, recycled paper and tree-free paper goods, upcycled and repurposed items, both for sale and as part of the space; Fair Trade products, organic & natural fibers and apparel, handcrafted and one of a kind treasures, both local and from around the world; alternatives for a chemical free home and a Free Little library, used books for sale and some in-shop consult books.
Lucia has been passionate about these issues for many years and through her business she has been partnering locally for 7+ yrs to bring about positive change. She started working with Rajni Lerman shortly after they met and they've formed a great team. Lucia has a background in the humanities, both with a B.A. degree in Linguistics / Spanish as a Foreign Language Teaching and M.A. studies in Humanistic Psychology / Human Development. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she worked as a teacher in her native Guadalajara (with students that ranged from preschool to graduate school) and as a medical Spanish interpreter for a large and busy medical system in Baltimore, MD.
Contact Lucia:
blackhillssustainableliving@gmail.com
Lucy and The Green Wolf, 740 Jennings Ave, Hot Springs, SD 57747
605-745-3415 www.lucyandthegreenwolf.com
Rajni Lerman
Rajni Lerman is a Professional Organizer, Kundalini Yoga teacher, and the Founder and Manager for the Hot Springs Farmers Market.
Her passion for the environment began at a very early age, building forts in the woods of her backyard, climbing trees and catching salamander in the creek at the end of her street growing up.
She earned a B.A. in Recreation from Ithaca College in upstate NY. Dedicating her early career to creating & running programs for youth and teens, primarily focused on sharing her love of the outdoors.
In 1993 she embarked on a Masters Program in Environmental Education through Prescott College, however after learning about her pregnancy, she gave up that dream to parent her son.
Although her career evolved into utilizing her natural administrative & organizational skills to run offices for various builders and eventually starting her own Organizing Business, Gaia Services, she never gave up her passions for serving the environment. She volunteered as a Naturalist with Boulder County Parks & Open Space. She was a Zero Waste facilitator with EcoCycle, and then utilized these skills to develop a comprehensive Recycling and Zero Waste program for Planet Bluegrass.
She enjoys using her natural organizing skills to create community and in particular to promote healthy, peaceful and environmentally supportive events. After moving to Hot Springs, SD in 2015 and meeting Lucia Stanslaw, a woman with similar passions, it didn’t take long for her to help bring many of Lucia's wonderful sustainable living ideas into reality.
When Rajni is not busy running her many projects or teaching yoga, she enjoys playing with and caring for her animals, hiking & traveling with her husband, gardening, dancing, singing Kirtan, and visiting with friends.
Contact Rajni:
Rajni Lerman: 303-564-0787
blackhillssustainableliving@gmail.com
rajni1love@gmail.com
http://gaiaservices.net
Hot Springs, South Dakota 57747, United States
some interviews
Lucia got interviewed by Justin Gausman of the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce for the Chamber's Bubbling Up Podcast. Below we link you to the interview if you would like to learn more about her shop and its origin, its mission, what they carry, the programs and individuals they partner with (those you've learned about in this website) and more.
The podcast is a great way to get to know our community and the people who live & work here and those who are contributing to positive change.
Introduction by Justin Gausman to the Bubbling Up podcast episode:
"This episode's interview is with Lucy Stanslaw, entrepreneur and owner of Lucy & the Green Wolf, located at 740 Jennings Ave in downtown Hot Springs. With a mission of supporting and inspiring sustainable living, Lucy talks about how she, a transplant from Guadalajara, ended up in a tiny rural South Dakota town, the challenges and successes mom-and-pop retail stores can face in small towns, highlights projects she's brought to the community to start conversations about sustainable and renewable living practices, and her store's line of fair trade and direct trade goods.
Congratulations Lucy & The Green Wolf on 5 years in the Hot Springs Area! Be sure to check Lucy and the Green Wolf out on Facebook!
Welcome to the Bubbling Up podcast, coordinated through the Hot Springs, SD, Area Chamber of Commerce. Each episode will feature some of the voices from around the Hot Springs and Southern Black Hills of South Dakota, including local businesses owners, non-profit volunteers, community leaders, and simply anyone with an interesting story that adds to the fabric of our community. Bubbling Up is a weekly show. If you have an idea for an episode, think we should highlight a certain individual, business or organization from the Hot Springs, SD, area, want to be featured on the show or just want to send in feedback, write in at bubblingup@hotsprings-sd.com "
Listen to the Bubbling Up podcast with Lucia Stanslaw:
Listen to Bubbling Up Podcast with Rajni Lerman:
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