ALBUQUERQUE, NM (KRQE) – Have you ever considered how much plastic waste you buy on your grocery trips? An Albuquerque woman is paying attention, and she has a vision for New Mexico to produce one bottle at a time.
“My main mission is to protect the environment and help New Mexico,” Gabrielle Parrulli said. Parrulli has been running Gabrielle’s Greenery for a little over a year.
She’s bringing this custom airflow to pop-up stores, coffee shops, and even her personal home in hopes of making New Mexico greener.
“It’s hard to force a new concept on people. You can’t force it on anyone,” Parrulli said.
Now, she’s working to help New Mexicans reduce their plastic waste by giving them an easy way to refill everyday items like shampoo, lotion and laundry detergent.
“Bring your own bottle and I’ll refill it, so the more bottles are made in the world, the more plastic bottles we buy, the more they make,” Parrulli said.
The service hasn’t been as widely used as she’d hoped, but she’s still adamant about it.
“People always tell me you should go to California, you’re going to do well in these places. I know, but I want to stay here. I think New Mexico deserves some recognition. We follow every trend. I think we Deserves something good, something better in life,” Parulli said.
Parrulli said it was having a domino effect.
“Even though I wasn’t having an immediate impact, it was expanding, and other people were telling me they were inspired and they wanted to open something like this,” Parrulli said.
Since Gabrielle’s Greenery opened, two more similar-style businesses have opened across the state, for a total of five.
“That’s how I started. I’ve seen a few people do it in California and New York, Colorado,” Parrulli said.
This summer, she chose to add more options for customers, such as Windex-style pills and laundry tablets that dissolve in water.
“We have sunscreens that are very popular this summer. We have unscented, we have piña colada scented,” says Parrulli.
Since opening in May 2021, Parrulli has hosted more than 50 events, which she hopes to double in the coming year to make an even bigger impact.
“It’s not about the money for me, really, it’s just about the people I consider my community, the people I love here and I want to help make a difference,” Parulli said.
If you would like to contact Gabrielle for information about a pop-up event or a personal refill, please click here.