His business was, well, perfectly natural

Peter Totfalusi opened Perfectly Natural, an eco-conscious store, in Sudbury last year. (susan chaityn lebovits for the boston globe)

Towels made from bamboo, solar powered backpacks that charge your cell phone, and note cards with wildflower seeds embedded in the paper that you plant in the garden. These are just a handful of ways to keep the world a greener place, and Peter Totfalusi is determined to show people that taking small steps can have a big impact.

Totfalusi, owner of Perfectly Natural in Sudbury, moves around his 600-square-foot store like a museum docent, explaining the purpose behind each product, like candles made from soy instead of paraffin.

"Paraffin wax candles are made from petroleum, and soy candles are made from soy wax, a natural product made from soybeans," said Totfalusi. He explains that paraffin candles release benzene, a carcinogen when burned, and fumes can contain methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and naphthalene, chemicals found in paint and varnish removers. Most soy candles are made with natural oils and not synthetic scents that burn off into a room.

Next Totfalusi explains that towels and clothing are now being made from bamboo, which thrives without pesticides or fertilizers, and is 100 percent sustainable.

Then there's a line of paper products like journals and stationery made from Sri Lankan elephant dung. No toxic chemicals are used in their papermaking process - only basic bonding agents such as alum and rosin, which is collected from pine trees. No acids, bleach, or alkaline solutions are used, and water-soluble salt dyes give the paper their color. Since an elephant's diet is all vegetarian, the waste produced is basically raw cellulose, which after it's cleaned and processed, is converted into handmade paper.

"Everything he has in the store proves that he's truly done the research to find sustainable companies," said Diane Schuster, a holistic health counselor and massage therapist in Sudbury.

A wicker basket is filled with clear sports bottles made from corn, not plastic, that can degrade in 80 days in a commercial compost facility. A carbon-based water filter in the bottle removes chlorine and organic contaminants from tap water. It can be used 90 times before recycling.

Across the room are shelves of BPA-free baby bottles. BPA, or Bisphenol A, is a chemical used to make polycarbonate plastics for plastic bottles and food can liners.

The problem is that BPA has been shown to be an endocrine disruptor, meaning that after it has leeched into food or drinks, it mimics hormones that have been linked to some cancers.

Totfalusi said that he and his wife, Renee, a childcare provider who holds degrees in child development and child psychology, have been using natural products for more than two decades and found that other than Whole Foods, they had a hard time finding stores where people could find earth-friendly products. They live in Northborough.

"How can you tell what jasmine soy candle smells like, or how soft a bamboo towel is unless you have it in your hand?" Totfalusi said.

Totfalusi, 38, grew up in Budapest under communist rule. His parents had a small deli and a pub and received profit-sharing from the government.

As the communist system slowly broke down, and Hungarians were permitted to travel in the western countries, his parents launched a building company with Hungarian workers and subcontracted in other countries, including Austria, Germany, and Russia.

Totfalusi attended the only private Jewish school in the Eastern bloc.

"My whole life I dreamed of coming to the United States, which probably had something to do with Hollywood movies," said Totfalusi.

In 1988 he went to college in Israel, primarily as a way to get out of Hungary. He studied marketing, and after school returned to his country to figure out what he was going to do with the rest of his life. Fortunately his uncle, who lived in Miami, was in Hungary on vacation and invited him to the United States for a visit.

Within days, Totfalusi decided he never wanted to leave, and applied for citizenship. He was given a temporary visa, which allowed him to work.

"I waited tables, was cook in a Jewish restaurant in Miami, . . . was a parking valet, and I cleaned houses," said Totfalusi. "I was so poor that I had to count my pennies to pay for the bus to get to my jobs."

He also worked for his uncle, a handyman who had an engineering degree from Hungary. After a few months Totfalusi saved enough money for a security deposit for a place of his own. But between rent, bus fares, and food, he had nothing left.

A telephone was a luxury that was out of his budget, making it difficult for him to find a better job.

During this time, Totfalusi met a man from his synagogue in Miami who purchased a pager for him and paid his monthly bill. "I will never forget what he did for me," said Totfalusi.

After working long hours in the heat of the South Beach restaurant industry, Totfalusi was ready for a job with air-conditioning and some clean clothes. With a knack for sales, he went to work for a furniture company.

"I was able to wear a nice shirt and tie, and because it was commission-based, I started making some money, which was a nice change," said Totfalusi. "I became a sales manager for one of their stores, and was transferred to Boston."

The sales industry was good to him and in 2002 he was hired by Pella Windows and Doors. After two years he left with the general manager and went to Andersen Windows.

That was when Totfalusi began coming up with business plans for himself. He considered starting a grocery store delivery service, a bonsai tree business, and a dog washing service, but quickly realized that the need for eco-friendly natural products was right in front of him, as he and his wife had been using organic and sustainable products for nearly 20 years.

He opened the store last year.

Valerie Washburn, a high school math teacher from Waltham, said that after spending two hours in Perfectly Natural she felt extremely inspired to continue changing her lifestyle into a more eco-friendly one.

"I want to educate people on how they can preserve the earth," said Totfalusi. "It's really pretty easy to make a difference at home."

For more information visit perfectlynaturalhome.com

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