Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

You Might Be an Eco Chick If…..

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by Starre Vartan · 12/08/08

……you wonder, while working out at the gym, how much energy could be generated by the machines everyone is running/ellipticalling on. And then you try to do some calculations while running, and almost fall off the machine. (And when you get home you remember that someone’s already started a green gym based on that very idea!!)

…..you feel like SUCH an awful person for actually pulling into the drive-thru lane at Starbucks. (Note: I picketed Starbucks when I lived in Berkeley, so just going there AT ALL makes me guilty) Your engine runs, and you can’t back out, you can’t give them your reusable container to fill, and there’s no cinnamon and nutmeg either. FAIL!

…..you can’t figure out what to put your garbage in since you carry your reusable totes and almost never pick up a plastic bag anymore (which you used to use as a garbage can liner).

…..you prefer the scent of a real male human being to that of Dial, Irish Spring, or any other overpowering commercial scent. (And I’m not the only one, though if you’re on the Pill, your natural senses are altered.)

Eco-Chick, enviro guilt, Starbucks

Eco Chick Starre Vartan on Green Living Ideas Radio, USA Today, and Inhabitat!

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by Starre Vartan · 11/20/08

Thought all you Eco Chick readers might all like to hear me (babble) green on Green Living Ideas radio. You can subscribe to their free podcast on iTunes, or listen on the interview on the Green Living Ideas radio site.

It was a fun interview, and we talked about a host of green topics, including fashion and beauty and the future of green. Enjoy!

Eco-friendly books run the gamut of green – USATODAY.com via kwout

Also got a really nice mention in USA Today’s coverage of the best eco-friendly books. You can read the full article here. Eco Chick Summer Rayne Oakes’ upcoming book, Style, Naturally was also mentioned. Can’t wait to see it!

Inhabitat » Green Home 101 – Meet the Experts via kwout

Also had a great interview over at Inhabitat where I discuss my fave cleaning products, pet peeves and what’s next in my eco-conscious adventures.

Eco-Chick, interview

Eco Chick Book in Star Magazine!

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by Starre Vartan · 08/28/08

Wow! My book was on the “Hot Sheet” page of Star Magazine last week (the one with Brad and Jen on the cover). What a fun mention! (See bottom right of page below.)

They were also awesome enough to mention the book on the main page of their website. Thanks!

book, Eco-Chick, media, reviews

Deplasticize Your Life!

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by Starre Vartan · 08/18/08

This movie from the 1950′s shows Disney’s “House of the Future” which is totally kitted out in plastic EVERYthing. Ironic that here I am from 2008 writing about how to get plastic out of my life!

I haven’t picked up a plastic bag in weeks now*, and I’m looking for a new eco-challenge. I think a wholesale elimination of ALL plastic from my life could be a worthwhile next step towards the continuing greenification of my life.** Why plastic? Yes, it CAN be great (plastic medical devices save lives and plastic helps reduce the weight of cars so they’re more fuel-efficient), but mostly, it’s evil.

Reason 1: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, an area TWICE the size of the continental U.S. that’s filled with floating plastic debris. The smaller the plastic gets, the higher in the water column it floats, with marine life choking on the stuff. The source of the debris? North America and Asia (that’s you and me).

Reason 2: Plastic is made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource that we’re spending millions of dollars and the lives and well-being of our fellow humans to obtain. Eight percent of oil worldwide goes to make plastics. My use increases demand.

Reason 3: Many plastics (we’re not even totally sure which ones yet) leach toxic chemicals into our environment (and us, especially fetuses) when they’re created, and into our bodies when we use them for food and beverage storage. Life is toxic enough without adding to it.

Instead of plastic storage containers, try: Glass ones. There are all kinds, from traditional round-shaped ones from Pyrex, but I like these square versions with frosted tops even better.

Instead of plastic produce bags try: Cloth or reusable ‘green’ bags (or none at all). Naturally-protected produce like bananas, oranges, apples, limes and avocados don’t need a bag- I never use them and my veggies aren’t suffering. Only leafy stuff and small fruits and veggies (cherries, brussels sprouts) really need to be bagged. I use the Evert-Fresh bags (but several companies make these now) because they keep produce fresh in the fridge way longer than supermarket produce babs. You can bring these to the market for those items that demand a carrier, and you can just rinse and reuse these. (I’ve had mine for four years now.) A friend of mine likes different-sized cloth bags which she throws in the laundry every now and again, so that’s another option.

Instead of plastic wrap try: A dish! (My father who lives in Australia actually taught me this one-thanks Dad!) Instead of putting plastic over a plate of leftovers, just use another dish of the same size or smaller. Want to be able to see what’s under there? Use a clear glass plate. For bowls, use teacup saucers (you can find these a goodwill for pennies. Food will stay moist and protected sans plastic, and the plates are reusable forever.

Instead of plastic baggies try: Wax paper bags or a cloth napkin.
This is a toughie. Sometimes there’s nothing like a sealable plastic bag- for something mushy or potentially messy- if I have to, I use mine over and over until they die so I don’t buy more than a box of these every couple years, if that. But for drier items (sandwiches, fruit, cut veggies) a wax paper bag will keep moisture in and it will eventually biodegrade (unlike plastic). I use a cloth napkin for short-term transport of homemade burritos, sandwiches and veggies which won’t leak much but need a bit of protection. I can use it as a napkin while eating; plastic, not so much.

Instead of plastic silverware, try: Bringing your own.
I carry my own utensils- or I should say utensil- with me: the Aussie splayde is perfect, but a spork works too, so I never need to use plastic. You could also try a set of collapsible chopsticks (I find a need a spoon more often than a fork, but think about what you eat and what works for you).

*The key to avoiding plastic bags is to carry an oversized bag so you always have a place for small items, keeping a fold-up reusable bag like Envirosax in your bigger bag, and leaving your canvas bags for grocery shopping in the car so you’re always prepared.

** So far I’ve switched to 75% organic food in my home, I drive only on the weekends, I’ve gotten a super-efficient furnace, use only low-VOC paints, compost food scraps, grow my own veggies and herbs, buy from my local farmer’s market from April-October, adopted all my animals, buy more than half my clothes and shoes from sustainable companies (see my blog, Eco Chick for a listing), take the train instead of flying, switched from a desktop to a laptop (they use 90% less power), bought a water and energy efficient new washer, and line-dry my clothes whenever possible. I’ve been vegetarian for 15 years, so that’s not recent, but it still counts!

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Eco Chick News Tweets!

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by Starre Vartan · 05/11/08

Tweet This!

How The Media Abandoned the Environment, at new techie-with-a-heart-of-green EcoTechDaily.

Check Chris Baskind’s op/ed on the lack of environmental coverage in mainstream media:

No, you’re not imagining things.

With U.S. gasoline prices edging toward $4.00 a gallon; oil prices at an all-time high, demand for materials such as copper outstripping demand; worldwide food shortages; major cities running short on water; Antarctic ice sheets crumbling into the Southern Ocean; and continued uncertainty over our climatological future, you’d think the environment would be front-and-center on the evening news. And you’d be wrong.

14 New Species Discovered in Brazil, from The Daily Green

Dan Shapely reports that there are indeed new things under the sun (at least to humans). Check the gorg flipbook!:

….at the top of the Serra Geral in Brazil’s Cerrado region, where 14 new species have been discovered during an expedition to the wooded savanna.

Another new Bike Chic page (I keep writing about this subject; check it here and here) and Carectomy has found another one!

If full body Spandex isn’t your speed, check out Cycle Chic, a London-based blog that offers tips on how to look devastatingly hot (wear designer pants from Stella McCartney, or your boyfriend’s t-shirt), stay sweat-free (don’t go too fast and sport a light, summery dress), and “cycle yourself slim,” all while biking to your intended destination.

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