Starre Vartan
Starre Vartan is founder and editor-in-chief of Eco-Chick.com and the author of the Eco-Chick Guide to Life. She's also a freelance science and environment writer who has published in National Geographic, CNN, Scientific American, Mental Floss, Pacific Standard, the NRDC, and many more. She lives on an island in Puget Sound with her partner and black cat. She was a geologist in her first career, and still picks up rocks wherever she goes.
Pollan Speaks Out
Grist has a great interview with Michael Pollan, author of the new book Omnivore’s Dilemma (I’m reading it now! So far, it’s pretty amazing…) in their newsletter this week. My favorite quote was Pollan’s assertion that the connections between what we eat and the environment are strong (duh), and tie…
Ecocolo
Who says an environmental magazine can’t look good? Like the cliche that eco-fashion is all about hemp sackdresses or vegan food is nothing more than tasteless tofu, it is time for the magazines representing Mother Earth to spiff it up. Ecocolo is a fabulous new Japanese eco magazine (there’s only been four…
Daisy Blue Naturals: Like a Green Avon!
If you’ve ever read the ingredients on conventional shampoo, body wash, or lotion, you know how many chemicals and unpronouncable ingredients are in them. Jena Thompson, 33, a trained chemist and mother of two started Daisy Blue Naturals five years ago in response to the already overly-toxic world we all share. DBN has a…
Thoughtful Things
ona is a Lithuanian-based home decor and online art store. Need I say their stuff is gorgeous? I don’t know about you, but I have ended up buying gifts for many a wedding/baby shower/house warming of late. And not everyone appreciates a donation to Greenpeace in lieu of a gift! While not…
Seasonal Fiction Contest
Here’s calling all aspiring writers! I’m opening up a new Fiction section on Eco Chick, and I’m looking for entries. The piece could be anywhere from 1500-7,000 words. The only guiding principles would be that it should have something to do with women and the environment, but that could be loosely…
From the Left and the Right: Meeting in the Green
I may not agree with Greg on every issue, but I love the fact that his explanation for “Why I’m Green” is just a photo essay of him in beautiful surroundings like the above shot. The Republican party was not always the go-to group when it came to environmental armageddon (not…
Nuclear Power is NOT the Wave of the Future
Betcee May emerging from the Ruins of Indian Point, Illustration by Justin Theodoro Teodoro There’s a new movement to shut down Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Westchester County, New York. Having grown up about 10 miles from this reactor, I am first in line when talk turns serious…
…next to goddessness
I’m not going to go into why using chemical- and toxin-laden products to clean your home is an oxymoron, but if you need some background you can find it here. These days even the EPA is pushing alternatives to conventional cleaning products. Anything that has the number of poison control on…
A Rawcumentary
This is the story of a woman who wanted to be a showgirl– and got in shape by going on a raw food diet for 30 days. I haven’t seen Supercharge Me…30 Days Raw, but it looks fun, in the using-self-as-guinea-pig style of Super Size Me. In case anyone’s wondering…
In Their Own Words
I stumbled upon the site for the Inuit people of Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic while doing some global warming research, and they have put together great book that describes the significant changes they are seeing in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions. Most of us have heard that the ice…
