Courtesy Starre Vartan
READ MORE ABOUT:
After launching her career in environmental journalism at E/The Environmental Magazine nine years ago, Starre Vartan has written for many of the media outlets—Plenty, Audubon Magazine, Huffington Post—that have helped shape the modern green movement. From style editor to columnist, she's produced content on a broad range of topics, but her latest project, The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green, (along with companion blog Eco-Chick), has cemented her a green style guru. As if that weren't enough to keep her busy, Vartan is also associate producer on Discovery Channel’s upcoming mini-series, Final Hour, a parable about the impact humans have on ecosystems worldwide; recently completed coursework for her MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia University; and also serves as editor of Greenopia, a blog that digs into "the real deal sustainability of green companies, rates products for their eco-friendliness, and checks into auto manufacturers' and retailers' green claims." From her home on the Connecticut shore, she shares her respect for women who can talk about bugs, her experience babysitting for green celebs' kids, and her eternal optimism.
How did you get into this line of work?
I grew up green in the Hudson Valley of New York, where my grandma had me gardening my own veggies when I was five. Eggs and meat came from neighbors and farms down the road, and our home was built on a rock ledge above a wetland, so nothing toxic was flushed down the drain. I was an only child, but there were lots of dogs, cats, wild birds, raccoons, coyotes, frogs, deer, and insects to learn about, play with and observe. My father lives in Australia, where I spent summers and vacations. He's an avid surfer and ocean-lover, and he passed that along to me.
What was your "a-ha" moment?
When I realized in college that even though I was happy to make my own super wide-leg jeans--I'd insert cast-off fabrics into the side panels--most of my fellow students at Syracuse University would rather just buy them. Making reuse and sustainable choices easy and chic was the only way to get everyone to follow along.
Who is your green hero?
I have three: My grandma, who loved the plants and animals on Earth almost as much as she loved me; Michael Pollan, who taught me that you don't need to preach to change people's minds; and Andy Revkin--whose kids I babysat while he was writing his first book on global warming. When I was 15, I thought it was the coolest thing ever to write a book about the environment, and I never let the idea go.
What is your ultimate green goal?
Spreading optimism and promoting peace among people and all the other life on Earth.
What is your motivation?
My core belief that if we live in harmony with the natural world in a sustainable, conscious way, we will be much happier and healthier, both in body and spirit.
What is most important to you, ecologically speaking?
Habitat and ecosystem destruction--which is caused by caused by removing natural spaces, such as cutting down a forest, but also by the insidious changes wrought by global warming--is the most pressing issue. We all need a home--plants, animals, people, microbes.
What is the most challenging part of your job?
Not yelling at people who make uneducated comments about the environment. I used to get very angry. Disagree with me all you like, but don't just argue for the sake of proving me wrong because you're bitter.
What is the most rewarding?
Tapping into the goodwill that most everyone feels toward the natural world.
Of the people you have worked with, who impresses you most?
Summer Rayne Oakes manages a great combination of fabulousness and smarts. I love that she is a model and can go on MTV to chat with Real Worlders then turn around and speak about using algae for biofuels or detail the lifecycle of coleoptera (beetles). Women are too afraid to show their smarts in the media but she's not one of them.
What green thing do you do everyday?
Turn off the lights behind me (and behind my roommates, friends, and even in restaurant bathrooms). Every time I flick a switch, I imagine just a little less CO2 disappearing into the atmosphere and a little more snow on top of a mountain somewhere. (I love snow!)
What do you wish you could do?
Be a full-time artist--I'd be a creative writer and creator of mutli-media installations--because we've gotten to the point where everyone recognizes the importance of ecological health and is doing their part.
What is your biggest eco-sin?
I am a water-baby; I love baths, hot tubs, pools, you name it. If it's full of water, I want to be in it.
If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
Nothing. I think the world is actually perfect the way it is. I think being in tough spots and experiencing the negative is part of our growth as a culture, and as individuals. That doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to continued change and evolution, but you have to walk up the hill to get to the ridgewalk with the view, you know?
What is your best green advice?
Look at your own life, and how you live to figure out where to make changes. There's a lot of advice out there and not all of it applies to you. Don't futz about your MPGs if you only drive once a week to the grocery store, for example. Identify waste in your life. For me, it comes from lack of efficiency in my home, which is 98 years old, and the fact that I love to travel and fly on planes. Work on reducing impacts there. Like to cook? Be sure to use lots of organic and local ingredients. Have kids? Teach them (and their friends) to be greener every day in ways that are relevant to them. Green what you know and talk about it.
Change Makers is series of interviews with people famous and obscure who are creating a more sustainable world through their work. Meet more Change Makers here .
More Green Girls on TreeHugger and Planet Green:
The TH Interview: Summer Rayne Oakes
Copy This Look: Natalie Portman's Casual, On-Location Style
Laurie David & Sheryl Crow Team for the "Stop Global Warming College Tour"
The TH Interview: Grace Potter, leading lady of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
-
- {}
