Awards
Library Journal Best Books of 2025 (Sciences)
12 Best Science Books of 2025 – Next Big Idea Club
Sloan Foundation Book Grant, 2024 (to support writing of The Stronger Sex book)
Career Support Grant, National Association of Science Writers, 2023
Development Grant, Northwest Science Writers, 2022
Best Short-form Science Writing, 2019 (Honorable Mention)
American Literary Review annual contest (Second Place winner)
The Stronger Sex Reviews and Press
Turns out, spending 5 years researching and writing a book doesn’t prepare you for the shock of people actually reading it—and saying nice things? Now it’s out there, walking around in the world, getting reviews and making me feel things I wasn’t prepared for (mostly good, occasionally sweaty). For a full list of all the press around The Stronger Sex, see the Books page.
Library Journal, May 2025
The Stronger Sex got a ⭐️ STARRED REVIEW ⭐️ from Library Journal! (It also made the Journal’s list of Best Books of 2025, see above).
Yes, I cried. Yes, it was in public. As a lifelong Library Kid (and adult), this is basically like being crowned nerd royalty. I’ve written in libraries around the world, and this nod from the journal of the library world? It hits right in the heart.
Kirkus Reviews, May 2025
Kirkus Reviews recommended my book—and noted it was “expansive” which was a subtle nod in the direction of how much research clearly went into my book. That acknowledgement felt amazing.
Publisher’s Weekly, April 2025
My very first trade review! And the Publisher’s Weekly reviewer liked it. PHEW.
Previous Work as Editor and Publisher of Eco-Chick.com
January, 2013
Being green fundamentally means understanding that the connection between personal health and environmental health is tied together inextricably. An Eco-Chick is a person who works, in whatever ways are in their power, to reduce their impact, keep informed, and stand up for human, animal and planetary health.
Read more of the Q&A on the Sara Jane Mercer site.
October, 2012
I am honored to be featured in Chile’s oldest continuously published newspaper, El Mercurio (it’s also the oldest Spanish-language paper in the world!).
July, 2011
The Yoxi “Trim the Waste of Fashion” Competition featured me as an expert Q&A.
April, 2011
Starre Vartan, as featured in April, 2011 Whole Living Magazine
If you follow my Tweets, I kinda gave away the fact that I was going to be the first in a new feature in Whole Living Magazine called “My Stylosophy” in April. The magazine is on newsstands now! (That’s the page, above.) It’s a jam-packed issue of green goodness, featuring other great greenies like Treehugger’s editor, Meaghan O’Neill, fellow Garrison native (and friend) bird rescuer Suzie Gilbert, Source 4 Style founder Summer Rayne Oakes, and many more amazing eco heros!
Before makeup!
Thinking ahead (and so I would always remember such a fun day), I took a few shots while we were getting ready for the shoot. It took a couple hours to do hair, makeup, and choose outfits. We shot four ensembles, which were made up of mostly my clothes (since this is a feature about personal style), with a piece or two from the awesome Whole Living eco friendly clothing racks.
The dress I’m wearing in the final shot is by Covet (here it is on the model) ; I’m a big fan of the label and own a couple of their pieces from seasons past. I grabbed it right off the bat, as the pretty colors and interesting pattern seemed just my style, and paired it with my Falke tights, which I bought in Germany when I was visiting my aunt two years ago and have worn all winter and spring ever since (they were incredibly well!).
The boots and accessories were mine (including my grandma’s vintage gold/silver/copper bangles that she wore most days of my entire childhood! I’m SO glad they made it in). And the scarf is an organic cotton/hemp mix by Popomomo!
Thanks to all the folks at Whole Living, especially editor Alex Postman and Sarah Engler, for making it happen 🙂
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January, 2011
The New York Times quoted me in the Home & Garden section article, “The Love Affair with the Fireplace Cools“:
“Or as Starre Vartan, a 33-year-old blogger who goes by the name Eco-Chick, put it: “Any time you are burning wood or cow dung, you’ll be creating pollution. It’s like junk food: if you do it once a month, then who cares? But if it’s something you do every day, it’s important that you mitigate it somehow. It’s a hazard.” “
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March, 2010: The New York Times quoted me in the Fashion and Style section article, “Now, the Cosmetics Jar Matters, Too”:
“We all realize there’s way too much packaging in beauty products,” said Starre Vartan, author of “The Eco Chick Guide to Life” (Macmillan, 2008), who blogs about earth-friendly fashion and cosmetics. “There’s the container and the card inside the box that’s wrapped in plastic. And if it’s shipped, there are 16 layers of paper to get to it. When you open it, you can just see the emissions flying out. But it doesn’t mean we’re willing to go without.”
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December, 2009: Ecouterre
Starre Vartan wearing WoodThumb.
Ecouterre covered Yoxi’s “Trim the Waste of Fashion” party and caught me wearing my brand-new (to me, it’s actually made from reclaimed wood and hand-finished in San Fran) Woodthumb tie. I can’t wait to wear it again soon. Check out my coverage of WoodThumb on Eco Chick here.
Green Talk Radio Podcast, July, 2009
Interior spread of April, 2009 Glamour Magazine feature, “Glamour’s Green Heroes“
Glamour wrote: “Starre Vartan is the editor of eco-chick.com, a green blog that strives for a funny and female look at the green life. She is also the author of The Eco Chick Guide to Life: How to Be Fabulously Green”
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February, 2009 Discovery Channel’s Planet Green. Starre Vartan “Changemaker“
Starre Julia Vartan 