In honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day coming up tomorrow, April 22nd, we had a chat with Stefanie Iris Weiss about her new book Eco Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable.
How does going green improve your sex life?
If your sex life has gone stale, greening it up instantly relights the spark. Green is healthy, and being healthy automatically grants you a superior sex life. You’ll have more stamina, a heightened libido, a slim, sexy body and you’ve found a new way to help the environment. What could be better?
How can you make dating more green?
When prepping for a date, use paraben-free products made from USDA-certified organic ingredients, or even better, go DIY and make your own. When it comes to the traditional dinner date, choose restaurants that serve locally grown, organic, sustainable and fair-trade food. Try a vegan or vegetarian restaurant or a homemade feast of raw or vegan food to seduce your lover. And when you’re on your way to meet your date, opt for public transportation, bike, or walk to your rendezvous point. Leave the car at home — you can find a new version of the back seat if you get that far.
What exactly is “low-impact lingerie”?
Low-impact lingerie, or “sustainable skivvies” as I sometimes call them, are made from materials grown without pesticides and produced by workers who get a fair wage for their labor. The good news is that you can get bamboo underwear for men, bras, underwear, teddies, and other delightful items made from the softest organic cotton and bamboo linen. But if you’re going the bamboo route, do your homework first — not all greenies agree on its eco street-cred. Some great brands are Urban Fox, Eco-Boudoir, and Pact.
What’s the most eco-friendly birth control?
Hands down, in my opinion, the greenest and most practical birth control option is the IUD. Yes, the IUD got a bad rap in the late seventies, but it was mostly unfounded. It lasts a long time, doesn’t require hormones that are bad for your body and the eco-system at large, and uses only a small bit of copper and plastic; it’s a tiny contraption. Problem is, it’s only for couples in long-term, monogamous relationships because it doesn’t protect from STD’s. If you really want to go all the way and forego ever having kids, of course getting the snip is the absolute greenest birth control option.
How bad are condoms for the environment?
Condoms are often dropped in toilet bowls and flushed post-coitus — this is very bad for marine life. If you use them, wrap them up in tissue paper and put them in the garbage instead. And a great many condoms are made from polyurethane, an oil-derived substance that may be good for Big Oil, but shouldn’t be involved in getting you your next Big O.
What are the best condoms to use?
Go for natural latex condoms, preferably vegan ones by Glyde Condoms, or fair-trade condoms made by Sir Richards or French Letter Condoms in the UK.
What qualities should you look for in a bedroom toy to ensure that it’s environmentally friendly?
First of all, make sure it’s phthalate-free. Ask your friendly adult toy store proprietor for toys made by companies like Jimmyjane, a maker of beautifully designed, sustainable sex toys that are rechargeable and made from body-friendly materials (silicone). If you’re shy about asking or unsure, just give the toy the “smell-test”. Any hint of “new car smell” is a dead giveaway that the toy is full of dangerous toxins. Put it back on the shelf.
How can you make your marriage greener?
Start with your sleeping accommodations: green your bedroom with a natural latex mattress and sustainable bedding, and paint the walls with no-VOC paint. Use non-GMO soy candles for mood lighting. Shower together in the morning. Green your personal care routine together. Cook vegan, raw, sustainably harvested meals for each other. And have more sex in adventurous places, like the backyard.
Check out EcoSex.net for more info. The author is giving a “Green Singles” reading at the Columbus Circle Borders in NYC at 7pm tonight, April 21st.
For even more info on how to have a greener sex life — especially when it comes to your sex toys — check out the Green section at Sexis.
Yes, lets not forget the sex toys, my company passion parties by bedroombuzz has Phthalates-Free Toys. http://www.bedroombuzz.com. There are even place online that you can recycle your old toys! Now that’s really going green.