My Blog

How to 'Green' your sex life

Lauren — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:06:08 GMT

I found this article on http://www.treehugger.com What’s the Big Deal? Whether you’re single and playing the field, settled down with that special someone, or someplace in between, most of us consider good, satisfying, sexy sex an important part of this complete breakfast. It might not be the first thing we think of while working towards a sustainable and graceful life on this fragile planet, but there’s a lot we can do to make our sex lives greener. In the process of greening the ecological footprint of our love making, we might also open up some new doors to deeper pleasure, satisfaction, and romantic connection. 1. Sex toys According to the Durex Global Sex Survey, 43% of Americans have used a vibrator. Dildos, vibrators, anal beads, cock rings, and the rest of the happy sex toy family can be thrilling and fulfilling, either alone or with a partner, but many store-bought sex toys contain, among other things, chemicals called phthalates, a substance used to soften hard plastics like PVC and provide that jelly feeling. There is quite a bit of concern about the toxicity and health risks of phthalates (in 2004, the EU banned a range of phthalates from children’s toys), especially in sex toys that are used in warm, moist places. One suspicious warning sign is the disclaimer you’ll find on most sex toy packages stating that the device within is for “novelty purposes only.” TreeHugger suggests playing it safe. Look for toys made from glass, metal, silicone, hard plastics, or elastomers. Putting a condom over a suspicious dildo is also a good move. If your sex toy of choice is a power tool, buy a rechargeable one or use your own rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable vibrating toys include the Aphrodite Wand, the Acuvibe, the Lily and Iris from Lelo, and toys from Fun Factory. Check out TreeHugger TV's How to Buy a Green Sex Toy for more. 2. Lube Whether you feel you need lube or not, a little extra slipperyness can add something extra to any roll in the hay. As you would with any other personal care product, go as natural as possible and try to avoid petroleum products, artificial scents, flavors, and colors. There are even organic lubes to be found. For more info on what to look out for, see How to Green Women’s Personal Care—advice also suitable for men). 3. Condoms For safer, baby-free sex, nothing beats a latex condom. Vegans looking for a latex option (though derived from trees, most latex has a milk enzyme added) can check out Glyde condoms. The jury is still out as to whether latex condoms are biodegradable and what effects additives and lubricants have on biodegradability. According to most sources, lambskin condoms are biodegradable but are only effective against pregnancy, not STDs. Polyurethane condoms are essentially plastic and not biodegradable. Used condoms are best sent to the landfill. Flushing condoms down the toilet is definitely no good as this clogs pipes, treatment plants, and rivers. So let’s face it, reduce, reuse, recycle just doesn’t apply when it comes to the rubbers. 4. Sexy giving Getting a stylish and useful gift is always a turn on. Organic massage oils, fair trade chocolate, or a bottle of biodynamic red wine are hot options. For Valentine's, you can even get an all fair trade goodie bag for your lovie. Of course, romance and good sex know no price, and a poem from the heart, a massage, some hot role playing, or a home-cooked dinner for two can be the hottest gifts of all. 5. Green and sexy fun Sexy play can be green and efficient as well. As seen on TreeHugger TV, showering together can save water (if things get steamier, we suggest taking it to the bedroom and not leaving the shower running). In the winter time, some nice warm loving before bed can get the bedroom toasty, meaning the thermostat can be lower (see How to Green Your Heating, for more). A nice bike ride for two is a fossil-fuel-free way to get the blood flowing and can also be quite stimulating, especially for the ladies. And of course the classic candle-lit dinner is a delicious way to set the mood and save on energy bills. 6. Bamboo in bed If you’ve never experience bamboo bed sheets, you’re missing out. Bamboo fabric is silky and slippery (but not so slippery you’ll slide out of bed), wicks moisture, has natural antimicrobial properties, comes from a rapidly renewable resource, and is super sexy. 7. Eco-undies Slinky, slippery, sexy. These are all good things when it comes to some sassy skivvies for the bedroom. Organic cotton, hemp silk, bamboo, and other renewable fibers make ultra-sexy lingerie and underwear. When browsing around, go for quality, not novelty. Buying a bedroom outfit that will be used only a couple times isn’t a great buy. Face it, unless you're famous, nobody on Ebay is gonna buy those crotchless panties, even if you just wore them once. We suggest shelling out the extra bucks for something classy, sexy, and sustainable that can be donned when the mood is right for years to come. For something on the exotic end, check out Enamore and g=9.8. For sensible and simple, look at Buenostyle and American Apparel. For something in between, try GreenKnickers. 8. Sweeter juice? There are some very strong rumors going around that vegetarians have the best tasting love juices (though some items from the vegetable kingdom you may want to avoid, like asparagus and garlic). If you aren’t already a veggie-lover and there’s a romantic occasion/hot date in your future, give the veggie or vegan diet a try. Even if it does nothing for your flavor, you may score points for being a good steward of the planet. The meat industry is immensely resource intensive and accounts for 70% of the water pollution in the US. Reducing your meat consumption is one of the greenest things you can do. Plus, many triathletes and other super-people swear by a vegan diet for prolonged endurance (always a good thing). For a very funny but totally explicit investigation of the food/body fluid connection, read Hank Hyena’s essay at Salon.com. 9. Natural aphrodisiacs Since days of yore, lovers have turned to natural herbs and special foods to find stimulation, endurance, and sexual health. While we can’t vouch for any of these, and all supplements should be taken with caution and/or professional advise, it is rumored that herbs like ginseng, kava kava root, damiana leaves, kelp, tribulus, ginko biloba, rhodiola rosea, and of course horny goat weed can help stoke the flames of passion—even more so if certified organic. A host of foods are also used to stimulate the sexual senses, and of course organic wine and Champaign are trusted aphrodisiacs as well. 10. Meeting that special tree hugger Nothing’s quite worse than meeting some really promising guy or girl and then realizing that he or she is an Escalade-driving, non-recycling, Earth fucker-upper. What are you going to do? Try to reform them? Sleep with them anyway and try to ignore their unconscious ways? Forget it. Go for the green lover. Farmers markets, Critical Mass, your local Green Drinks, Whole Foods checkout isle can be great places to meet people. A host of match-making sites (see below) can also be great venues for finding that special tree hugger to hug.

Clothes that kick ass

Lauren — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 14:52:22 GMT

Besides, needing new work clothes and despising the traditional brand names, and pants suits. I find myself looking for party clothes. For all the women out there who are a litle bold you have got to check this out.... http://www.ilaniowear.com/ are you a fuzzy bunny? I can just imagine being a hooping hottie in these. So many sexy variations. And I found pink camo UFO pants on bewild. Granted I've never actually owned UFO pants but when it comes down to pink camo and confortable, I might just have to go shopping. http://www.bewild.com/ If only I could learn how to use that sewing machine I got for christmas....

I'm 24% city and 78% country

Lauren — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 00:02:33 GMT

Hello friends. To all my city friends.... i think you have some work to do. My country upbringing is still winning out. lol [x] I've been to Starbucks more than once in my life [] I link arms when I walk with someone [] I shop at AE, A&F, or HCO [] I own 2 or more polo shirts [x] I will never be caught without my cell phone [x] I straighten or blow dry my hair on a daily basis total: 3 [] I wear flip flops no matter what the weather [] I own an oversized pair of sunglasses [x] I own 1 or more pairs of ripped jeans [x] I layer my shirts [] I have/had a "Myspace mirror pic" total now: 5 [] When I'm not drinking starbucks I prefer water [] I get annoyed with tom-boys [] I own an oversized bag or purse [] I have seen every episode of Laguna Beach [ ] My new fav. is the Hills [x] I say "lol" in online chat [] I own tight jeans total so far: 6 [ ] I wear large necklaces [] I own an iPod/mp3 player [x] I have the internet [] I have more than 1 AIM screen name total now: 7 [x] I have said "lol" or "OMG!" in a real conversation [] I love/like shopping-it depends [] I shop whenever I have a chance [] I used to own a bathing suit that cost 100 dollars or more [] I have watched the Simple Life total: 8 TOTAL:8 ***add x's and multiply by 3 and put How CITY are you? total: 24%------------------------------------------------------------------------ How COUNTRY Are You? have you... [x] ridden a horse [] owned a horse [] owned land.. [x] been 4 wheeling [x] said "ain't" [] been cow-tipping [x] been deer hunting [x] been swimming in a lake [x] caught a fish [x]seen a deer get skinned total: 6 You ... [x] have worked on a ranch or on land [x] have lived in a house in the middle of nowhere [x] have been duck hunting [x] have went swimming in a river [x] driven a truck [] own a rebel flag [x] like to fish [] have a funny accent... or people have told you that [X]owned a pair of cowboy boots [] own/have owned a big dog [] say "ya'll" []have been made fun of for sayin "y'all" total: 13 You also... [x] cuss when you're mad [] have dipped/dip stuff- once on a dare... [x] go/have gone to church on sunday [x] owned/own a bird dog [ have riddin' a horse to somewhere in town [x] have gone on a field trip to a farm/ranch [X] have eaten deer meat [x] have shot a gun [x] own a gun [x] parked your vehicles in the yard [] have eaten chitlins [x] have eaten liver total: 22 You... [x] have gone shopping...for a gun [] get the kids in your family a toy gun for christmas [x] unloaded straw [] wear long sleeves even in the summer [x] know what stirrups are [x] have fed the deer [] had dog named Bocephus total: 26 TOTAL: 26 ***add x's and multiply by 3 and put how country you are? Total: 78% country

Rock and Roll Challenge Answers

Lauren — Fri, 01 Dec 2006 18:56:21 GMT

I hope you had fun. I guess this wasnt just limited to rock and roll.

Rock n Roll Challenge

Lauren — Wed, 29 Nov 2006 14:02:38 GMT

Can you find the 74 bands in this picture? I know it's only rock and roll but I like it. Here's the High res pic.... http://virgindigital.com/wallpapers/virgindigital1280x960.jpg

Cow Economics...seriously funny.

Lauren — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 16:33:03 GMT

Cows and Economics: DEMOCRATIC You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. You feel guilty for being successful. Barbara Streisand sings for you. REPUBLICAN You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So? SOCIALIST You have two cows. The government takes one and gives it to your neighbor. You form a cooperative to tell him how to manage his cow. COMMUNIST You have two cows. The government seizes both and provides you with milk. You wait in line for hours to get it. It is expensive and sour. CAPITALISM, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. You sell one, buy a bull, and build a herd of cows. BUREAUCRACY, AMERICAN STYLE You have two cows. Under the new farm program the government pays you to shoot one, milk the other, and then pour the milk down the drain. AMERICAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You sell one, lease it back to yourself and do an IPO on the 2nd one. You force the two cows to produce the milk of four cows. You are surprised when one cow drops dead. You spin an announcement to the analysts stating you have down-sized and are reducing expenses. Your stock goes up. FRENCH CORPORATION You have two cows. You go on strike because you want three cows. You go to lunch and drink wine. Life is good. JAPANESE CORPORATION You have two cows. You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. They learn to travel on unbelievably crowded trains. Most are at the top of their class at cow school. GERMAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You engineer them so they are all blond, drink lots of beer, give excellent quality milk, and run a hundred miles an hour. Unfortunately they also demand 13 weeks of vacation per year. ITALIAN CORPORATION You have two cows but you don't know where they are. While ambling around, you see a beautiful woman. You break for lunch. Life is good. RUSSIAN CORPORATION You have two cows. You have some vodka. You count them and learn you have five cows. You have some more vodka. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows.The Mafia shows up and takes over however many cows you really have. TALIBAN CORPORATION You have all the cows in Afghanistan, which are two. You don't milk them because you cannot touch any creature' private parts. You get a $40 million grant from the US government to find alternatives to milk production but use the money to buy weapons. IRAQI CORPORATION You have two cows. They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing. BELGIAN CORPORATION You have one cow. The cow is schizophrenic. Sometimes the cow thinks he's French, other times he's Flemish. The Flemish cow won't share with the French cow. The French cow wants control of the Flemish cow's milk. The cow asks permission to be cut in half. The cow dies happy. FLORIDA CORPORATION You have a black cow and a brown cow. Everyone votes for the best looking one. Some of the people who actually like the brown one best accidentally vote for the black one. Some people vote for both. Some people vote for neither. Some people can't figure out how to vote at all. Finally, a bunch of guys from out-of-state tell you which one you think is the best-looking cow. CALIFORNIA CORPORATION You have millions of cows. They make real California cheese. Only five speak English. Most are illegal cows. Arnold likes the ones with the big udders.

Prog in the Park pictures

Lauren — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 18:06:57 GMT

What an amazing party. So many trancers in the middle of the city.... so many locals joining in on the fun. The children participated as much as the adults did and we ran out of free cd's hours before the party ended. Here are some photos.... hope you love them. http://public.fotki.com/GoaSky/partys/prog__the_park/ http://aadplus.com/g/060821_prog_in_the_park_by_28th_day http://www.flickr.com/photos/koldun/