Ten Green Sex Sins That Can Sabotage Your Love Life

The following is a guest post by the author of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable Beware the following don'ts and you'll be doing it all night long… Sin: Courting by Car Why drive for miles to meet up with your lover? Take public transportation to your rendezvous point and go for a long, sensual walk to get your juices flowing. Or think beyond the steel s teering box and turn on your soon-to-be lover with a hike or a bike ride. Way to work up a sweat. Sin: Poison Perfume Synthetic fragrances are so not sexy, baby. What if your bottle of Poison really were poison for your body and the environment? Most perfumes are derived from petroleum, and some contain potential neurotoxins. Opt for DIY alternatives made from organic essential oils. Vanilla, rose and cinnamon turn guys on; the ladies dig vetiver and cedarwood. Sin: Eating Unsustainable Chocolate Chocolate, legendary among lovers, is known for its powerful effects on libido. But don't give your beloved a box of truffles unless they're organic and fair trade certified. Conventional cacao farming is notorious for unsafe working conditions, lack of sustainability and below-poverty wages. Not sexy! Sin: Ditching Birth Control Climate change is the last thing you want to think about in the heat of the moment. But if you forget (or choose not to use) birth control, you're risking more than an itchy, embarrassing STD. Babies are adorable, but all those gurgling genetic replicas can be major carbon sins. Each one of those “extra” children adds 9,441 metric tons of carbon to the planet. So wrap it up with a natural latex, fair trade condom from Sir Richards or French Letter Condoms, and toss it in the garbage post-coitus. Flushing pollutes waterways and kills marine life. Sin: Aphrodisiacs Courtesy of Big Agra If you've seen Food Inc. or read anything by Michael Pollan, you know that our food system is making us all sick and obese. When preparing a meal to ensure a little sumthin' sumthin', choose organic, local and fair-trade products. Whether you're using artichokes, saffron or ginger (to seduce a woman), or cinnamon, grapes or peaches (to seduce a man), you'll go further if you get it fresh. Sin: Sleeping with the Enemy You may keep your sheets squeaky clean, but unless your bed is made from sustainable materials, it's a very, very dirty place to be (and not in a good way). Conventional mattresses are made from polyurethane and dipped in a bath of frightening chemicals that should be nowhere near your body's mucous membranes. Luckily, there are natural latex alternatives that will have you sleeping and sexing blissfully. Cuddle up with Savvy Rest, European Sleepworks, or Keetsa mattresses. Sin: Inviting Big Pharma into Your Boudoir Whether it's for recreation or perceived need, you should probably leave the Viagra in the bathroom cabinet (or even better, behind the pharmacist's counter). Most “sexual dysfunction” can be traced back to diet, lack of exercise, or toxic environmental conditions. Try going vegan, eating raw, or starting a yoga regimen before you reach for the little blue pill. If you must use a sexual aide, try horny goat weed, an herb that's thought to help with erectile dysfunction. Sin: Toxic Sex Toys Do play with toys — just make sure they're safe and sustainable. Conventional toys, especially those made before 2000, are likely to contain phthalates, chemical plasticizers that are carcinogenic and particularly dangerous when used in warm, moist areas of the body. Do the “smell test” to determine if toys are safe. “New car smell” is a dead giveaway that a vibe or dildo isn't one that you want in your night table drawer (or anywhere near you, for that matter). Buy check out new toys from Jimmyjane, an online purveyor of beautifully designed toys with a small environmental footprint but a huge, ahem, impact. Sin: Tainted Lube All lube is not created equal. Check labels before getting slippery. Avoid petroleum products, parabens, and even glycerin, a ubiquitous ingredient in conventional personal lubricants. Yes Yes Yes and Firefly Organics are both excellent alternatives to KY, the old standby. Coming out after Earth Day 2010 is a new brand of lube called Intimate Ecology. This brilliant product from HERBOLOGIE contains yogurt bioferment, so say buh-bye to yeast infections, ladies. Sin: Talking About Toxins Instead of Talking Dirty There's a time and a place for everything. Don't be an environmental schoolmarm when you're about to do the deed. Your lover doesn't want to be lectured while naked (unless he or she is into that). Do all your research, DIY projects and shopping beforehand so you can be totally spontaneous, like every good little ecosexual should be. By Stefanie Iris Weiss, author of Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (Crown Publishing/Ten Speed Press, April 2010). Check out her Website Eco-Sex.