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In the Press
Best of Portland 2007
Best Way to Love the Earth
Willamette Week July 25, 2007
Being healthy and eco-minded means considering what you put in your body. And that doesn't stop at your mouth, which is why Alliyah Mirza and Jonas Sapienza founded Earth Erotics (eartherotics.com), a Portland-based online retailer of safe and environmentally friendly sex toys . Phthalate- and PVC-free vibrators, seaweed lube, floggers fashioned from recycled inner tubes—everything on EE's site has a minimum impact on the earth and your health, while retaining maximum impact where it counts. Prices hover at the upper end of average (most vibrators cost around $50), but you won't need to worry about cancer of the junk. EE has carved out a niche by marketing to your, well, niches, and it seems to be working, especially in Portland. In its first three months, EE broke $2,000 in sales, mostly thanks to hometown customers, despite not having a storefront. And EE is already edging toward the black, which often takes years for traditional brick-and-mortar retailers. "Portland takes pride in being a green city, so of course we will take environmentalism to bed at night," says Mirza. Save the wetlands!
This article can be viewed here: Best of PDX 2007
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Willamette Week April 18th, 2007
Light rail, bike paths, Forest Park—Portland is earnestly environmental, consistently ranked among America's greenest cities. But as clean as it is, our city has a dirty side. Portland is said to have the most adult businesses per capita of any city in America. Vegas included. Video arcades, titty bars and toy stores—we've got them all, in droves. Now a local couple has folded these two quirks of our city's personality into a single sales pitch: environmentally friendly sex toys.
Last October, Alliyah Mirza and Jonas Sapienza started Earth Erotics, an online retailer of eco-friendly adult toys. Sustainable dildos, if you will. "We're like the natural-food store of sex toys," says Mirza, who studies environmental law at Lewis & Clark College by day and updates EE's website (eartherotics.com) by night. "Our toys are like organic food. Non-organics aren't going to kill you, but organics are a better option. We provide a better option."
The other, more traditional option is decidedly un-green polyvinyl chloride or PVC, the unregulated adult toy industry's material of choice. Alone, PVC pollutes—from manufacturing to disposal—with a bevy of nasty chemicals, including cancer-causing dioxins. And it's not recyclable. For use in sex toys, PVC has to be softened with chemicals called phthalates, which the European Union has already banned from children's toys. Phthalates have been linked to a laundry list of health problems, from obesity to kidney disease to abnormal estrogen production and prenatal genital development. Not exactly stuff suited for your body's most sensitive, absorbent areas.
In contrast, all Earth Erotics toys are made from safe and green materials: silicone vibrators, hempseed oil lubricants, Pyrex glass "wands," even floggers cut from recycled rubber innertubes. Also, because they're nonporous, unlike PVC, glass and silicone can be boiled, which is a bit more sterile than a baby wipe once-over.
Staying healthy and eco-friendly does cost a little extra. Most EE toys cost around $50. The "Queen Fulfiller" glass wand (hefty enough to give Dale Chihuly a complex) runs $90, and the Sinnflut rechargeable vibrator clocks in at $110—spendy, but you won't run out of AAs at the wrong time. "It's that conscious-consumer idea," says Mirza. "You vote with your dollar—who do you want to vote for?"
Ultimately, EE's success hinges on the environmental movement's new ethic—the integration of green ideals into daily (or nightly) life. "There shouldn't be this disconnect," says Mizra. "People are like, 'Oh, we're green' and then, 'Oh, we're all sexy.' Let's have both."
This article can be viewed here: Willamette Week Article
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New York Press April 18th, 2007
Not everyone wants to use the plastic, synthetic offerings of most sex shops to tickle their fancies. Some want something a little closer to nature. At Earth Erotics (www.eartherotics.com), online shoppers will find an array of whip-its and stick-its to fulfill their every need. The Artistic Solid Glass Wands are blown-glass dildos that come in many lengths, textures, colors and prices ($35-$200), and they’re all made from the highest quality Schott Art Glass. These non-toxic dildos are made from recyclable materials and are free of heavy chemicals and solvents. Plus, they come out squeaky clean after being boiled in water.
Earth Erotics also provides a Standard Recycled Innertube Flogger ($40), for those who enjoy a good spanking but who aren’t too keen on toys made from the supple skin of dead animals. Instead, this flogger is made from recycled car, truck and heavy machinery innertube for that hurt-so-good feeling. Both of these toys are handcrafted and environmentally friendly, so horny hippies with money to spare after their weekly trip to Trader Joe’s shouldn’t feel so bad indulging in some of these earthly delights.
This article can be viewed here: For Play
Sustainable Kink
A local couple explores the last eco frontier: sex toys
By Ethan SmithNaughty By Nature
By Christina Werthman
© 2007 Earth Erotics, LLC. All rights reserved.
