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 Cleo magazine is the Cosmo for Aussies!  Check out this article titled “The Green Sex Commandments” - touting Earth Erotics 100% elastomer version of the popular Rabbit Habit.  Elastomer is preferred over jelly rubber because it is natural and phthalate free!

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November 7th, 2007 by eartherotics ~ Edit post

Earth Erotics is searching for new hand made products. Expanding our artisan erotics page is important to us. We want to support local small biz as much as possible, the best way for us to do it is here Artisan Erotics. So far we are proudly featuring glass dildo’s blown to perfection by Gentle Glass and eco-spanking from Inhertube. We are looking for your unique professional product. If you think you may have something that fits our store and are interested in distributing it through earth erotics please feel free to contact us. We are committed to running a green business. With that said we have a few environmentally friendly guidelines we require of your product.

1. No PVC unless it is reused in someway and not intended for internal use. A good example is our recycled rubber whips and floggers.

2. The more natural the better. Please no toxic products.

3. You must know what your product is made from and be able to represent it as a suitable addition to our site. In other words we need the recipe.

4. We require that you are representing your product through a licenced buisiness.

5. Quality is a must.

6. Please nothing made in a sweat shop. Labor standards are important to who we are.

We are officially the “Best Way to Love the Earth” — check out page 60 of the Willamette Week running from July 25 - August 1. http://wweek.com/editorial/3337/9280/

Best Way to Love the Planet

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!

Saving the world is no longer the preserve of the saintly: now you can protect the planet and indulge in our species’ favourite activity at the same time, thanks to our Good (Environmentally Friendly) Sex Guide. In the mood for some good, green fun? Here’s how to turn up the heat in your love life – without scorching the globe…

Fair trade foreplay

Turn the heat up – without exacerbating global warming – by seducing your playmate with organic massage oils, fair trade chocolate and a bottle of biodynamic champagne.

In a lather

Sharing a sensuous shower with your partner doesn’t just help things get steamy, it also cuts water consumption.

Cold outside?

What better way to warm your cockles than a spot of vigorous love-making? It’s more fun than simply turning up the thermostat and it’s a lot cheaper in the long-run.

Baby, light my fire…

The classic candle-lit dinner for two is the perfect way to set the mood – and it saves electricity!

In the saddle

A bicycle ride for two is a fossil fuel-free way to get the blood flowing and can also be distinctly

Keep it up!

Many triathletes and other super-sporty types swear by a vegan diet for prolonged endurance (never a bad thing, boys) – what better reason to eat your greens?

Toys for grown-ups

Sex toys can be a thrill, but many contain phthalates – chemicals used to soften hard plastics, giving them that gelatinous feel. There is concern about the toxicity and health risks associated with phthalates (the EU banned them from children’s toys in 2004), especially in sex toys that are used in intimate places. Check the label: if it says “for novelty use only”, steer clear. Try alternatives made from glass, metal, silicone, hard plastics or elastomers instead.

Batteries not included?

If your sex toy of choice is a power tool, buy a rechargeable one (there are plenty of rechargeable vibrators available on the internet) or use rechargeable batteries.

Slippery when wet…

A little lubrication can go a long way (towards saving the planet): for the safest, most sensual and eco-friendly slipperiness, go for an organic lube. Avoid petroleum-based products, along with any artificial scents, flavours or colours.
Condom care

This is one area where the “reduce, reuse, recycle” mantra comes unstuck, unfortunately. Flushing used condoms down the loo is also a no-no: they clog pipes, treatment plants and rivers. In the bin it is, then.

The kinks

Pay attention, fetishists: the production of PVC creates and releases one of the most toxic chemicals – dioxin. Stick to natural stuff instead, like leather and rubber.

Do it in the dark

Reducing our reliance on electricity is vital in combating climate change. If you want to see your partner, or what you’re doing, make love during daylight hours (but remember to close the curtains).

Bamboozling

Bamboo bed sheets may sound a little far-fetched, but not only are they silky, absorbent and antimicrobial, they also come from one of the most rapidly renewable sources there is: bamboo is the world’s fastest growing woody plant.

Herbal buzz

Oysters may be considered a potent aphrodisiac, but our planet’s oceans have already been over-plundered. Try guaraná instead: the seeds of this Amazonian plant, grown by sustainable community-based projects, stimulate the central nervous system to give you a real buzz (and you won’t even need any batteries). Other sin-free sexual stimulants include ginseng, ginko biloba, and the aptly-named horny goat weed.

Roll in the hay

Protect your posterior from chemical weedkillers and pesticides by switching to organic products in your garden before going for a roll in the hay: they’re better for your lawn AND your al fresco lovemaking.

Hanky-spanky

Fancy indulging in a little School Mistress role play? Make sure that paddle is crafted from sustainably harvested timber before you apply it to your partner’s bottom, you kinky beast, you…

Fruity!

Before you go re-enacting certain scenes from 9½ weeks (you know the ones), check the fruit and veg you’ll be having fun with is GM-free.

Eco-undies

Organic cotton, hemp silk and bamboo fibres make super-slinky lingerie – and they all come from rapidly renewable sources.

Green sex clubs

Yep, you read it right: a growing number of sex clubs in Japan are now championing environmentalism. Tactics range from shunning the traditional disposable wooden chopsticks to creating a life-sized rabbit mannequin for practising S&M rope-tying techniques entirely out of recycled pillows.

Play it safe

A rapidly expanding human population is the single greatest contributor to global warming. If you’re not ready to add to that population just yet, make sure you play it safe and use protection.

Tie the knot in eco-style

If all went well in the bedroom and you’re ready to take the ultimate step, why not have a green wedding? Courtesy of progressive wedding planners, environmentally conscious couples can now opt for fair-trade coffee and locally grown flowers, or even offset their honeymoon-flight carbon emissions.

Make love, not war

‘nuff said.

Hey there. For all you curious connoisseurs, stop by Metro Body Piercing on Hawthorne to check out Earth Erotics’ glass dildos on display. After getting into a super soaker battle with a couple of very happy neighborhood yardies, we dropped them off at the store yesterday. Metro is a really cool store - but watch out or you might leave with a piercing! Oh and FYI: That supersoaker battle ended with Jonas sneakily dumping a 2-Liter of water on their heads. So next time you take a trip down to Hawthorne you might want to come with a rain jacket or water battle gear!

A bit of bias here but still pretty cool: http://www.nypress.com/20/19/play/play2.cfm

NAUGHTY BY NATURE

By Christine Werthman

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.

We are proud to carry Coyuchi Organic Cotton line of products. They are a socially responsible manufacturer and proof that good, green business can shape the playing field of environmentalism. In India, many conventional cotton farmers are stuck in a cycle of pesticide-dependent seed monopolies. They have to keep using seed that need pesticides, allowing companies to doubly profit off of cotton production. Not only are the crops pesticide dependent, the chemicals must be used very heavily — and most farmers spend their days spraying crops without any protective clothing. These videos are a poignant portrayl of conventional cotton farmers in India:

PART 1:

Part 2:

Earth Erotics was recently featured the PDX Fresh Edition of Portland’s Willamette Week! We were really excited that the Willamette Week decided to run this story during Earth Day. Online Color Version.

Sustainable kink
A local couple explores the last eco frontier: sex toys
BY ETHAN SMITH
[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.”

No matter how long I stare off into the distance with a creased brow, I cannot fathom a more natural human behavior then the sexual encounter. What started out as normal behavior 100,000 years ago has been molded over time into numerous culturally influenced categories. In the past, we called it wild, taboo or dirty, but nowadays – sex is fashionable. Today, sex is more commercialized than ever, yet sexual experimentation remains a dirty business. I don’t mean “dirty” - as in your conservative mother’s nagging reminder: ”not until you are married!” What I mean — is that if you aren’t careful, it can be toxic.

It turns out that humanity’s most natural expression of love can easily become a toxic affair for both lovers and the environment. When you and your partner are playing with sex toys, there is a good chance that they are made of poly vinyl chloride PVC which is a toxic and environmentally damaging plastic. Dozens of studies on phthalates, the plastic softener commonly used in PVC sex toys, clearly indicate a direct relationship between exposure and reproductive, cancers, and obesity. Believe it or not, your intimate toy has been manufactured as a mere ”novelty” by a completely unregulated industry. Since sex toys are not held to any measurable governmental standard of health, you shouldn’t be surprised to find a “not intended for internal use” warning on your brand new, tightly packaged stinky PVC vibrator. Under the eye of the law, your personal pleasure is nothing but a gag gift — but instead of laughing — we really should be gagging!

In Portland, we tout healthy living, family planning, and population awareness, but we are finding ourselves caught up in hypocricy regarding individual sexual practice. Most individuals own a sex toy, whether for themselves or for their partner, yet most toy owners are completely unaware of anything beyond an impending pleasurable experience. As good green citizens of this earth and caretakers of our bodies, the key question we always ask ourselves is: What am I putting into my body?

Why should such a crucial question end at foodstuffs, cosmetics, or pharmaceuticals? Earth Erotics would like to announce: The Green Love Project. In this online forum, we will pose the very same questions that spurred the organic foods revolution, but this time — we want to talk about “Doing it Green.” This blog is an open space for discussion on toxins, plastics, organics, the environment, and sexual health. Cheers to your health and your pleasure!