[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-you-an-eco-sexual-but-not-know-it\/#NewsArticle","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-you-an-eco-sexual-but-not-know-it\/","headline":"Are you an Eco-Sexual and not know it?","name":"Are you an Eco-Sexual and not know it?","description":"Coined by American sexologist Annie Sprinkle, the term \u201ceco-sexuality\u201d refers to people who believe in viewing the Earth as a lover.\u00a0 \u201cThis is an acknowledgement that there needs to be reciprocity in our relationship as a species with planet Earth,\u201d says Associate Professor Chitra Sankaran, who specialises in eco-criticism at the National University of Singapore.\u00a0 […]","datePublished":"2021-09-29","dateModified":"2022-04-14","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/#Person","name":"Rachel Teng","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/author\/rachel-teng\/","identifier":367,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/Rachel_Teng-100x100.jpg","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"TheHomeGround Asia","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/photo_2021-07-22-222533.jpeg","width":640,"height":640}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1632986015184_Are_you_an_Eco-Sexual_and_not_know_it_Source_Lilawa_Studio._Flickr_1280X626px.jpg","url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/wp-content\/uploads\/1632986015184_Are_you_an_Eco-Sexual_and_not_know_it_Source_Lilawa_Studio._Flickr_1280X626px.jpg","height":626,"width":1280},"url":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-you-an-eco-sexual-but-not-know-it\/","about":["Community","Environment","Health & Wellness","Local","Sex & Gender","Singapore"],"wordCount":835,"keywords":["Annie Sprinkle","Chitra Sankaran","eco","eco-sexuality","ecoconscious","ecocriticism","ecofeminism","environment","martha tara lee","nature","pleasure","sex","sex toys","sexuality","wellness","women"],"articleBody":"Coined by American sexologist Annie Sprinkle, the term \u201ceco-sexuality\u201d refers to people who believe in viewing the Earth as a lover.\u00a0\u201cThis is an acknowledgement that there needs to be reciprocity in our relationship as a species with planet Earth,\u201d says Associate Professor Chitra Sankaran, who specialises in eco-criticism at the National University of Singapore.\u00a0Easily among the most intriguing of social trends, this head-turner of a term was designed to \u201cmake the environmental movement more fun and diverse\u201d.\u00a0Why a lover, and not a mother? Could anything be more indebting than viewing the Earth as a maternalistic figure? The problem with this view stems from \u2014\u00a0as with many other issues we face today \u2014 the patriarchy.\u00a0Eco-feminism, another closely related movement, sheds light on the fact modern patriarchal society justifies the \u201cconquest\u201d of both nature and women. Hence, for eco-sexuals, \u201cthe Earth is not \u2018endlessly giving\u2019 \u2014 as a mother is conceived to be under the patriarchy,\u201d says Prof Chitra. \u201cInstead, Earth demands respect and acknowledgement of its needs, as would a lover.\u201dEco-sexuality in practice\u00a0So, what might eco-sexuality look like on a day-to-day basis? According to relationship counsellor and sexologist Martha Tara Lee, many eco-sexuals are also eco-consumers. \u201c[More are starting to realise that] what is good for our bodies is often also what is better for the environment,\u201d she says.\u00a0These days, consumers are asking more questions, making more ethical purchases, and feeling better about where their dollar votes go. As a response, brands are starting to react to consumers\u2019 demands, even in sex-positive industries. This is the case for WOW Tech, a global designer brand for premium pleasure toys.\u00a030 percent of WOW Tech\u2019s Womanizer Premium Eco is derived from renewable raw materials like tapioca starch, while the remaining 70 percent is made from a bio-plastic, Biolene. (Photo courtesy of WOW Tech)\u201cWe saw the trend of sustainability in increasing industries, so we at WOW Tech followed this trend and started implementing small changes to our  as well,\u201d says Ms Martina Kecks, Product Manager of Womanizer, a subsidiary of WOW Tech. \u201cWe want to lead by example and drive real change in our industry.\u201d\u00a0The company recently launched the Womanizer Premium Eco, an entirely biodegradable sex toy, and among the first of its kind in the market. While empowering women by normalising sex-positivity, eco-friendly sex products like these simultaneously give women the option to be environmentally conscious amidst their pursuits for pleasure.\u00a0When it’s time to part ways with the device, users can disassemble the device easily and recycle the individual parts separately, such as at Dr Lee’s sex toy recycling bin. (Photo courtesy of WOW Tech)Eco-sexuality may not be sexual\u00a0On the extreme end of the eco-sexuality spectrum, Ms Sprinkle, porn-star-turned-sex-educator,\u00a0 and her partner Beth Stephans married the earth in 2008 in an honest-to-goodness declaration of their love. Their wedding was attended by more than 300 guests. These eco-sexuals express their sexual relationship with the earth as their primary identity.\u00a0 Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens at their Green Wedding. (Photo source: Lydia Daniller)However, Prof Chitra highlights that the movement need not only be sexual. \u201cThere are many kinds of eco-sexuals: tree-huggers, skinny-dippers, but also those who believe in communicating meaningfully with planet earth in all its abundance,\u201d she says.\u00a0\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeff\ufeffNominated Member of Parliament Anthea Indira Ong with her “weekly arboreal partner” whom she named Casu. (Photo source: @anthea.ong, Instagram)\u00a0\u201cYou can be an eco-sexual and not identify as one, and that is okay too,\u201d says Dr Lee, who hosted the first Eco Sex campaign in Singapore back in 2013. \u201cWe just need to do what we feel and know [that] is right for us.\u201d\u00a0\u201cI think overall in Singapore and Asia, eco-sexuality is expressed in more practical ways and perhaps more conservatively,\u201d adds Prof Chitra. \u201cMany Asians don\u2019t necessarily distinguish between eco-sexuality and environmental consciousness. Many simply believe that they love the Earth and fight for \u2018her\u2019 welfare, above all else.\u201d\u00a0Ms Vivian Lee, 44, is one such individual. Drawing wisdom and inspiration from the book Earth Emotions, she believes in finding new terminologies that help \u201cbring awareness into our relationship with nature\u201d.\u00a0Being a somatic therapist, Ms Lee commits herself to a nature practice on a near-daily basis. \u201cI will go and eat in the park just to have that skin-to-skin contact with the sun, or go to the beach and float in the sea,\u201d she says. When asked if she identifies as an eco-sexual, Ms Lee says she hadn\u2019t heard the term before, but that it resonates with her greatly.\u00a0Falling in line with the values of being an eco-sexual, Ms Lee also leads a plant-based lifestyle, hasn\u2019t bought clothing in a long time, and facilitates mindful-eating sessions. \u201cThis brings us beyond the act of eating itself, but connects us more deeply with where our food comes from \u2014 both in terms of our knowledge and practicalities,\u201d she says.\u00a0\u00a0Join the conversations on TheHomeGround Asia’s Facebook and Instagram, and get the latest updates via Telegram.\u00a0"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Destinations","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Singapore","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/\/singapore\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Are you an Eco-Sexual and not know it?","item":"https:\/\/thehomeground.asia\/destinations\/singapore\/are-you-an-eco-sexual-but-not-know-it\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]