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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-CA link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p>Dear Grennies,<o:p></o:p></p><p>A hot, new perspective on environmentalism for a cold, cold night…. a Facebook friend posted this today and I had to share it. Delightfully well-written. <o:p></o:p></p><p>Susan K <o:p></o:p></p><p><a href="http://www.northsimcoenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=41&Itemid=17">http://www.northsimcoenews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=41&Itemid=17</a><o:p></o:p></p><p>– Confessions of an <em>ECOSEXUAL</em><o:p></o:p></p><p>This past Wednesday night I attended an ‘ecosexy’ lecture which ended in me blowing Annie Sprinkle’s mind and coming out of the forest. Don’t worry it was safe, reciprocal and consenting. Wait, what is ecosex? We’ll get to that soon, but first, who is Annie Sprinkle?<o:p></o:p></p><p>The former prostitute, turned porn star, television host, magazine editor, writer and film producer, is now a performance artist and sex educator, being the first porn star to receive her Ph.D in Human Sexuality. I had first learned about Annie Sprinkle in my Sociology of Health class in regards to social attitudes of sexuality and health. Specifically we were introduced to her most famous performance piece known as <em>Public Cervix Announcement, </em>in which she invited the audience to celebrate the human body, and where we all came from, by viewing her cervix with a speculum and flashlight. In essence she is a sex activist/artist who believes that sex is natural, beautiful, and something to be celebrated and respected in all its forms. For many in the LGBTQ<em>E</em> community, she is a sexpioneer who has been at the forefront of shifting cultural values towards sexuality for nearly four decades. By the way, the E stands for “ecosexual”.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Annie presented her lecture on the budding field of Sexecology, the place where sexuality and ecology intersect, to a full capacity room of approximately 200 people. The lecture covered many different themes including erotic environmentalism, green porn, ‘ecosex’, and most importantly, making love to the earth.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Erotic environmentalism utilizes the mantra “sex sells” and applies it to environmentalism. Some groups are using sexy or provocative advertising to bring attention to environmental issues, such as many of PETA’s anti-fur and animal rights campaigns. Other groups are using sex as a way of fundraising, protesting, and celebration of the environment. A local example would be the “Ladies of the Lake” and their “Naked Truth” campaign. Here a group of over one hundred women from around Lake Simcoe, bare all for an annual calendar to raise funds, education and awareness to support the health of the lake and surrounding communities.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Green porn is essentially porn with a green twist, which often features people making love outside! It also showcases the rising tide of nature fetishes, in which people are quite literally turned on by the environment, plants and the elements. Water –<em>auqaphelia</em>, wind-<em>aerophelia, </em>earth-<em>terraphelia</em>, fire-<em>pyrophelia</em> and everything in between. It may sound weird at first, but the more one thinks about it, the less strange it is. For instance, how many of us have gone skinny dipping? Have been titillated by the breeze on our bare body (wind play)? Mud wrestling anyone?<o:p></o:p></p><p>I’m sure many of us have seen advertisements for “green” sex products, environmentally friendly condoms, toys etc. Or about the “top five ways to be green while making love” or some such thing; turn off the lights, share a room. Add to that, the fact that sex is a healthy, natural, eco-friendly and deeply satisfying activity in and of itself, compared to say watching your big screen T.V. or going for a drive in your SUV.<o:p></o:p></p><p><strong>EARTH AS LOVER</strong><o:p></o:p></p><p>There are essentially two popular ways of looking at the earth. From one perspective, the earth is not a living thing, but merely a resource to be exploited, raped, pillaged and controlled in the service of humanity. This is the leading paradigm of our time. We see the earth and all non human life, as not only separate from us, but as deserving none of the same rights as us humans. This indifference helps to justify ecogenocide, mass global species extinction, ecosystem destruction, pollution, climate change and the list goes on.<o:p></o:p></p><p>The second view is of the earth as our mother. In which she is seen as the provider and source of all life, to be cherished and respected. In many quarters this perspective is gaining momentum, but unfortunately not quickly enough. This leads Annie to present a third perspective.<o:p></o:p></p><p>To see the earth as<em> lover</em>, not simply something to love and cherish, respect and take care of, but to find pleasure within, something to be passionate about and something to fight for. A revolution without sex isn’t going to get very far, she says.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Some of Annie’s recent performance pieces have included marriage ceremonies between herself, her partner Beth, and the Earth. “Till death brings us closer together forever” they say. By getting married to the earth, she publicly and formally commits herself to the planet, just as one would their spouse. Not only were the ceremonies unique, creative and eco-friendly, but it gave her and her friends and family an opportunity to develop a deeper connection with each other and the planet. She notes that ever since her marriage to the Earth she has been fully faithful to the environment. They have also married the moon, sky and the ocean, in separate unique ceremonies.<o:p></o:p></p><p>For the final comment of the lecture I raised my hand and made a provocative statement. I said: “But we are all nature, we are the earth!” The reason we are having this discussion about ecosex is because our society has displaced humanity from nature and placed us above it. We view sex between two human animals as somehow unnatural, something other than what it is, because we view ourselves as something other than what we are. In essence, all sex is ecosex.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Perhaps you may be unwilling to think of your relationship between the Earth as sexual, but how about sensual? If so, what’s the difference? If you are to think of yourself as one with the earth, the line between sexuality and sensuality rapidly vanishes. What’s the difference between the physical sensation you get from being under a waterfall, or watching a beautiful sunset, eating a delicious fruit and the sensations you receive from your partner? A gust of wind or a gentle breathe of air from your lover? Just the other day my roommate kissed a girl in a tree! I’m sure we all know that schoolyard jingle…<o:p></o:p></p><p>Now that the majority of the earth’s people live in urban settings, <em>divorced</em> from nature, they may find it hard to identify with the idea of the earth as lover. But growing up in the country, I would say that I have had a lot more opportunities to experiment with nature, which might explain my more open, liberal attitudes towards ecosexuality.<o:p></o:p></p><p>Should one be embarrassed or ashamed to be an ecosexual? Why are ‘treehugger’ or ‘nature lover’ derogatory terms? Annie told me after the lecture that it is time that we ecosexuals unite and fight for what we love. So here I go….I am proud to be an ecosexual, and I encouraged all of you ecosexuals to ‘come out of the forest’ with me!<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75" coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" filled="f" stroked="f">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width=81 height=143 src="cid:image003.jpg@01CBB68E.47DEDBF0" align=left hspace=12 alt=pareto v:shapes="Picture_x0020_1"><![endif]><b><span style='color:#FF3300'>2080: The Return of Pareto<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#FF3300'>by Susan Koswan<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>Treehuggers. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>The 80/20 Rule. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Georgia","serif";color:#336600'>One long weekend... <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='color:#1D3A00'><a href="http://www.volumesdirect.com"><span style='color:#1D3A00'>www.volumesdirect.com</span></a> or <a href="mailto:dandelion@gto.net"><span style='color:#1D3A00'>dandelion@gto.net</span></a> <o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='color:#1D3A00'>In Waterloo Region bookstores and libraries. Now on Kindle! <a href="http://www.amazon.com"><span style='color:#1D3A00'>www.amazon.com</span></a></span></i><span style='color:#1D3A00'><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='color:#1D3A00'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>