Happy
Earth Day, everyone! The perfect day to talk about ecosex with one of its pioneer, sex educator and performance artist Annie Sprinkle. Annie and her partner, environmental activist Beth Stephens, collaborate on the
Love Art Lab, a art project born as (in Sprinkle's words) a "response to the violence of war, the anti-gay marriage movement and [a] prevailing culture of greed." As part of the project, they've married each other (and an earthly element) each year; they celebrate their 7th marriage this year. Annie discusses ecosexuality and her current projects with Babeland's new sexuality educator and blogger, Lila, and also shares with us her 25 Ways To Make Love to the Earth.
Lila: So, tell us more about ecosexuality. How and when did it start?�What does it mean to each of you?Annie: I first heard the term ?ecosex? as a dating term a few years ago. It meant that a person was interested in meeting other folks into things like environmental cuases, vegetarianism, bicycle culture?But my partner, Beth Stephens, and I have usurped the term to give it much broader definititions. Such as a person into nature fetishes, a new sexual identity, a person that takes the earth as their lover, or finds nature really super sensual. We are making it into a whole new movement, currently writing an ecosex manifesto.In retrospect, I was very ecosexual as a kid. Ecosensual really. I was really pleasured by nature. Swimming, for example.� Sitting by the campfire. I taught sacred sex for ten years and always sent the participants out into nature to ?have sex with something in nature for a couple hours.? They would come back and tell us all about it and some women said ?that was the best sex I ever had.? I told them to use their senses, kiss and lick a rock, sniff the dirt, make love with the sky, things like that. It was pretty sexy.So, I?ve been ecosexual for a long time.� I just didn?t have a name for it.Of course, many ancient earth religions, fertility rites, and pagan rituals were pretty ecosexual. So while these are new concepts, they are also ancient. Lots of people, when the stop to think about it, have had an erotic or sensual experience with nature at some time in their lives.
Lila: What kinds of practice and philosophies are ecosexual?Annie: Generally we think of the earth as a mother. But we are switching that up to think of earth as a lover: to try and create a more reciprocal relationship with our planet. The Earth has been used, abused, exploited, raped?the earth can?t continually breastfeed us.
We have to give back and take care of the Earth. And what better way than to make love with it? Appreciate it more. Care for it, like we would care for our beloved.As for practices?nature fetishes we have figured out can be divided into several categories: earth, air, fire, water. Earth proclivities include things like tree hugging/humping, covering your body in sand, using vegetable dildos. Some Air proclivities include getting excited in strong winds, or sucking and blowing air in and out of your lover?s mouth. Some Fire proclivities would be nude sun bathing, or getting hot bee?s wax dripped all over your body. Water proclivities would be deriving erotic pleasure while standing under a beautiful waterfall, or enjoying the sensations of skinny-dipping in a tropical ocean. How many of you have laid down in the bathtub with your legs spread wide apart with the water splashing down on your vulva? Be honest.You can be hetero, gay, bisexual, trans, anything you want, and also be ecosexual.� My friend Dallas, who is a self proclaimed
asexual tells me she?s not ecosexual, but ?ecoromantic!? So if you love laying naked in the sun, getting pounded by a waterfall, and like fucking in nature, you are probably ecosexual. It?s a self proclaimed thing. But maybe you are simply ecosensual, or ecoromantic.
Lila: As I understand it, Love Art Lab is a collaboration between the two of you where you committed to do seven years of performative, activist weddings and surrounding events with different locations and themes. Can you tell us a bit more about that and how it relates to ecosexuality?
My girlfriend Beth and I now consider ourselves out ecosexuals. We?re really hot about this topic. It all sort of started when we married the Earth as an art project. We had a huge wedding, with 400+ people, and 150 people helped create the wedding. And together we all vowed to love, honor and cherish the Earth until death brought us closer together forever. That day I fell madly in love with my beautiful planet, and just sort of started doing more recycling, being more aware of my water and electricity consumption, and my love just grew to Universal proportions. It was really exciting. So now, Beth and I have done eight ecosexual weddings, with environmental themes. In five countries. We have married the Sky, the Sea, the Snow, the Appalacian mountains, and the moon. Thousands of people have participated in our ecosex weddings. Sometimes they are controversial.� But they're really beautiful and fun. We aim to make the environmental movement more sexy, fun and diverse.� The documentaion of our weddings, with videos, is on our
website.
Lila: What have been some of the most memorable interactions with the public that you've had around your ecosexual art and activism?Annie: We have done about fifteen ecosex walking tours. They?re really fun. We take people around a park, or neighborhood, and point out the ecosexy sites. We invite people to hug trees, sniff and lick the earth, find their ?e-spots? (spots in nature that are sexy) and share stories of the times they have found nature erotic. People really share great stuff. Then at the end of the tour, we invite them to take vows to the earth and we give them a diamond ring. But its made of cubic zarconia, so no mountains were harmed. And people really feel more connected to the Earth, and they always have a wonderful lover.
Lila: Do you have any advice or tips for someone who lives in a city or otherwise has limited access to nature, but is still interested in dabbling in and exploring ecosexuality?Annie: I have lived in cities most all of my life. Being ecosexual in a city is easy. There are parks, there are trees, there is beautiful nature everywhere if you just take time to notice it. Stop and smell the roses. Eating fruit, for example, can be ecosexual if you let it be. Its about giving yourself permission to really get into it. To really make it sexy. For example, you can watch a sunset and barely see it. Or you can give yourself over to the sunset completely, marvel at its magnificence, become one with the sunset, and bring yourself to tears of ecstasy. Have a sungasm, if you will. It's up to you. How much pleasure are you willing to have? Just start noticing nature more.I remember, when I lived in Manhattan, on the 11
th floor of a high rise, I used to use my vibrator and look at the sky and sort of fantasise being with the sky. I became the sun, the moon, and all the stars. Once I said to myself, this is crazy, I?m making love with the sky. But it was so beautiful. So I sort of silently asked the sky, is this crazy? Show me a sign. And a red helium balloon went up into the cloud at that moment and passed through the cloud and I just wept. It was beautiful. If it's real or not, I don?t even care. Its all a big beautiful fantasy that makes me excited. Ecosex is very sexy.I have prided myself at being a sex pioneer for 38 years now. And let me tell you, Ecosex is going to be BIG.
Lila: Babeland carries a lot of environmentally friendly sex toys and products, like rechargeable vibrators, dildos and butt plugs made from materials that will virtually last forever, vegan, organic lubes, and much more. We even have a solar powered bullet vibrator. Could these be considered ecosexual or used in an ecosexual manner?Annie: Absolutely!� Babeland is doing some great environmentally conscious stuff that?s really sexy.� Babeland is a hot bed of ecosexuality!� I love what you are doing.
Lila: Do you have any plans this Earth Day?
Annie: For me and Beth, every day is Earth Day. Sky day. Sea day?
Lila: Is there anything el se I'm missing or that you'd like to share?Annie: If you resonate with this idea, of ecosex, bring me (and Beth) to your country/state/city, and I will do my presentation, a walking tour and a show.� We will have a great time.In celebration of Earth Day, we are creating an ecosex lexicon. Here are some words we have made up and gathered, just as some food for thought!� If you think of any others, send me an email at
annie@anniesprinkle.orgVegesexuals, ecovestite, biosexual, treebadism, snow balling, pollenamourous, ecoslut, seadomasochism, ecophile, compostgasm, treedonism, vegan-sexual, ecobondage, hortisexual, ecocurious, environmentally frisky!When you think about it, all sex is really ecosex. We are all part of nature, not really separate.
We just feel separate often. But we are the earth. We are made of water. So when we make love to each other, we are making love to the Earth, to nature. �So have fun! �And don't have too many babies, because over population hard on the planet. Another possibility...instead of switching the metaphor from Earth as Mother to Earth as Lover, we could at least do Earth as MILF! �In any case, ecosexuals come out come out for Earth Day! And Ecosexuals Unite!
s, anything you want, and also be ecosexual.� My friend Dallas, who is a self proclaimed
asexual tells me she?s not ecosexual, but ?ecoromantic!? So if you love laying naked in the sun, getting pounded by a waterfall, and like fucking in nature, you are probably ecosexual. It?s a self proclaimed thing. But maybe you are simply ecosensual, or ecoromantic.
Lila: As I understand it, Love Art Lab is a collaboration between the two of you where you committed to do seven years of performative, activist weddings and surrounding events with different locations and themes. Can you tell us a bit more about that and how it relates to ecosexuality?My girlfriend Beth and I now consider ourselves out ecosexuals. We?re really hot about this topic. It all sort of started when we married the Earth as an art project. We had a huge wedding, with 400+ people, and 150 people helped create the wedding. And together we all vowed to love, honor and cherish the Earth until death brought us closer together forever. That day I fell madly in love with my beautiful planet, and just sort of started doing more recycling, being more aware of my water and electricity consumption, and my love just grew to Universal proportions. It was really exciting. So now, Beth and I have done eight ecosexual weddings, with environmental themes. In five countries. We have married the Sky, the Sea, the Snow, the Appalacian mountains, and the moon. Thousands of people have participated in our ecosex weddings. Sometimes they are controversial.� But they're really beautiful and fun. We aim to make the environmental movement more sexy, fun and diverse.� The documentaion of our weddings, with videos, is on our
website.
Lila: What have been some of the most memorable interactions with the public that you've had around your ecosexual art and activism?Annie: We have done about fifteen ecosex walking tours. They?re really fun. We take people around a park, or neighborhood, and point out the ecosexy sites. We invite people to hug trees, sniff and lick the earth, find their ?e-spots? (spots in nature that are sexy) and share stories of the times they have found nature erotic. People really share great stuff. Then at the end of the tour, we invite them to take vows to the earth and we give them a diamond ring. But its made of cubic zarconia, so no mountains were harmed. And people really feel more connected to the Earth, and they always have a wonderful lover.
Lila: Do you have any advice or tips for someone who lives in a city or otherwise has limited access to nature, but is still interested in dabbling in and exploring ecosexuality?Annie: I have lived in cities most all of my life. Being ecosexual in a city is easy. There are parks, there are trees, there is beautiful nature everywhere if you just take time to notice it. Stop and smell the roses. Eating fruit, for example, can be ecosexual if you let it be. Its about giving yourself permission to really get into it. To really make it sexy. For example, you can watch a sunset and barely see it. Or you can give yourself over to the sunset completely, marvel at its magnificence, become one with the sunset, and bring yourself to tears of ecstasy. Have a sungasm, if you will. It's up to you. How much pleasure are you willing to have? Just start noticing nature more.I remember, when I lived in Manhattan, on the 11
th floor of a high rise, I used to use my vibrator and look at the sky and sort of fantasise being with the sky. I became the sun, the moon, and all the stars. Once I said to myself, this is crazy, I?m making love with the sky. But it was so beautiful. So I sort of silently asked the sky, is this crazy? Show me a sign. And a red helium balloon went up into the cloud at that moment and passed through the cloud and I just wept. It was beautiful. If it's real or not, I don?t even care. Its all a big beautiful fantasy that makes me excited. Ecosex is very sexy.I have prided myself at being a sex pioneer for 38 years now. And let me tell you, Ecosex is going to be BIG.
Lila: Babeland carries a lot of environmentally friendly sex toys and products, like rechargeable vibrators, dildos and butt plugs made from materials that will virtually last forever, vegan, organic lubes, and much more. We even have a solar powered bullet vibrator. Could these be considered ecosexual or used in an ecosexual manner?Annie: Absolutely!� Babeland is doing some great environmentally conscious stuff that?s really sexy.� Babeland is a hot bed of ecosexuality!� I love what you are doing.
Lila: Do you have any plans this Earth Day?Annie: For me and Beth, every day is Earth Day. Sky day. Sea day?
Lila: Is there anything el se I'm missing or that you'd like to share?Annie: If you resonate with this idea, of ecosex, bring me (and Beth) to your country/state/city, and I will do my presentation, a walking tour and a show.� We will have a great time.In celebration of Earth Day, we are creating an ecosex lexicon. Here are some words we have made up and gathered, just as some food for thought!� If you think of any others, send me an email at
annie@anniesprinkle.orgVegesexuals, ecovestite, biosexual, treebadism, snow balling, pollenamourous, ecoslut, seadomasochism, ecophile, compostgasm, treedonism, vegan-sexual, ecobondage, hortisexual, ecocurious, environmentally frisky!When you think about it, all sex is really ecosex. We are all part of nature, not really separate.
We just feel separate often. But we are the earth. We are made of water. So when we make love to each other, we are making love to the Earth, to nature. �So have fun! �And don't have too many babies, because over population hard on the planet. Another possibility...instead of switching the metaphor from Earth as Mother to Earth as Lover, we could at least do Earth as MILF! �In any case, ecosexuals come out come out for Earth Day! And Ecosexuals Unite!
