You just can't win

Thanks Ric of Digital Village radio for this link:

Getting (Too) Dirty in Bed

So you're an Enlightened Green Consumer. You buy organic food and carry it home from the local market in string bags. Your coffee is shade-grown and fair-trade, your water's solar-heated, and your car is a hybrid. But what about the playthings you're using for grown-up fun between those organic cotton sheets – how healthy and environmentally sensitive are they?

Few eco-conscious shoppers consider the chemicals used to create their intimate devices. Yes, those things – from vibrators resembling long-eared bunny rabbits to sleeves and rings in shapes ranging from faux female to flower power. If these seem like unmentionables, that's part of the problem: while some are made with unsafe materials, it's tough to talk about that like, well, adults.

The article lists a few eco-friendly sex toys and lubes, but what struck me most was the quote from Big Teaze Toys founder Tony Levine. He worked at Mattel before launching Big Teaze, and says the safety requirements for children's toys stuck with him when he started designing grown-up toys.*

The industry insiders quoted in the piece talk about the need to self-regulate before the government steps in with restrictions on materials and chemicals and the like. And meanwhile all I can do is sigh. Every time I find something I like, whether it's a vibrator or a truck, it also helps destroy the planet.

Maybe I'll sign up for earthscreen to balance it out.

*Big Teaze makes the "I Rub My Duckie" and "Flower Power" vibes, as I'm sure you'll recall from the Sex-Tech Gift Guide.