January 2010

Since the world is supposed to end in 2012 with Nature taking back the planet, I have decided to give back to the Earth by being sextremely eco-friendly. That's right. Caicee Quinn is going green!

Now, I am not talking about edible panties—although, those little darlings are very friendly. I’m doing my part to save the planet and those cute polar bears suffering from global warming with the help of solar-powered vibrators.

The market for eco-friendly sex toys is growing, and in the past several years, there have been remarkable advances in the engineering of toys with ecology in mind. While it's relatively easy to create eco-friendlier dildos, cock rings, condoms, or lubes, designing and manufacturing eco-friendlier vibrators is much more difficult.

If it vibrates, it needs a power source. The challenge is to create a toy that either reduces energy consumption or uses a renewable energy source, while, of course, still functioning as well as a traditional battery-operated or plug-in alternative.

Proudly, San Francisco is home to some of the hippest and youngest pioneers in the mechanics and design of innovative sex toys. Earlier this year, a Bay Area engineering student created a steam-powered vibrator called the Steampunk Vibe that, though perhaps not 100% eco-friendly, explores the mechanical possibilities of a different source of energy.

On the horizon, The Mean Green Fucking Machine is a water-powered toy designed by an SFSU grad student who saw the design and market potential in creating a functional, aesthetically pleasing, alternatively powered toy.

Another trend is companies that are making sex toys with more natural materials. Companies, like the Sweden-based Lelo and London-based CoCo de Mer, make all of their sex toys toxin free with glass, jade or medical-grade silicone.

But what about recycling a sex toy? When mine are used and abused, I admit I take them to the trash. Believe it or not, there is a sex toy company, Dreamscapes, that just launched one of the country's first sex-toy-recycling programs. "I know our industry is taboo, but we want to save the environment too," says CEO David Kowalsky.

The way it works: Box your clean toy and mail it to Dreamscapes. They take care of the rest. Your toy may be reincarnated as tire retread or playground mulch and Dreamscapes will send you a $10 coupon for your next purchase. Can you imagine the recycling bins: Paper, Plastic, Glass and Sex Toys? Which bin would you put the glass dildos in?

When it comes to some of the toys like the Steampunk Vibe and The Mean Green Fucking Machine, we’ll have to wait. They are still in the early stages of development. But, if you can already recycle it, then do it. Save the planet and save yourself by purchasing sex toys that are also toxin-free. So go green . . . it feels really good.

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