by Oliver St John

     In a society with myriad subcultures, it was perhaps inevitable that the offspring of the yuppie and hippie movements would give rise to a new group of people, a subset of the population with some money in their pockets and a preference toward environmentally friendly products.

     Of course, the "blahppie" naming convention is dreadfully outmoded nowadays...

     Similar to the recent "metrosexual" phenomenon, the new label "ecosexual" has been coined to describe people who make their social choices based on environmental views. They are typically educated upper and middle class young people, who establish friendships and relationships based on the environmental viewpoints of their social circle. They frequently choose to buy the more expensive organic foods or sustainably-made products - items which are becoming just as much as status symbol as an ecologically responsible choice.

Ecosexuals are an evolving breed of urban hipster for whom keeping green is every bit as important in their love life as in their choice of household cleaning products, vehicle emissions or food choices. Everyone has a mental list of traits they would like to see in a prospective partner, usually smart, good-looking, good sense of humor, gets on well with kids and a plethora of others. For some, that list is now seeing the addition of characteristics like "conservationist" or "recycler". In the US, there are sites such as Earth Wise Singles, which promises to help "green-living and environmentally responsible adults" meet their soulmates. Green Passions is particularly popular on the West Coast, where it seems being green is an almost obsessive trend - one which we're all too happy to see.

     A word to the wise here: this is by no means a new phenomenon, a sudden increase in young people choosing their dates and prospective partners based on whether they use not-tested-on-animals toiletries, wear organic cotton or eat meat.

The world began seeing trends like this at least a dozen years ago, and its been a long held notion that the best matches are those where values and morals are in sync. Dating services such as Green Singles started out well over two decades ago as a paper newsletter, but have now embraced the increased marketability offered by the web. And they are not alone out there in the online realm. In addition to the sites already noted there are also Love Is Green and Concerned Singles as just some of the competition.

     Some people have suggested that the ecosexual movement is merely a pretension, a way in which people can claim to be helping to save the world while also enhancing their own reputations. It is undoubtedly true that consumer items of this kind are an easy - if expensive - way to do this, but ecosexuals are nonetheless voting with their wallets. Regardless of their reasons for choosing the organic and the sustainable, they're doing the right thing and promoting businesses which will be good for the environment.