Photo from another time, 1957

The internet, with all of its information-sharing powers, still makes me feel exposed. Even sharing my thoughts on this blog I find daunting at times, but nevertheless I also enjoy it as a whole-hearted elephant journal supporter. I also only joined facebook in the past few months, where I still am too shy to list my “Relationship Status” (single). Others are more bold in finding what they are looking for and use green dating sites.

I recently ran across this Treehugger article that introduced me to a new term, “ecosexual.” Looking for someone to date who shares your concern for protecting the environment isn’t a new concept, but apparently there are a number of dating sites that have sprung up to meet a growing demand. It’s a growth I can understand. As we reach a more critical time in protecting our planet, many of us are spending countless hours at jobs in several sectors working to achieve sustainability. Then our personal time, whether it be grocery shopping or figuring out how to get from point A to point B, is spent working towards a state of mindfulness, becoming increasingly aware of the tiniest decisions and the impact they may have. Not to mention that amidst all of this, being as peaceful with ourselves and with others as possible.

Finding someone who understands this way of life seems key to me in a successful romantic relationship and certainly in a long-term partnership. While I’m not quite ready to take the leap in using these sites, I thought I’d list the many that I found, hoping that they may be of help to an eco boy or an eco girl out there! And please comment and let us know if you’ve tried any of them.

Also unlike a traditional online dating service, all of the sites below are gay-friendly.

Green Singles: Members “share a global consciousness influenced by holistic philosophies, green politics, and a willingness to explore the mind, body and spirit.” A percentage of membership fees supports nonprofits in varying industries.

Date for Trees: Donates a tree for each month of paid membership to partner American Forests.

Planet Earth Singles: Caters to “environmentalists, animal rights activists, vegetarians, vegans, raw foodists and those who value personal growth and consciousness in general.”

Earth Wise Singles: Includes “organic gardeners, farmers and ranchers” (my kind of people!)

Concerned Singles: The name had me…concerned. Then I saw an interesting caption on the home page, “Why Date a Republican? The Concerned Singles ‘date base’ consists of people with whom you can have discussions rather than disagreements. Here you can find a progressive partner and double the power of your vote!”

Veggie Community: Run by animal rights activists, for vegetarians, vegans and raw foodists. Completely free as the site states, “you can’t buy love or friendship.”

YogaConnect: Also a free site, for “yoga enthusiasts to meet, discover, relate and date.”

Passions: Get as general or specific as you want in this space with: Green Passions, Vegetarian Passions, Vegan Passions, and Activist Passions. These dating and social networking sites are also free.

Care2: Community singles page of green living site Care2 (see video here).