Online Dating for Tree HuggersPlanetEarthSingles.com is an up-and-coming dating site based on a fresh premise: bringing together environmentally-conscious singles. Online Dating Sites interviewed owner/founder Jill Crosby, and this is what she had to tell us about the cool, sexy side of green dating. OnlineDatingSites: How did you come into the idea for PES? PlanetEarthSingles: Being an environmentalist I know how important it is for “green singles” to have a good avenue to meet other environmentally conscious singles. I wanted to create a unique platform with compatibility matching and a sexual IQ (Intimacy Quotient), which would go deeper and provide more accurate matching than most niche sites. ODS: Do you think the site will increase the public’s awareness of environmental issues? Or is it more targeted to a niche market? PES: Indirectly, I know it will create more awareness. I have been booking interviews on various radio shows and newspapers this week and expect to get some TV coverage associated with Earth Day next month. Of course I will be advocating and coaching about how to be more environmentally conscious. We also give conservation tips on the member bulletin board of PES, as there are always new things to learn about and be aware of. Our members are already “green” if you will, however, most people can always do more. ODS: Why is it so important to your members to meet environmentally conscious mates? PES: It’s very important for our members to meet eco-friendly mates because it’s such a lifestyle issue. If he ate McDonalds a lot (or any fast food restaurant that contributes huge amounts of waste to the landfills from all of their paper and plastic products [not to mention all of the greenhouse gases created from the cows and the cooking oils dumped down the drain], and she eats locally grown, organic food, just eating a meal can cause a disagreement. The more compatible people are on all levels, the easier the relationship will be and the more deeply connected the people can become because they are not arguing or debating all of the time. Instead, they can focus on creating a positive impact on society and the environment. ODS: Does the site itself also engage in carbon offsetting and recycling? PES: YES, of course! Here in Mt. Shasta we don’t have curbside recycling, so we save our recyclables and take them into the recycling center once a month or so. Most of the food I purchase does not have any packaging (fruits and veggies) and I bring my own cloth bags to the local health food store—and even re-use the plastic bags for fruits and veggies. In the summer, I shop at the local farmer’s market. In the winter, I buy locally grown, organic foods as much as possible (and even grow my own lettuce, tomatoes, basil and baby greens). I live and work out of my straw bale home, which is very energy efficient and all of the electricity is paid for with carbon offsetting. My team members work out of their homes too, so there is no extra office energy to waste and no one has to commute to work! ODS: What is the site’s rate of growth? How are you marketing it to reach a wider audience? PES: We are adding about 1200-1500 members a month now. It has been mostly word of mouth with a few mentions in stories by Newsweek and Grist.org in addition to many blog posts. We also use Google Adwords and receive inbound links from other environmentally conscious sites. We will have our affiliate program available shortly and are launching a PR campaign in April by pitching multiple booking agents at a Publicity Summit in NYC next month. ODS: Tell us some of your success stories! PES: My favorite recent one is that of my Dad (he just turned 68 and is one of the nicest men I know. He’s handsome, fun, environmentally conscious, athletic and the kind of guy that everyone loves). We lost my mom last May after a long struggle with lymphoma. My parents were married for 45 years and were still in love when my Mom passed. After my Dad mourned and recovered from the loss, he started dating women he was randomly meeting. I finally convinced him to join PES and not long after, he met his new girlfriend. They have been dating for about 4 months now and are madly in love! He is so happy, so of course, I’m happy for him too. |
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