Category: Student Responses – EcoSex U Conn

1 of 3 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Margulis and Sagan’s Symbiotic Planet – Student Responses: Alexandra’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan’s Symbiotic Planet was one of two theory-of-science books. We got three responses: from Alexandra, John, and Adam.

Here’s Alexandra‘s take:

Response to Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan’s Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution

As an English major, I am not too fond of science. I did briefly go through a phase in which I was a marine biology enthusiast, grasping at any information on oceans and the creatures that inhabit them, but after that brief explosion of passion, I retired science for pencil and paper and books-lots and lots of books. I have tried since to ignite a spark for biology once more, and have failed, and failed, and failed. Symbiotic Planet, however, strikes my fancy.

Now, I am not saying that science will once more possess me due to this book. I am only pointing out the fact that Symbiotic Planet appeals to people who aren’t science based through its use of poetic language and beautiful facts, as well as it’s mix of hard science and personal experience.

The author, Lynn Margulis, places stunning excerpts at the start of each chapter. Whilst reading through the book, my mind attempts to connect these whimsical words with the theme of each chapter. This search for connection makes reading the more monotonous (at least in my eyes) scientific facts interesting. I have not yet found many feasible links, but I am intrigued.

Furthermore, I find Lynn Margulis’ emphasis on the interconnectedness of all life forms to be beautiful. Awe-stricken by the perfect dependence of the earth’s species on each other, I can’t help but to inhale the author’s words. The idea that symbiosis has such a profound effect on evolution, on the now, and the future, is almost spiritual. Despite the endless wars, the disgusting ways in which we slaughter animals, and the general cruelty of a variety of species, including the homo sapiens, the children of the earth-the fish, the bugs, the lions, humans- must depend on each other to further evolution and therefore to enhance the planet.

This idea intertwined with the theory titled Gaia, forms an elaborate web of beauty. Looking at the earth as a living organism, further connects every being on this planet, for in Gaian theory, every species is part of earth, and is thus part of the same organism. By viewing all species as one, humans strengthen their link with nature. This thought is a powerful one, for it has the power to spur a movement of care. If we believe that humans share something innate with the earth, will we not cease to destroy it and her creatures? I believe that a dearth of emphasis on individuality, specifically the idea that humans are higher or better or just different than the rest of Mother Earth’s creatures, will decrease our craving for money and other superfluous things. My belief stems from the idea that when we link ourselves with the grandeurs of nature, we will realize how insignificant we, as humans, are. This feeling of insignificance however is not painful or detrimental. It instead is beautiful, for it gives perspective. It places shifts our focus from greed and ambition to the things that really matter, such as the well being of others, kindness, and happiness.

To digress from the above rant, I will now write of a statement I found especially intriguing. Lynn Margulis speaks of how a “modern woman must be almost octopoid in her attention if she is to survive. Holding the infant in one arm… she stirs the pot with the other, while she watches the toddler”(18). This statement leads me to the following questions:

Do you agree with this claim?
What does this mean for women, working or not, of today?

Why do women feel the need to balance everything?

Why is not acceptable for women to focus only on one thing?

Alexandra Mayer
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports scheduled every other Thursday. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Info and Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

4 of 4 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Anapol’s The 7 Natual Laws of Love – Student Responses: John’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love, was one of two introductory books. We got four responses: from Alissa, Rhiann, Adam, and John.

Here’s John‘s take:

Response to Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love

–>

Contrary to others’ expectations, I liked this book and not just because it had footnotes and all. (The difference being that Dr. Anapol is talking about esoteric topics here. You can talk about esoteric things all you want without citing statistics or sources but it certainly helps; Weiss was declaring numbers and scientific experiments without actually saying where she got her information from before making alarmist claims). I really like the idea of applying spirituality to solving material problems. Thich Nhat Hanh, His Holiness Dalai Lama XIV, and Aang Sun Suu Kyi are all on board with this idea, all of them subscribing to Engaged Buddhism.

I really have no criticisms of this book. I think it’s an interesting philosophy. It’s one that she not arrives logically and experientially, but also provides Exercises to put her Laws into practice (something a lot of philosophers fail to do).

That said, it was something of an emotional read. Dr. Anapol writes on pg. 20,

… sometimes people have the experience of hearing the words ‘I love you’ but inwardly feeling the words are a lie. Instead of trusting the gut feeling, they believe they should feel loved. They may judge themselves for not being open to the love or decide that they are damaged and unable to tolerate being loved. If they later learn their intuition was accurate, they may go on to become mistrustful of others and doubt that the words and the love could ever be congruent.

I’ve experienced this in different forms. My mother, for example, was so sensitive to the tiny phrase “I love you” that she wouldn’t even allow the word “hate” in the house (in any context) saying that it would invite us to hate each other. She once accused me of loving our dog more than her, which made it difficult to respond, “I love you.” Accusing is typically not a loving action.

The same thing happened with my relationship a year ago. The woman I was in love with encouraged me to say those words as if they held a certain magical power. Apparently the only power they held was to unravel the relationship. As soon as we said them to each other, our relationship fell apart. My friends remember that time saying I was “less than a month away from alcohol poisoning.” I’m still trying to work through the exact definition of “love” and this book helped me move past that incident just a little bit.

Obviously, I found a lot of stuff in this book that directly applied to my own experiences. My most recent relationship ended just before reading this book. We hadn’t spoken in days precisely because we didn’t know how to talk to each other any more. Our conversations always became offensive or taken in the wrong context. We slowly retreated from each other because we were always walking on pins and needles. Finally, when we finally decided that we needed to address our communication issue, we became completely honest with each other, explained our hurts and attempts at communication and why we were so unresponsive, there was a strong connection that suddenly developed and breaking up seemed like a horrible idea, but a necessary one. Then this line on page 78 hit home,

Have you ever noticed that whenever someone honestly expresses whatever they are feeling – with no blame, defensiveness, self-deception or hidden agenda – you feel a surge of love? Even if what’s been said is not what you wanted to hear, the very act of vulnerable self-disclosure draws love like a magnet.

This is the perfect description of what happened between us. It’s something that I’m not sure I would have been able to fully understand without experiencing it first hand, and I’m very happy I did.

I really enjoyed reading this book and feel like I need to go through it a second time to digest fully the experiences Dr. Anapol had with these spiritual masters.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Did you find any quotes that you might not have understood without experiencing them first?

2. Are there “types” of love? For example, is there an inherent difference between the parent/child love and what one would experience during an intimate sexual relationship?

John Nitowski
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

3 of 4 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Anapol’s The 7 Natural Laws of Love – Student Responses: Adam’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love, was one of two introductory books. We got four responses: from Alissa, Rhiann, Adam, and John.

Here’s Adam‘s take:

Response to Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love

I found “The Seven Natural Laws of Love”, by Deborah Anapol, to be a pleasant surprise. I am an emotional person, but I prefer to put up a stoic front and regard talk of love from a distance. Needless to say, I started this book with trepidation, but that dissipated almost immediately. Anapol writes in a warm, relaxing manner about topics which make many people, myself included, uncomfortable, and she succeeds at getting the reader to let down their guard.

One thing I found truly pleasant about the book was that each chapter, in addition to articulately, if not somewhat fancifully, exploring the seven laws of love, had exercises for the reader to undertake. I performed some of them over the course of the week, and found them to be eye-opening. This interactive quality made the book more entertaining and animated.

I will say though that I did not really feel a deep connection to Anapol’s book. I felt rather unrepresented; the target audience being young, heterosexual women, I felt overlooked by Anapol’s study and research – as if it did not truly apply to me, being a non-heterosexual male. My view of love also differs from Anapol’s. I do not disagree with much of what she says and believes; in fact, I completely agree with many of her main points, some of which being that the true source of love is one’s self and that truth and forgiveness are essential for a loving relationship. However, I got the sense that Anapol views love as a deeply spiritual, ethereal enigma. I view love, more or less, as a flood of hormones, some of which being dopamine and serotonin, and various psychological attachments. I am not a very spiritual person – I do not believe that Anapol’s view of love is wrong and mine is right, and I am not trying to undermine the importance of love. I am merely saying that her phrasing of love and her experiences seemed, in a way, foreign to me.

All that said, I am glad that I read The Seven Natural Laws of Love. It was enjoyable, and I walk away with some very practical, true, useful advice and knowledge.

Adam Kocurek
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

2 of 4 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Anapol’s The 7 Natural Laws of Love – Student Responses: Rhiann’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love, was one of two introductory books. We got four responses: from Alissa, Rhiann, Adam, and John.

Here’s Rhiann‘s take:

Response to Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love

–>

The Seven Natural Laws of Love is a text that I am generating an abundance of connections to. I appreciate the exercises scattered amongst the pages. Each one helped me to connect to the text. The exercise and section that I connected with most is the Longing for Love section in Chapter Two: The Law of Source. I have always wondered why it seems that I long for love more than my peers around me. Anapol explained longing in an analogy with fine chocolates. She wrote, “if you have never tasted chocolate, you do not crave it. Once you have sampled its delights, you want more. And once you’ve had fine chocolate, nothing less will satisfy you.” This analogy reassured me that indeed I have been deeply in love before and explained to me that this is why I will not settle for anything less.

The second piece to this puzzle is that a longing for great love merely activates our quest. However, the quest to find this in someone else is not the answer. Chapter two explained that one must look for this love within themselves. The realization that, “ you feel love when you are being loving, not when you are being loved by another” is valuable. Before reading this text, I was aware of this. Recently, I have committed to guiding myself towards the person I was when I had been in love before in hopes to find it again. I started with self adjustments after hearing the age old quote along the lines of no one will love you until you love yourself. I have changed my diet and exercise habits to find peace with my body. I have started listening to the music I used to like the most. I have started therapy to work on my emotional issue. The list goes on and on. Strangely enough after a short time, I already feel like I am returning to the state of being I was in when I was my most happiest and in love. Even more strangely enough an intimate relationship seemingly just landed at my feet. My recent experiences and this section of the text have truly proved to me that I am love. Love is within me. To have the love I have been longing for since the first time I tasted it, I have to be love, and be in love with myself to be in love with others.

The exercise in this section also really inspired me. It essentially instructed you to convince yourself that you already possess the love in which you seek and to practice this exercise when you feel that yearning. I definitely am going to continue to use this exercise. In terms of discussion, I would love to know if others were also inspired by this section. Do you think the exercise is valuable? Also, who amongst us is steadfast in their love that they have for themselves and others?

Rhiann Peterson
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports to be scheduled soon. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Info and Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

1 of 4 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Anapol’s The 7 Natural Laws of Love – Student Responses: Alissa’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love, was one of two introductory books. We got four responses: from Alissa, Rhiann, Adam, and John.

Here’s Alissa‘s take:

Response to Deborah Anapol’s The Seven Natural Laws of Love

Deborah Anapol brings up a few points that I can agree with, but some of her laws do not make much sense or apply to my life. I agree with the argument that love is dependent upon trust, she believes that the more there is trust the more love will grow. This belief seems to make a lot of sense seeing as what is a relationship that is based on lies or loopholes. The more two people are able to share with each other the more open and willing to commit they will be. Trust is where many relationships hit a downward spiral because they cannot fully be truthful and accept their past. Although trust is an important part of love I do not think that always being truthful will lead to understanding.

A concept that confused me was the concept that love is always inside you and you cannot lose love, but you are love. The idea that love is not dependent upon other people I am skeptical of. Just because I am allowing love to embody me and allowing it into my life does not mean that I will feel loved. This may sound superficial but I do think love comes from other people and even sometimes material items. Getting a well thought out gift whether it has been made by hand or something that someone knew you wanted for a while, feels to me like love. It is not the gift that creates the love, but the thought behind it; the concept that someone knew you well enough to pick something or create something that fits you perfectly. I am unsure of whether I feel like love comes from other people due to the social constraints and the commercialized version of love seen in the media. The idea that love is always present within you is a concept to me that seems far-fetched.

The law of unity is the law that I see as being the most relevant because the concept of love to me includes everyone whether they believe it or not. Love does not discriminate based on background or social class, although some people feel as if they have never been loved. I understand that love in not tangible, but the acts of love, anywhere from a smile to a new car, are displays of love. I cannot wrap my head around the idea that if someone wishes to be loved and opens themselves to being loved, that they will feel loved. The concept of love that society created which makes the most sense to me requires at least two people to create this bond. I think that author was successful from the viewpoint that she brought up relatable concepts and characteristics, but I do not tend to follow her whole argument.

Questions:

Does the law of source imply that you love yourself more than you can love another being? Can you love another being according to this law?

Is listening to your heart over other beliefs and morals the honorable route to choose?

Alissa Maus
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

6 of 6 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Weiss’s EcoSex – Student Report: Michael’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets, was one of two introductory books. We got five responses: from John, Alex, Adam, Rhiann, Alissa, and Michael.

Here’s Michael’s take:

Response to Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets

–>

I found EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheetsto be an interesting introduction to the eco-sexual movement. The first thing that struck me generally about the book was that Stephanie Iris Weiss wrote it very directly with a primarily female gendered audience in mind. This intrigued me because this is something that I had never consciously thought about in a book that I had read.

As to the actual content of the book, I found most of her discussion of harmful chemicals and science came from a reasonable footing given my experience in science classes. However, within the section on “Scent and Sensibility” in Chapter 2, I thought the Weiss’s writing was sensationalist to a degree because she uses the term volatile organic compound (VOCs) to demonize the chemical fragrance of perfumes. While I agree with Weiss’s criticism of secretive “proprietary blends” from mainstream perfumers, I felt that the broad use of the term VOCs was problematic because it gives the impression that all of these compounds are harmful when it is just the subset of synthetic ones that are. The aromatics and DIY alternatives she describe all contain VOCs as well because all scents we are capable of detecting are because of VOCs and I think it misinforms the layman reader into possibly thinking all of these compounds may be harmful.

In addition, with many of the products she recommends, Weiss stresses the importance of buying them in the organic variety. While supporting organic products is definitely a good thing, I would have liked a discussion of the eco-friendly trade-off between buying local non-organic products and organic products that require burning oil to ship them long distances. Similarly, I would have liked her to bring up the environmental harms of lithium mining in her discussion of hybrid vehicles and technology.

Questions

1) Is it more important to buy a local product that may not be organically certified or a product that has to be shipped a long distance but that is organic?

2) How do you think technology and our society’s mantra of recycling electronics on a biannual basis fits into the eco-sexual lifestyle?

3) How much of the advice and tips in the book do you plan to incorporate into your own life?

Michael Maranets
Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports to be scheduled soon. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

5 of 6 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Weiss’s EcoSex – Student Responses: Adam’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets, was one of two introductory books. We got five responses: from John, Alex, Adam, Rhiann, Alissa, and Michael.

Here’s Adam’s take:

Response to Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets

I found “Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable”, by Stefanie Iris Weiss, to be a very interesting, informative manual, if you will. The book is very well written, and done so in such a way that the author maintains a conversational tone while upholding a sense of authority and, in some cases, even severity. This writing style makes reading effortless and kept me captivated.

In addition to being composed eloquently and effectively, Weiss touches upon, examines, and reflects upon some real problems and conundrums we all face, and offers meaningful, realistic answers. It is difficult, in this day and age, to live a completely green, vegan lifestyle, but “Eco-Sex, Go Green Between the Sheets” makes the possibility infinitely more feasible by providing practical advice and expansive lists of ‘green’ companies, recipes, products, etc.

One of the things I learned and found most interesting is how companies attempt to ‘greenwash’ their names and products. I did not know the full extent to which companies will blatantly lie and mislead consumers about the environmental-friendliness of their products and practices, and I did not fully know how inept we, as patrons, and our government, as a regulator, are at reigning in these practices. Weiss’s argument, that our synthetic, chemical-laced, inorganic, excessively consumptive lifestyles are to account for many of our ailments and environmental issues, is well founded, and discussed ad nauseam throughout the book.

I found myself feeling very critical of myself and my routines as I read further into the text. I always considered myself to be an aware, conservative, conscious consumer, and I always recycle everything I can and have a vegetarian diet. However, after reading this book, I feel as though that is not truly enough. My discussion questions are thus: in what aspects were you living ‘greenly’ before this book, and what, if anything, do you plan on changing after reading it?

Adam Kocurek

Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports to be scheduled soon. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

4 of 6 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Weiss’s EcoSex – Student Responses: Rhiann’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets, was one of two introductory books. We got five responses: from John, Alex, Adam, Rhiann, Alissa, and Michael.

Here’s Rhiann’s take:

Response to Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets

–>

The first topic I felt compelled to respond to is personal care products. I was shocked to learn about greenwashing, the false advertising surrounding “green” products in America. The book states that any product with an “infinitesimal” amount of natural ingredients is able to market themselves as natural or organic despite the rest of it’s ingredients. Thus, tricking consumers into buying said product. As I read on, I learned that in Europe there are laws against this phenomenon. Products are required to be at least 70{a9d64f7890d157e71e6efcce19e215a5f853c7f4151cde0b7bf7aada464173f6} composed of organic and natural substances in order to be marketed in such a way. This truly confused me and brought me to my first question. Why does Europe have these standards that we in America have no regards for? From the rest of the information in the section, it seems as if Europe is more conscious and proactive in it’s efforts for a green movement. As a matter of fact, Europe makes it look so easy to pass these laws that benefit their citizens. So why is it so challenging for us to do the same? Even if America started with banning false advertising, we would be on our way to saving the environment.

Along with this topic I was also moved to respond to the list of fifteen toxic ingredients to avoid in personal care. As I read the list, I attempted to visualize the products I use on a daily basis. More often than not, I repeatedly came up with examples that fit into the list somewhere. I continued to ponder if I could give up the products in my head especially having gained the new knowledge that they are indeed toxic to me. At first, I could not imagine giving anything up. Fortunately the book illustrated recipes and other products to try. The authors did not make me feel guilty for wanting to look and feel sexy. I appreciated that message more than I can communicate. However, as I went through the list I saw many brands that I had never heard of. This made me wonder, how expensive are these products and how accessible are they to me? I was really intrigued by the coconut oil suggestion. I continued to look up the website that was provided and found out that the product was about 40 dollars! I’m sure if I broke it down into uses and amounts it would be less expensive. However, this just kept me wondering… why is it so expensive to go green? I am gaining the consciousness but still lacking the funds. Overall, I chose to base my response on beauty and cosmetics because I am as much dependent on them as I am passionate about them.

Rhiann Peterson

Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports to be scheduled soon. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

3 of 6 – EcoSex @ U Conn – Weiss’s EcoSex – Student Responses: Alex’s Take

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets, was one of two introductory books. We got five responses: from John, Alex, Adam, Rhiann, Alissa, and Michael.

Here’s Alex’s take:

Response to Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets

–>

Eco-Sex does not mess around. The author, Stefanie Iris Weiss, utilizes many emotional and logical tactics in order to incite a revolution. Her first words, printed on page nine, showcase an emotional ploy. She breaks down the average eco-enthusiasts’ actions and renders them, more or less, useless. The words, “at least that’s what you tell yourself as you carry home your ‘I Am Not a Plastic Bag’ tote filled with nontoxic goodies,” following the description of the self righteous attitude of many environment lovers, serve to stab the ego of said activists. By yanking away one’s image, Stefanie Iris Weiss succeeds in producing somewhat of an identity crisis. Left feeling insignificant and kind of dumb, the reader yearns to re-establish herself as a valid member of the green community.

Stefanie Iris Weiss furthers the reader’s guilt by sharing the most extreme actions a person could take to ensure the environment’s well being. “A die-hard eco-sexual might have his or her tubes ‘tied’ and commit to not having kids,” the author states on page six. Gazing at these words, the reader is forced to comprehend how much more the could contribute or sacrifice to protect Mother Earth. Now, of course, most readers will not proceed to act out the intense scenarios Stefanie Iris Weiss offers, but many will be prompted to do something, rather than to blindly follow the trends of the “green movement.”

Knowing that humans are inherently selfish-beings, Stefanie Iris Weiss continues to appeal to self interest. “Face it,” she says on page nine, “you are not exploring exo-sexuality just because you want to save whales or trees– you’re doing it to save yourself. And why wouldn’t you.” Through these words, the author makes a case that protecting the earth is analogous with protecting yourself. This, of course, prompts readers to take Stefanie Iris Weiss’ statements seriously. Furthermore, through the words “And why wouldn’t you,” Stefanie acknowledges that it’s okay to long for self-health, and in turn strips any offence from the above sentence.

She continues to appeal to self interest by utilizing fear. She talks of a study that found “456 industrial pollutants, pesticides, and other chemicals in the blood, urine, and breast milk of 115 people, from newborns to teens and adults”(9). This statistic, effectively creates fear in the readers mind. Weary of chemicals not noticed in his/her own body, one will eagerly grasp for more information on how to avoid such offenses to nature, and more importantly to the self.

Still, I assume Stefanie does not crave widespread panic or chaos, but simply wants to spark interest. Said interest will in turn produce consciousness. A major theme, and the core, of Eco-Sex. Many people long to make a difference, to help in some way or another, but are unable to produce a significant change due to the confines of ignorance. How is it possible to act if you are unaware of the ways in which to act? This book makes it possible for the bright-eyed newbies, like me, to get in on saving our planet. Underneath the persuasion, the book is, at its heart, an informative text.

After reading only the intro, I realize how painfully unaware I am. This new comprehension goads me into not only reading this book but also into reading various other informative pieces on environmental help.

Questions: The tone of this book is a tad snarky, does this help the author in inciting a sexual revolution?

How does knowing about “greenwashing” affect your decision to buy certain products? Will it make you more vigilant? How do you even know what ingredients are bad?
Is there a way to educate the masses? I only the information in this book because of this class!

Alexandra Mayer

Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings:

Let “nature” be your teacher in the arts of love. Education is the heart of democracy, education to love. Come back for more wonders: Students Responses to appear every Tuesday. Book Reports to be scheduled soon. Check out our summer offerings: Ecosexuality in Portland, OR, July 17-21. Registration here!

Namaste,

Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio, PhD

Gilf Gaia Extraordinaire

Author of Gaia, Eros, and many other books about love
Professor of Humanities

University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez

Poly Planet GAIA Blog:
http://polyplanet.blogspot.com/

Website: www.serenagaia.com

Be Appraised of Ecosex Community Project PostaHouse
Become a Fan: www.facebook.com/GaiaBlessings

Author’s Page/Lists all books:

http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001JS1VKA

YouTube Uploaded Videos: http://www.youtube.com/SerenaAnderlini

http://polyplanet.blogspot.com

2 of 6: EcoSex @ U Conn – Weiss’s EcoSex – Student Responses: Alissa’s Take –

Dear Earthlings:

The EcoSex course at U Conn is in process. It’s a great experience. We are reading amazing books. Thinking out of the box and across disciplines. Students are sending their responses in, with discussion questions. In class, we connect the dots: a holograph of what we’ve read together, the “required readings.” Multiple perspectives and good synergy. Here, we offer a glimpse. Stefanie Iris Weiss’s EcoSex: Go Green Between the Sheets, was one of two introductory books. We got five responses: from John, Alex, Adam, Rhiann, Alissa, and Michael.

Here’s Alissa’s take:

–>

Eco-sexuality has a viable argument for why people should change their habits not only to help the environment we live in, but to protect themselves as well. I think the fatal flaw to eco-sexuality is that considering it is a newer topic, not enough people are well versed in the subject matter. After reading Eco-Sex I feel as if I am more aware of the subject, but prior to reading the book I had no idea about all the waste and hazards to things that seemed as simple as perfume. The book is not only useful in the respect that it can educate others, but it elaborates and gives sources and alternatives. The problem I always saw with buying organic products, before enough knowing about all the false advertising that surrounds green products, is that they are much more expensive. Organic products always seemed to be more expensive, but the author points out that there are cheaper “do it yourself” methods that not only work, but are fairly easy to make.

Eco-sexuality has a huge shock factor, while reading I wanted to get up and check all the products I own for certain chemicals and even contemplated the vegan lifestyle. Admittedly I was scared while reading the book, thinking about how all the products I have used could be causing me harm on the inside or could lead to things as extreme as cancer. Eco-sexuality is not just about saving the environment it is about making a change to satisfy yourself and your future. The concept of eco-sexuality is particularly appealing because it includes more than just buying products that are eco-friendly but the term “eco” applies to how the product came to be. What type of materials a product was wrapped in, or how are the conditions for the workers who made the product? Eco-sexuality encompasses a wide range of factors that affect how the product came to be.

Eco-sexuality is a striking concept because in the book it speaks about improving your sex life by eating correctly or doing natural things to relax, but in the end the book is speaking about activities and products that will create a healthier and happier person. The tips given that follow the guidelines of eco-sexuality are the keys to a happier, more secure you. The book takes the focus off buying things because it is the easy choice or not exercising because you do not feel like it. Eco-sexuality focuses on the positive effects that living an eco-sexual life will give you. The author makes the reader more aware of ways to boost their morale while doing something that is healthy and environment friendly.

The author presents a new perspective of that opposing the media and the greenwashing or brainwashing they lead members of society to believe absurd ideas. I like how the author still allows the reader to hold their own opinion, but allow them to view the situation from an alternate perspective. The author shows how the media and pharmaceutical companies make people insecure about problems that may be easily fixable. Stephanie Iris Weiss allows her readers the freedom to be themselves while reading. She does not force any ideas upon her readers, but gives them sources to back up her opinions and the ideals of eco-sexuality.

Why do you think that more people have not adapted to an eco-sexual lifestyle?

What are the disadvantages you see or that could potentially create a problem in living an eco-sexual lifestyle?

Does society’s view or conformity make an eco-sexual lifestyle more difficult to lead?

Alissa Maus

Published with permission

WGSS 3998 – Ecosexuality and the Ecology of Love

Prof. Serena Anderlini-D’Onofrio

U Conn, Storrs, Spring 2013

Course Announcement and Description

Dear Earthlings: