If you’re single and have a “Green” conscience, it is likely you want to meet a Green partner. After all, we all want a partner who is sympathetic to the same causes when it involves particular lifestyle choices. I read a cute term which I think applies nicely – we do tend to label ourselves, don’t we? – if you want a Green partner, you are looking for someone who is eco-sexual. In the same resource I also read that a study showed that more than 75% of people surveyed found planet-friendly qualities attractive. So just what are the best ways to meet a Green partner?
Trust in Lady Luck. Oddly enough--if you don’t try, then you are highly likely to meet a Green partner. Let’s break down the logic of it into four parts:
One: you cannot choose whom you are attracted to, so even if you meet a million “Green” people, you cannot guarantee that you will be attracted to them.
Two: you are a “Green” and most people tend to be attracted to people they have things in common with. This means that you are going to be drawn to people who have a Green attitude; more importantly, they will be attracted to you.
Three: you are a “Green” and will occasionally partake of Green activities, such as going to farmers markets. There is a high probability that other Greens of the opposite sex are also going to be doing these things, thereby increasing your chances of meeting one.
Four: a loving relationship changes people for better or for worse. If your partner falls in love with you, it is likely that he or she will understand your “Green” stance, will recognize your passion for it and empathize enough to change “Green” themselves. Plus, you will find that your Green ways will rub off on your partner anyway.
Make your own luck! Do things that are going to move you one step closer to finding the “Green” person of your dreams. Sitting at home waiting to be rescued is what lonely people do. Is there a speed dating for Greens available in your area? If not, then why not set one up? Is the rent for your local community centre really that expensive? Are posters in local shops and adverts online really going to drain your savings? You could even make a profit if you convince enough people to visit. Is there a dating site for single Greens in your state? Why not set one up? It doesn’t even have to be a dating site, you could set up a single-Greens-email newsletter, which encourages Greens to meet in certain places or attend local Green events. Life will make you single--inaction will keep you single!
There is more to volunteering with Greenpeace than hanging off the side of whaling ships, or stirring the tea for the elderly volunteers in the Greenpeace charity shops. Try their website and look for a small internship. You will be surprised at the eye-watering amount of jobs they have available for interns. You can volunteer for everything from fundraising and charity shops, to research, marketing and scientific testing. You will find that everybody who is even slightly involved with Greenpeace will be incredibly “Green,” and so will all his or her friends. So even if you are working on a new event with three people in an office, when you meet with them outside of volunteering, you will be introduced to their friends (aka, more Green people). No matter what you do within the Greenpeace charity, you will always find yourself swimming in Greens and will greatly increase your chance to meet a Green partner.
These are good if you can go with a friend, otherwise you may end up looking like a “Nelly no friends.” However, if you work nearby then you can pop in for your lunch every now and again. Maybe you will see another person eating alone whom you can strike up a conversation with. Try asking them how their meal is whilst you are picking yours from the menu. Pretend as if you are having trouble picking something from the menu, and you would like his/her advice.
Some sites allow you to specify lifestyle choices in your profile and then search out people with similar interests. The people on dating sites are not ideal if you are looking for long term dating, but stranger things have happened than a person finding love from a dating site. You will find two flaws with dating sites. The first is that many of the people on there are just after sex with strangers. Secondly, there are a lot of fake profiles that are set up to make the number of members look bigger, or to sell you things (such as mail order spouses). The ability to filter the people on the site into lifestyle choices means that you can target people with “Green” beliefs. If you mention your Green lifestyle on your description then you may attract other Greens.
You can try attending marketing events for things such as solar cells if you are looking for a middle-aged and affluent person, or you can try an organic shop opening if you want to meet a wider age range. If you are in University then you can find out about “Green” events from Green groups (which you may also join). If you check online you will also find Green events such as farmers markets and Green energy conventions. There are even events that attract a conscientious crowd, most of whom are Greens, such as animal adoption events and fundraisers.
Profiling is a marketing method where you research into the habits of certain type of person so that you can anticipate what they will do next. For example, if you were looking for a shy, intellectual partner then a profile of that type of person may suggest that you are more likely to meet him or her in a bookstore or at a freestyle poetry bar/café. Where do you start? You start with yourself. As a “Green” person--what are your hobbies? What do you do with your time? Where do you work? How old are you now and how old were you when you became a Green? Then start profiling with demographic information found online and find out if Green people earn a certain amount or are more likely to have children. After building a profile of a Green, you may be surprised at the things you can second guess. For example, you discover that Greens with children do not like buying family sized cars, so will send their kids to school on a bus, but through fear of their safety they set up a neighborhood watch. You may discover that your local neighborhood watch meetings are loaded with Greens. Profiling can give you information that you would have never otherwise guessed, for example, did you know that vegetarians search for recipes online. According to Google Trends, at one point last year, 88% of searches for the word “recipe” had the word “vegetarian” before or after it. With this information you could add vegetarian recipes on your blog, join local recipe forums, start discussions on social media about vegetarian recipes. All of these would put you in touch with other Greens.
Targeting the type of people you consider suitable as a mate is always fraught with pitfalls and there really is no foolproof method whether you want to meet a Green partner or a rich sugar daddy. This was just a few suggestions for how you might hook up with a fellow eco-sexual. Good luck in your quest and do let us know if the tips work.