I just read a manifesto on sustainable design, and thought I’d share some thoughts on sustainability and the wild world of sex toys. (it will be more feisty than boring, I promise. Keep reading.)

1. Buy quality. Quality anything lasts longer than crappy anything. It’s a simple concept, really. Sounds easy enough. But of course, there are complications. Quality costs money that not everyone has. Quality usually lives in locations that aren’t always accessible. Buying Quality takes feeling worthy of Quality, and there are many people who have the money but don’t have the self-esteem. No matter how much L’Oreal tells us “we’re worth it” sometimes we just don’t agree.

But in addition to these very important factors, there’s a bigger, glaring challenge to Quality, put forth by the sex toy industry itself: Most companies make crap. (ouch. really? yes. really.) The bulk of “marital aids” are made for little and sold for lots, and break shortly after they escape their tacky packaging.

Making crap shouldn’t be tolerated. But it is. Not only by customers (who, understandably, don’t feel comfortable stomping up to the sex-toy-salesman and demanding their money back for a toy that broke after two orgasms), but also by the industry’s media. I have never read a bad review of a sex toy in a trade magazine.

Let me repeat that: I have NEVER read a bad review of a sex toy in a trade magazine. Never does AVN (or any other sex toy magazine) say “Wow, this product was louder than my lawnmower for four seconds, then overheated, turned off, and started smoking”, or “The packaging was a total lie! 100% silicone my ass!” I get frustrated with this, because I really like reading through these magazines (AVN in particular, which doesn’t hesitate to give porn bad reviews). Without honest reviews (such as the ones provided on GV’s website), how are you supposed to find a toy that lasts as long as you do?
Thus, buying Quality is hard because finding Quality is hard.

The following is my list of top notch toys. Not all of them are hella expensive, and not all of them are vibrators. I’ll save the rest of my sustainability rant for next time.

And the winners are:

Wood toys. The Fling is my favorite (fantastic g-spot-action-while-giving-head toy. Oh, and it fits in your purse. Hello Bathroom At the Lex Sex. Slip in, slip out, rinse off, and go). Made of sustainable (and recyclable) materials. And absolutely gorgeous.

Anything Lelo. Seriously. These folks know how to make high-quality, high-class, high-orgasm-count toys. At the Valencia St. store, we have been selling the Liv like it’s our job (well, it is our job, but still). Every single employee has fallen in love with Liv and her sister Gigi. Small, strong, and long lasting. And rechargeable. Does it get any better than that?

Maybe. Have you met my friend named Turbo Glider? At 1/5 the price of the Liv, Turbo Glider is a bit more affordable and a lot more waterproof. Not rechargeable or high tech, but dear lord these suckers last. The display/tester of this vibe lasts longer than any battery operated toy in the store.

Metal toys are great too, as well as are hard plastic. Silicone is a tricky one. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE my silicone. But it’s not recyclable. So when you’re done with the dildo (or the partner who bought the dildo), you just kinda throw them away. Throwing stuff away = not good. But the benefits of the material are so numerous in so many other ways that, well….like I said, it’s tricky.

Fashionistas. Of course I would stick a porn in here, people. You know me and my porn. Fashionistas fits into sustainable because it’s so fucking long, and filled with such a variety of sex acts that you really don’t need a million other pornos when you have this one. Bondage. Ass play. Great script. Costumes. Belladonna. Chemistry. Natural Bodies. Belladonna. Granted, the dvd comes with the soundtrack, which is more often than not just tossed in the trash (sorry Mr. Soundtrack Man. I’m being honest here), and throwing stuff away = not good, but I still think this is one porn you will not chuck into the wastebasket.

Knead Me Massage Lotion in Morning Dew. My logic with this one: if you get the 16oz bottle, you waste fewer small bottles. The scent is calming and still somehow seductive (in a little-bit earth-loving kinda way), and the lotion is great for massage and for dry skin in general. Remember, multi purpose = good.

Before I sign off for the day, I did want to say that at GV we try really hard to carry as much Quality as we can. If you find something that we haven’t found, let us know. The more info we get flowing about sex toys (about more sex toys than just the Rabbit an the Hitachi), the more Quality will be made.

And did I tell you that my goal for the summer is to be able to do a pull up? Yeah. Totally not connected, but so?

yours in trying not to fuck up the planet,

jameson.

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