Long Distance Love Takes A Toll

Photo: Rob Melnychuk / Getty Images

related articles

Long distance love might involve weirdly timed phone calls, fights over the inability to talk on demand, and constant worry about what the other might be doing.

But oh the anticipation of a visit! The flights and long drives to surprise your significant other and the joy at seeing one another at last.

But has anyone considered the third party in this relationship? The environment is hurting.

An article on Slate.com makes the case against long-distance relationships. That's right--the author wants you to go locasexual. You know, locavores, think local for your sexual appetite too.

The case is made by considering a couple comprised of a woman who lives in San Francisco and her boyfriend who lives in DC. If these two fly to see each other once a month, a carbon offset company would pin their romantic travels with the equivalent of 35 metric tons of CO2 each year.

As a result, the San Francisco resident's lifestyle would be about six times worse for the environment than that of the average gas-guzzling American, according to the author.

Proposing a Date Local movement, the author encourages us to think about sex miles like we do food miles: "Just how far was this person shipped to hook up with you? And how many times more efficient would it be to date someone within a 100-mile radius?"

There are other benefits to this movement. The author suggests people would be less anti-social. Daters could avoid the long stretches of abstinence between visits that could lead to negative health outcomes. And they could save and invest money otherwise spent on travel.

While dating local might seem less exciting than meeting someone cross country, the author says this movement would educate people about the environmental and social benefits of breaking up, and nudge them in the right direction.

In the end, if you choose to remain in your thrill ride of a relationship, the author offers this advice: "If you absolutely have to date long-distance, do it via Amtrak."

COMMENTS ()