“Eco-Dumping” sounds like a landfill problem, but it’s actually a dating trend. (Though if your ex is garbage, you know it’s basically the same thing.) According to relationship experts from The Match Group, “eco-dumping” is breaking off a relationship, or even an online match, because of someone’s poor treatment of the planet. And eco-dumping is becoming a growing cultural phenomenon, as pinpointed by the dating professionals at Plenty of Fish.
They conducted a giant study (like, 8000 singles) that indicates 20% of daters included in the survey have or know someone who has “dumped someone because their views on climate change and the environment didn't align.” That means one in five people have participated in eco-dumping when they’ve spotted a match using single-use plastics or blaming carbon emissions on aliens. (This is where carbon emissions actually come from, FYI.)
Meanwhile, 39% say they’re only looking for partners “with a keen interest in the environment,” (So obviously, your first question on Bumble should be, “Hi, do you read Wild Elements?” Just saying…) Other big dating trends ladder back to the planet, too, including Main Character Syndrome— thinking you’re the most important life form on earth, instead of knowing we’re all connected—and Heat Doming, where you share energy-draining amenities like air conditioning or heating to keep costs down.
One more dating trend we’d add to the 2022 pile? The Voter Veto—when we find out someone is eligible to vote but just won’t, and all their former sex appeal drains straight out of our… uh… ballot box. After all, if you can’t be bothered to use your energy for fundamental personal, reproductive, and planetary rights at the polls, why should we use our energy to blow your mind in bed?
Good luck out there, and remember, if the Apps hit a dry spell, spending time in nature with friends, or with yourself, is also the perfect dream date.
