Green dating site matches eco-friendly singles and saves trees

By Jonathan Cribbs, writer for MotherNatureNetwork.com

A Dutch Internet entrepreneur is hoping a new dating website dedicated to reforestation might help lonely environmentalists hug something more than just trees.

DateForTrees.com, which launched last June, pledges to donate a planted tree for each of the site's daters every month of their paid membership.

While Internet dating and environmental advocacy might not be the most intuitive business pairing, founder Ralph van Troost said last week it's the sort of novel, quirky mashup that might lead the site to greater success.

"I figured dating and reforestation — the environment — make a pretty unique combination, and they are both popular subjects."

The website is partnered with American Forests, a nonprofit conservation organization based in Washington, D.C. The group plants trees across the country to rejuvenate areas ravaged by wildfire, prevent soil erosion, stop pollutant runoff and rebuild endangered animal habitats. American Forests has planted more than 20 million trees over the last two decades, some of them in other countries, executive director Deborah Gangloff says. It tries to plant between 1 million and 5 million trees per year at a cost of about $1 each. None of the planted trees are harvested, Gangloff says, and are placed in protected areas.

"It's wonderful to see this kind of interest from organizations you wouldn't normally think would be environmental or into tree planning," she says. "There's so much that is needed in terms of tree planting that we welcome sponsors."

"It's very clear to people what happens with the donations DateForTrees makes," van Troost says. "In fact, the name of the site says it all. I hope all of this will give the members of DateForTrees a sense of greater involvement with the environment, especially when compared to other [more passive] 'green' dating sites."

General dating is already difficult for most people, let alone the eco-conscious who typically seek mates with similar environmental concerns, she says.

"It's difficult for singles to meet these days, period," says Jill Crosby, founder of Planet Earth Singles. "Everyone's just gotten so busy. … You can go to different events and charitable fundraisers to meet fellow environmentalists, but who knows if they're single or if they're available or emotionally available. … I just know how important it is for green people to meet other green people. You don't want to be dating someone that's eating at McDonald's and leading a wasteful life. It just doesn't go together well."