Ready Made, owned by the Meredith Corporation, in it’s own words is “a bimonthly print magazine for people who like to make stuff, who see the flicker of invention in everyday objects-the perfectly round yolk in the mundane egg.”
It’s a creative magazine for the hip set who like to make things. Particularly, make things out of castoffs. Have an old sweater? Sew a few into new wool scarves. Better yet, sew a few together to make a new modern sweater. If you can get by what seems to be a “yuppie” gloss, you’ll find great DIY projects while recycling items you have in your home. You’ll also learn about what others are doing to be green. Being creative types-we like the magazine.
So you can imagine our surprise, while flipping through the February/March issue, when we come across a full page glossy ad insert for Natural American Spirit cigarettes made with 100% organic tobacco. It’s not only an advertisement but an offer for two $10 gift certificates toward any Natural American Spirit product of greater value. Aside from the typical Surgeon General’s Warning, there is a white, outlined box on the back side of the ad with these words “No additives in our tobacco does NOT mean a safer cigarette.” (A label ordered by the Federal Trade Commission in 2000).
At first we thought the ad was a savvy magazines “green” joke, until we looked up the company website. No kidding.
It’s no secret that smoking poses a significant risk to your health, not to mention the health of those in the smoke cloud around you. Tobacco advertising in the United States has been banned on television and radio for quite some time now. Australia, Finland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore and Thailand, among others, have banned all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Is an organic cigarette better for you or the environment and who is Natural American Spirit anyways?
Natural American Spirit cigarettes are manufactured through the subsidiaries of Reynolds American INC, who also offer cigarettes under the CAMEL, KOOL, PALL MALL, DORAL, WINSTON, SALEM, MISTY, and CAPRI brands, as well as under the DUNHILL and STATE EXPRESS 555 brands. They are the second largest tobacco company in the United States.
While the Natural American Spirit web site states “Supporting sustainable agriculture is part of our commitment to reducing our footprint on the Earth, and protecting our natural resources,” we still think tobacco is tobacco. If it kills people is it still sustainable?
So are organic tobacco cigarettes fooling anyone? We sure hope not. And we hope that Ready Made magazine thinks better of its readers in the future and places ads from real sustainable companies doing real (good) things for our environment.
From the mouth of a babe, our four year old son says, “Mommy, why do people just throw their cigarettes on the ground all over the place?” Good question.
What are your thoughts on organic cigarettes? Let us know in the comments section below or visit our forum and spark a smokin’ debate.
(Above photo is from the December/January 2008 issue)
That is weird!