All “Mad Man” fans have their favorite characters and are bracing themselves for the show’s last episode. While I’ve always been fond of Peggy (I love quipy writers) and have a strange love/hate relationship with Pete (have fun in Wichita, buddy), I have always been taken with Joan Holloway.

Joan is one of the first women in the “Mad Men” universe to break into the ad world’s boys club. We meet her on the show’s first episode as she coaches Peggy, the “new girl,” on how to behave in a busy, sex-crazed, and booze-fueled office atmosphere. Joan is firm, elegant, and it’s obvious that all the men in the office are smitten with her. But does Joan care? No. Joan cares about her job and getting work done, no matter how many disgusting advances she gets every day.

Over the years, Joan’s character has become increasingly intricate and deep. She’s been through multiple unpleasant encounters with men, been married and divorced, and has seen many promotions come and go. All the while, though, she has remained distinctly “Joan.” To celebrate this amazing female character, we’ve highlighted a few of the many things we adore about Joan.

1. She isn’t afraid to be feminine

Joan has a style that is all her own. She wears vibrant colors, beautiful jewelry, exquisite heels, and her radiant red locks are always perfectly styled. So, why is her appearance so important? Because it is intimidatingly female. Her looks are so uniquely hers that Joan is able to stop male clients in their tracks, and get the attention she deserves. She understands that she could never be a man, or win at being a masculine woman because that just isn’t her. Joan embraced her killer feminine instinct and grabbed the ad world by the balls, and demanded to be noticed for her smarts.

2. She uses her wit and accumulated wisdom to own all the haters

Now, Joan has had it rough many times. She had to deal with people thinking that she was just a pretty face, or that she was a “good time girl.” More often than not, Joan has had to use her wit and wisdom to get her point across. Joan’s superpower over the years has been putting dumb-dumb ad executives in their place and showing them what’s what, and we love her for it.

3. She’s a woman’s lib mover-and-shaker (and she doesn’t even know it)

Joan is an incredible feminist in her home life and at work. At home, she got out of a marriage that was terrible by telling her then-husband to take a hike when he wasn’t honest with her. She embraced being a single, working mother with grace and serenity.

And at the office, Joan knew that women weren’t taken seriously in the ad world, but she was able to expertly work the system many times. Sure, sometimes she had to play nice to get what she wanted, but she knew how to play the ad man game. Most recently, Joan lost her job because she stood up to her boss and told him she didn’t want to be sexually harassed in the work place. She ultimately lost her battle with the company, but her speech about women‘s lib and rights was truly inspiring.

Now, we know Joan wasn’t without faults, but really, who is? It’s the characters who screw up along the way and learn from their mistakes who really intrigue and stick with us long after a series ends.

Let’s raise a glass to Joan, and hope that we get to see many more female characters like her in the future.

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Image: Joan shot from “Mad Men” Facebook page

The post 3 Awesome Ways Joan Used Her Womanly Ways to Crush the ‘Mad Men’ Ad World’s Masochism appeared first on EcoSalon.

The Victorians, wealthy or not,  loved to entertain: parlour games, music rooms and tea trolleys–entire pieces of furniture dedicated to serving guests. Fast forward to the Great Depression and, with the exception of the very wealthy, no one was exactly playing Tiddlywinks in the drawing room. Fast forward once more to the mid 20th century when, due largely to post-war optimism, we harkened back to the Victorian era and started opening our homes again. Martinis and Manhattans were the new Earl Grey and bustles were squashed by bouffants. And that tea trolley? Well, hello bar cart!

Bar carts have been all the rage with interior designers for many years now–they are versatile, visually interesting, and typically a conversation piece. With the outrageous success of “Mad Men” and the show’s incredible mid-century accoutrements, the rest of the country got on board, too.  Look around! Nearly every furniture company in every price range, from Jonathan Adler to Ikea, is making some sort of bar cart, and vintage resellers (myself included) are selling them hand over fist. They are being styled as bedside tables, plant stands, unorthodox office pieces, and yes, as homes for gorgeous glassware and decanted libations. Maybe it’s time you added one of these beauties to the mix.

9 Bar Carts For Your Eco-Friendly Home

1. Artek’s Tea Trolley 900  is a Scandinavian modern classic.  Designed by Alvar Aalto in 1937, this light, airy piece could have been designed yesterday. Once a classic, always a classic!

2. The Oko Trolley by Viesso looks both sleek and rustic and is made of 100 percent reclaimed teak, making it suitable for use outdoors.

3. Not everyone can shell out $1000 or more for a bar cart, so the Parker by West Elm gives you tons of mid-century modern inspired bang for your buck! ($349 bucks to be exact.) Added bonus: it’s made from FSC-certified wood.

4. The French do it best! This unassuming vintage 1940s brass Maison Baguès piece is elegant, graceful, and quietly detailed: faux bamboo, acorn finials, a scroll handle, ebonized wood and antiqued mirror.

5. Designed by Frédéric Sofia for Fermob, the Luxembourg Bar With Wheels is destined to be tomorrow’s classic of good design. Fermob guarantees that all of their products are both recycled and recyclable, use solvent-free paint in a zero-release facility, and are constantly creating ways to reduce their energy consumption.

6. This repurposed vintage cart could find an exciting new life playing a supporting role to Cointreau and Campari. It’s Tim Burton meets gym locker meets mad cocktail scientist! ( And at under $400, it’s easily attainable!)

7. If the title “Master of the Bar Cart” existed, it would likely be bestowed upon Cesare Lacca. This piece, designed in the 1950s, is so organic, so biomorphic, that it looks like it could crawl away of its own volition in the manner of some fantastical insect. In other words–WOW.

8. The Circa Bar Cart by Forma Living is a winner all around; beautiful, functional and environmentally sound–it’s made of recycled aluminum. Forma Living is dedicated to merging science, technology and aesthetic sensibilities to create home wares that are gentle on the planet and easy on the eyes. What’s not to love?

9. Good design is always sustainable. An outstanding marriage of form and function peppered with undeniable beauty and the highest quality materials tends to stay out of landfills. This sculptural mid-century piece, designed by Brazil-based architect Jorge Zalspusin, was made of locally sourced woods (the modern productions are all FSC-certified) and incredible craftsmanship.

At $15K+ for a vintage model, this cart won’t be coming home with me in this lifetime, but I still remember where I was the first time I laid eyes on one in person. I’ll never forget it–it was a near-religious experience. And that is the true beauty of good design.

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Photo credits (top to bottom): Design Shuffle, Artek, Viesso, West Elm, One Kings Lane, Fermob, Chairish, 1stdibs, Forma Living, Espasso

The post Cheers! 9 Bar Carts For Your Eco-Friendly Home appeared first on EcoSalon.

 Maybe it’s the TV show Mad Men, which wrapped up season 6 this summer, or maybe it’s because it’s back-to-school time again, but it seems like we are seeing vintage office supplies everywhere. From typewriters to Moleskine notebooks, paper and office supply geeks know that vintage office supplies are in. That means whether you are looking to trick out your  home office with a little vintage panache or you just want to add a little bit of retro pizazz to your cubicle at work, we’ve got some ideas and inspiration for you.

Bring a little bit of retro into your everyday with vintage office supplies.

Vintage Office Supplies

Poking around Etsy revealed a smorgasbord of vintage-inspired and genuinely vintage office supplies. Stuff like real ink pens, rotating rubber stamp holders, crank pencil sharpeners and wire In and Out boxes. Here are just some of the fun highlights from out search.

Typewriter

Image: Thread and Brush Studio

Love this teal Olivetti Studio 44 Portable Manual Typewriter with its original case and in working condition. Whether for show or to channel your inner Hemingway, this is a stylish piece. Using one of these bad boys for a bit would really make one appreciate word processors and laptops as well.

Office Supplies and Stationery Tin Box

Image: Inklinks

What a clever find this kit is. It’s filled with vintage office supplies and stationery from 1950s-1980s ready for your next letter writing (gasp, snail mail?) session. It’s filled  with all kinds of usable ephemera like a marble-covered notebook, Staedtler erasers, floppy disk labels, old tags, and Owl paper clips, among other goodies.

Fountain Pen

Image: zandbroz

While you might think they are messy, fountain pens are actually a much more sustainable choice over disposable pens. And this restored 1946 Parker Vacumatic Jet Black Fountain Pen is more than better for the planet, it’s also super cool. Leave the iPad back in the office and show up with this for notetaking at your next meeting.

Rubber Stamp

Image: unqueDuJour

Hand stamp your own letters and memos or even create your own stationery using this vintage “Important Message” rubber stamp. Even though we live in the digital age, it’s possible to have some retro fun when sending your paper-based communications.

Rolodex

Image: collectiblesatoz

Even though some of us have phones that “bump” to exchange info and others have business card apps on our iPhones, we still always end up with business cards and addresses written on scraps of paper. That’s why the Rolodex will never go out of style. This one is from the 1980s.

Labels

Image: juliecollings

Instead of reaching for those generic Avery labels from the big box store for your next labeling project, consider using these vintage Dennison labels instead. Form and function together in one.

Carbon Paper

Image: TheInspiredTrader

And for a bit of nostalgic fun, how about some carbon paper? Carbon paper was the original copy and paste! This package of Solvent Carbon Paper by Burroughs Corporation dates from the 1960s.

Pencils

Image: pastoria

And for the back-to-school crowd, how about these vintage Cascade C120 Soft. No.2 pencils—they still use pencils in school, don’t they? These are from the 1980s.

Top Image: Matteo Paciotti | Photography

Related on Ecosalon:

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The post Mad Men Your Workspace: Vintage Office Supplies appeared first on EcoSalon.

“Roger says the meeting’s going to be in his office.”

Last week we questioned whether or not we’d be taking a peek into Betty’s boudoir in season five’s latest episode entitled Tea Leaves. Viewers soon surmised that not much was happening on that front, in terms of mid-century modern forward-thinking design, that is. Roger Sterling’s lair, meanwhile, is as varnished as he is: white and resplendent, mirroring the silver fox.

At the very least, his office is on trend, like ketchup and the Rolling Stones.

This is called the Time-Life executive chair because it was created for the modern lobbies of the building of the same name in 1960.

From Pacific Furnishings.

The coffee and side tables from Saarinen’s pedestal collection. The line was introduced in 1956 and won Finnish-born Eero Saarinen the 1969 Museum of Modern Art Award.

Available from Hive.

Also by Saarinen, the tulip stool on a swivel base.

Via Viaduct.

The Nesso table lamp is one of the most famous lamps from the 1960s & 70s, included in the Design Collection of the Museum Of Modern Art.

From All Modern.

The Eames Compact Sofa from Herman Miller is a minimalist mid-century classic. Scaled for executive suites and lounges and perfect for sleeping off a three-martini lunch.

Seen here in red, from Herman Miller.

Roger’s paintings were created by the Mad Men art department in style of Op artist Bridget Riley. The Op Art movement was a form of geometric abstraction. Riley has said of her work, often characterized as “impersonal” and unrelated to the real world:

“I couldn’t get near what I wanted through seeing, recognizing and recreating, so I stood the problem on its head. I started studying squares, rectangles, triangles and the sensations they give rise to…”

Image of Riley in her studio during the 1960s via The Telegraph.

Stating the obvious, Roger’s office wouldn’t be complete without a beverage cart.

In this case, a contemporary cart sourced from The Well Appointed House.

Next week, will we see Peggy outside of the office ever again?

The post Mod Men: Inside Roger Sterling’s Office appeared first on EcoSalon.

“Just because you see white carpet in a magazine doesn’t mean it’s practical.”

“But it’s beautiful,” counters Don’s new wife, the coquettish twenty-five-year-old French Canadian Megan. She’s not quite wrong: her wall-to-wall fluffy white rug is straight out of a glossy magazine (or Peggy’s Playtex ad). Yet while nothing sticks to Teflon Don, including cloying emotions and the silly notion of a past, not everything in the Draper household is stain-proof. Such is the result of housecleaning in your unmentionables after a Stanley Cooper Draper Price soiree.

Here we attempt to recreate the look of Don Draper’s mad den, while humming a little Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo a lá Sofia Loren. Oops, we mean Jessica Paré.

1. Low, loungey and mid-century modern, the tweed Rochelle Sofa by GUS* Modern ($1,999) is a sexy room divider. Perfect for thwarted surprise parties and throwing pillows about ($19 each).

2. The Kyoto cabinet is more minimalist than the ornate storage vessel in chez Draper. Here’s to simpler times ahead, from the Home Decorator’s Collection ($399).

3. The zebra print cushion from The Well Appointed House ($80) is good for one thing…

…and one thing only. Pillow talk.

4. Vintage wooden stools with seats made of upcycled nautical cushions. ($800 via SHFT). Like repurposed brown lunch bags, but kinder. (Shame on those Y&R boys.)

5. This chandelier from Lumens ($3,216) is dramatic and visual, covered in an outer bronze organza screen and rich bourbon finish. Much like a good episode of Mad Men.

6. Crate & Barrel’s Storage Ottoman in high pile microfiber ($579) is perfect for both family and cocktail hour.

7. The impractical and yet Glitzy Area Rug in white (via $599).

8. Linen/cotton throw pillows from West Elm. As casual as Don’s work ethic this season.

9. The Kagan Wood and glass coffee table isn’t what you’d call kid-friendly, but then again, they’re only there every other weekend. (via ModProp)

10. This is the Donald Draper we’re talking about. Of course he’s got the Herman Miller Eames Lounge, available for $4,499 from All Modern.

Next week, a look into Betty’s complicated cupboards, or another week confined in the motherload with Joan?

Want more pictures of Don Draper’s apartment? Check out this round-up at Casa Sugar. 

The post Mad Den: Recreating Don Draper’s Living Room appeared first on EcoSalon.

It’s a perverse pleasure watching the characters in Mad Men smoke and drink away without any fear of consequence. With the days of the three-martini lunch well and truly over – say nothing for the disappearance of mid-century bar accoutrements like chrome smoking stands and Murano glass table lighters – it’s reassuring to know that while the cocktail hour might not be as much fun as it was, the spirit of the dress which was named for it remains intact.

The nip-waisted, full-skirted New Look silhouette pioneered by Christian Dior dominated cocktail fashions thru the 50s. Thankfully, the gloves and hat were soon replaced with a great pair of heels.

Born in the years after World War I, the emerging cocktail culture corresponded with sweeping social changes that led to the independent “modern woman” venturing out into more diverse groups of people mixing in clubs, lounges and private cocktail soirées. Bridging the gap between an afternoon dress – suitable for afternoon tea – and a grand gown for attending evening balls, came the transitional cocktail dress, knee length and worn until the late 1950s with elbow length gloves and flirty little hats.

Sparkling in Paco Rabanne’s futuristic gold paillettes, Audrey Hepburn in Two for the Road.

Favoring fine fabrics such as satin, silk, velvet and silk jersey – and after the success of Chanel’s little black dress a.k.a the LBD in 1926  –  the color black, the short, often tight-fitting cocktail dress quickly became a desired item of attire for all women in the 1930s. For those in the progressive and fashionable Cafe Society, it became a uniform.

Julia Roberts memorably went searching for a dress for a night out in Pretty Woman. “I got a dress,” she proudly tells Richard Gere. “A cocktail one.”

From its early realization and onwards – Christian Dior’s (Dior in fact coining the term “cocktail dress” in the late 40s) full-skirted New Look, Givenchy’s elegant renderings worn immaculately by Audrey Hepburn in the 1950s classic’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Sabrina, to Paco Rabanne’s swinging shifts in gold paillettes and Halston’s essential draped disco dress for Studio 54 – the silhouettes, like the partying habits, have changed with the decades. Whatever your poison, the pleasures of a bold dress in a flattering fit with a face framing neckline can be both intoxicating and life-affirming.

Modern day Bon Viveur: Kate Moss in a lace-panelled cocktail dress by John Galliano for Dior Couture.

Now & Then: The Trench Coat

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Now & Then: The History of the Cuff

Now & Then: The History of Turtlenecks

Now & Then: The History of Tights

Now & Then: The History of Skinny Jeans

Now & Then: The History of the Chevron Stripe

Now & Then: The History of Penny Loafers

Now & Then: The History of Go-Go Boots

Now & Then: The History of the Poet Blouse

Now & Then: The History of Ladylike Gloves

The post Now & Then: The History of the Cocktail Dress appeared first on EcoSalon.

An avant-garde hat lets its wearer travel back in time.

A flamboyant, two-tiered hat of black and shimmery emerald feathers has somehow flown into my life. I imagine the lively backstory of the Golightly lampshade – a copious chronicle of its madcap owner turning heads at Glide church or in the Venetian Room at the Fairmont before being sentenced to hang for 50 years in the legendary Mrs. Dewson’s Hats on Fillmore Street in San Francisco.

It was housed high up on a head form at the store, clearly outshined by an Easter parade of newly-sewn, pastel chapeaus, overwrought with fabric roses and bow adornments. It stirred in me a flurry of possible stories the way vintage discoveries both serious and frivolous stirred novelist Linda Grant, who penned the read about our relationship with fashion, The Thoughtful Dresser.

The high-heel red pump of a Polish woman; The felted quill headdress of a San Francisco church lady: Old relics capable of forging fresh awareness, if only we  let them.

I was seeking a costume hat for a King’s Speech-themed Oscar party when I hit the colorful haunt. Inspired by the romantic British glamor of the film, as well as Kate Middleton’s revival of the audacious topper as a royal statement, I sought a replica of the queen’s Ramillies style cocked hat with a feather. No dice, but as I was heading out, I looked up and was instantly mesmerized by the zany, tactile feather bucket.

“Hello, lover!”

“You talking to me?” asked the hat. “You talking to me?”

As it happened, I was also hunting props for a Sixties Rat Pack in Vegas gala also on my calendar. Anyone could see the accessory smacked of the iconic couture fashion pieces that once graced the covers of Harper’s. A hat an eye-lined Audrey surely would have modeled and a topper Lady Bird might have caged for a White House garden fete.

“May I see that black feathered hat?” I asked the kind, elderly clerk, who had already brought down a dozen boisterous Boatwright sister bonnets for me to explore, (to no avail mind you). When you have a grape-sized head such as mine, not just any hat will do. I usually have to settle for cloches or perhaps those mini sailor caps worn by a monkey grinder’s little performer.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” the clerk said, strategically inserting a band of thick foam tape around the circumference of the lining to prevent it from dropping over my eyes and onto the bumpy bridge of my nose. She knew a grape head when she saw it.

The hat fit like a glove, and I was instantly transformed to a time when women rarely left home without a head piece to keep out the dirt and look top drawer.  Think of the many hats that graced our mothers and grandmothers about town: hats to the market, to ladies luncheons, on exotic cruises, at picnics. A time traveling opportunity via the almighty hat.

Each time a new crown and brim is assembled by hand or by some factory machine, a forgotten castaway idles in an attic or on a shelf begging to be reborn.

I was told the work of art was part of milliner Ruth Garland-Dewson’s personal collection, and that she suffered from memory loss and no longer tended to the shop. “See if she’ll sell it to me,” I urged, “or at least loan it for the event.”

I could pick up a little black dress, second hand gloves, grip a martini glass, puff a fake ciggy, and cling to a fella in a fedora. Who cares that I don’t have the 24″ waist for those Mad Men party dresses that cinch like tourniquets? I could pull off the hat and still eat appetizers without busting a seam.

Turned out that for $120, the owner with memory loss forgot she didn’t want to part with the hat. That, or her sales gal deemed it was cool to let it go and make some dough. The cherry on top was the large, pink floral patterned hat box the clerk placed it in. “Are you giving that to me?” I asked, salivating.

“It’s the only thing it will fit into,” she explained.

Cut to the night I wore my hat, or rather, the night my hat wore me. I say that because when hat and I waltzed in, the only competing prop at the event was the fanned, red plumed headdress worn by one of the Vegas showgirl greeters. But seriously, she had at least two other major focal points.

All I know is from the moment I arrived, the hat took on a life of its own, me shepherding it through a red carpeted reception lounge where photographers snapped away and waiters with trays grinned and winked at my crazy head. Then I escorted it through the glitzy, gold curtained auction room where couples examining massive gift baskets and vacation packages gravitated towards us, smitten, uplifted, enamored.

The compliments gushed out as onlookers relayed the same intoxicated sensation that overcame me when I first glanced at the wild thing. Strange men approached, glanced up, gazed into my face, chuckled and uttered, “That’s wonderful!” Martian speak for “What a hat!”

Women, many in impressive late Fifties and early Sixties garb of their own (retro mink stoles from Haight Street, up-dos, foil brocaded shifts and silk pumps), tended to be more expressive. Most of them clearly perceived the Audrey-couture link, while at least three mistakenly equated it with a wardrobe staple of Cruella Deville’s. I couldn’t argue. My hat had been to church and convinced me to bite my tongue.

I  removed my crowning glory only once in five hours to shake my booty since it proved a nuisance to grind to Snoop Dog wrapped in a giant, felted brain-heater.  At home, I kicked off my heels and gently returned my lucky acquisition to her box, stashing it on a ledge in my dressing room. I paused to study myself in the mirror. I had a hideous case of matted hat hair – enhanced by a strip of foam tape stuck to the side of my sweaty bob. I literally peeled the grape.

I’m not sure where me and my Huckleberry hat friend will travel next, but I know I will find another way to let others connect with the flight of fancy vividly emanating from Ruth’s forgotten treasure, and validate what I’ve always suspected: that bygone chic endures as long as we walk the bold walk of the Mrs. Dewsons of the world, proudly picking up where their memory lapses about flaunting remarkable fashion leave off. Nothing about that is old hat.

Images: Sydney Bradley; Paul Todah; Sf Gate

The post My Hat Wore Me to the Party appeared first on EcoSalon.

The new season of Mad Men has us jonesing for graphic prints, mid-century furniture, and other Sixties-inspired styles. Numerous designers are riffing on that theme, creating pieces that exude a Mad-Men-meets-modern-day vibe. Here’s how we’d style a Mad Men-inspired living room.

1. Rennie Sofa from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (price not listed, pictured above)
So sleek, so sexy, so versatile. We love the grid-tufted back and the hardwood frame. We can totally picture one of Don Draper’s secretaries perched demurely on this couch, but it also feels modern enough for today’s urban loft.

2. Fresca Area Rug from inmod.com (starts at $89)
As Mad Men enters the mid-Sixties, we’re seeing more bold graphic prints and fewer staid, conservative pieces. This hand-tufted wool rug is the perfect expression of that more aesthetic. Plus, its colors complement the couch.

3. Ace Trading-midea Fans FT30-U2B Table Retro Fan in Chrome from Amazon ($39.69)
Although residential AC units became increasingly common in the 1950s, offices and homes still used table fans for a more direct breeze. This fan lends a certain retro chic to your space and  lets you stay cool sans AC.

4. Brave Space – Stagger Server from Bravespace ($2,540-2,640)
Modular, asymmetrical cabinets exude modernity. We love how you can customize this piece with closed storage where you need it. The organic herbal oil finish adds an intriguing texture.

5. Inhabit Estrella Plinko Pillow in Cornflower from AllModern.com ($60-68)
A delightful graphic print on recycled polyester gives this pillow its groovy style. The colors feel modern, but not too feminine.

What do you think? Which piece(s) jumps out at you?

The post Friday 5: It’s a Mod, Mod World appeared first on EcoSalon.

“The beauty of quitting is, now that I’ve quit, I can have one, ’cause I’ve quit.” – Tom Waits

As a conscious human living in America you have probably been aware for some time now that smoking is bad. It increases the incidence of lung cancer, heart disease, birth defects and dead puppies. But young adults of the 18-to-25 variety – especially those of the lady persuasion – are smoking more than any other age group, even though they’ve grown up with the most complete access to information on smoking’s attendant health risks. Seriously, is this because of Mad Men?

Health organizations and anti-smoking activists have herded American smokers out of the public sphere, hustling them away from parks, bars, restaurants, airports, federal buildings, and malls, generally for the greater good. Fewer smokers lighting-up in fewer places is good news for public health and sanitation. Yet while the number of American smokers has decreased almost by half since the 1960s, the number of young adults who smoke has remained steady for the last decade. At a certain point, anti-smoking ads featuring hundreds of ‘dead’ baby dolls stop being effective and start being ridiculous. Demonizing smoking as being its own separate brand of evil (as opposed to obesity or binge drinking) doesn’t do much to reduce smoking, although it does go a long way toward making nonsmokers feel morally superior.

Accepting that for a certain subset of the population smoking will most likely always be a popular recreational activity may be more useful in reducing its environmental impact than trying to shame smokers into hiding. The electronic cigarette, or ‘e-cigarette’, a reusable, battery-powered nicotine-delivery system is a definite step in the right direction. It’s still chocked full of all those hard-to-pronounce chemicals like acetylpyrazine and terpineol (in other words, it’s still not good for you), and its legal status in many countries is still under review. It vaporizes a liquid nicotine cartridge (rather than using fire, as a traditional cigarette), has no disposable filters to end up in the trash or on the sidewalk, and comes recommended as a better alternative to cigarettes, pipes and cigars by the American Association of Public Health Physicians.

The e-cigarette isn’t green by any stretch of the imagination. Quitting smoking, or not starting at all, is still ideal. But anything that reduces the incidence of second-hand smoke and hazardous litter is something worth investigating. Plus, you’ll still look totally cool puffing away. Don Draper might just approve.

Image: SuperFantastic

The post Things That Will Probably Kill You, Vol. 2 appeared first on EcoSalon.