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BANG FOR THE BITE
If 10,000 Biters use only refillable pencils, in a year we'll save 21 trees from being used to create new pencils.
COCKTAIL FACT
Writer John Steinbeck (The Grapes of Wrath) sharpened 24 pencils each morning, writing with them until each one was blunt.
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home › tip library › Refillable Pencils and Pens
Are you giving your kids the write answers?
The Bite
Here's the cheat sheet: Give 'em a dependable, refillable pencil or pen to jot down the right answers. Using refillables at school and at home will save you money while reducing waste.The Benefits
- More trees to climb. Enough wood pencils are produced each year to circle the planet 62 times.
- Saving money for lunch. Refilling pencils and pens is less expensive than buying new ones.
- Extra credit for less PVC. Many pens are made from PVC plastic, which releases dangerous dioxins (the active ingredient in Agent Orange) during production.
Personally Speaking
New Biter intern Hanah poked herself with a pencil in the fourth grade, and she still has the tip lodged in her hand to prove it. We kept her away from sharp objects while we were testing the products for this tip.Wanna Try?
- Woody Pen - refillable pens made from sustainable birch wood ($13).
- Triggerwood Pencil - biodegradable, and created from scraps of wood from a sustainably managed forest; uses Pilot BeGreen refills, below ($6).
- Pilot BeGreen Rexgrip Pencil - made from 100% recycled plastic; refills here ($2).
- Wheely's Pen - ballpoints made from recycled plastic and rubber tires; refills here ($1).
Aug 21,2007
Sponsor
All editorial suggestions in this tip are the result of testing and a preference for the tip topic. No advertiser has paid to have its company referenced in the tip. For more information, please read our Editorial Policy.
Thank God It’s Graphite
Thank God pencils haven't contained actual lead for a few hundred years now. Otherwise, Biter intern Hanah might not have lasted this long. A run-in with a conventional, wooden pencil caused her (not to mention the pencil) a whole lotta hurt, and she's got the war wounds to prove it.
I'm including these highly disturbing images with the hope that they'll keep you from making the same mistake (and to give you another reason to switch to mechanical pencils). Be safe out there.
-Toshio...off to warn the others...
Biter Comments...
I've have a piece of pencil lead from a mechanical pencil in my index finger for about 12 years now...so watch out for the mechies, too!
Berol made pencils replacing the wood with recycled denim jeans (item 1850). They had good quality standard HB 2 "lead" (unlike Berol's Recycled Money" jeans which a blogger complained about).
I have used mine as doorprise goodies for participants at my Environmental Storytelling workshops. Unfortunately they dont' seem to be available for sale any more!
I would LOVE it if my kids were allowed to use mechanical/refillable pencils in school but my boys schools PROHIBIT them. We have asked why but gotten no real answers why. Just that they dont want the kids using them because they spend to much time playing with the lead, they make noise, they dont work as well, etc. All stupid answers if you ask us.
So, if you could get the DoDDS school system to buy into being a bit GREEN-ER about their pencil usage, we would sure appreciate it!
Oh man I feel for you. I was stabbed by Vic Tonelli in the 7th grade. ouch! Same spot but in my left hand. Something to make us Unique! that was almost 20 years ago! WOW! With a Trip to the ER, because we did not know if it was graphite or Lead....all is fine! bast of luck to you.
Thanks for the refillable pen tip -- it's nice to see some that aren't crazy upscale fountain pens :)
I have a pencil tip in my SIDE, of all places -- 15 years ago I was turning a cartwheel, having forgotten I had a sharpened pencil in my pocket. (Probably lucky I didn't completely impale myself!)
Earthteller - are these the ones?
http://greenearthofficesupply.stores.yahoo.net/recdenpen.html
Bless you, Keviarturtle, that looks just like them! I have bookmarked the page for future workshops.
Many thanks,
Earthteller
Good tip-- except I think this is somewhat unpractical for those who can't spend a fortune on new school supplies for their kids each year. I know, I know- $6 for a pencil isn't that big of a deal. But when you consider the fact that you are going to have to buy 5 of those- that is $30!! Or, do you think a child that is 10 yrs old won't lose their one pencil that you can afford to buy them??
Most grade schools even require that you have a set number of pens and pencils at the start of the year. I hate to say it, but I am really starting to see that Ideal Bite's tips are fun to read- but completely unpractical for those of us who don't have thousands of dollars of disposable income.
The denim pencils look interesting. If they were in quantities of less than 500, I might be interested in following up. Even with 3 kids, I can't justify ordering that many pencils. Instead Sam's Club sells papermate pencils made from recycled wood for 76 cents per twelve pack.
http://www.samsclub.com/shopping/navigate.do?dest=5&item=346312
If my older kids could hold on to a pencil for more than a day, the mechanicals would be nice options. I don't know what happens to them but they always lose pencils. So wood is best in the off chance someone else doesn't pick it up. The youngest one, has a mechanical pencil that he has been using for 4 years now. However he is autistic and can find anything in the house no matter what it is.
For those of who either are not allowed to, or who just don't like the mechanical pencils (I myself can't stand them), please consider FOREST CHOICE pencils. They are made from sustainably harvested trees and they are tried and true 'great writing implements". I give them out to my students when they are 'on-task' without being reminded... and it has been a wonderful incentive. The kids love how they write.
Hay I have a piece of lead in my shoulder (an unfortunate locker incident) two years ago (sixth grade) and it's still in there. I also rode my bike to office depot today in search of environmentally friendly pencils and found that they are about 2.50 more expencive that the non-environmentally friendly brother. Why do they make it so darn hard!!!!! Its not easy being green.
my friend has a chunk of mech. pencil lead in her hand, too, so they're not that much safer!
So mostly the advise is to not be dumb with pencils (:
To Sierra, In response your realization that eco-friendly pencils ARE more expensive than non-eco-friendly pencils... try to justify the expense by recognizing that your conscious decision to spend more is the responsible thing to do. You can also think about it like this... the availability of inexpensive and non-eco-friendly pencils (and other products) for generations, Americans (and others around the world) have become spoiled with cheap products (just like gas), but the REAL cost of having inexpensive pencils (or anything), is actually way more, because the thoughtless exploitation of limited natural resources will actually make it difficult (to impossible) for future generations of human beings to survive on this planet AT ALL. So, think about the sustainability of the human species you are actively INVESTING in when you choose to spend more on products that are less damaging, and in turn do as little long-term damage as possible.
CHEERS.
TO gabriel
when your on an eighth grade budget like im on you will see how hard it is
To Sierra, I suggest you let your teachers and/or principle at school know about Forest Choice pencils. If your school administration is willing to buy a bulk amount (that's a whole bunch at once), then it will cost less, and your school could afford to sell them to ALL the students at your school at a reasonable rate. Also, you could consider just getting a few of your friends together to split the cost of a bulk order. Why be the only student at school with eco-friendly pencils when you could be a whole community of conscious 8th graders. Also, maybe if your parent(s) (or guardians) knew what you are trying to do (and why) they would chip in a little too? Maybe?
Keep thinking of positive ways to reduce your impact and know that even if you can't afford it this year... someday you will be able to, and your motivation and intention are respectable and I appreciate it.
Cheers,
Gabriel Avenna
Green Ambassador Teacher
Environmental Charter High School
I have a piece of lead left over from my brother over 30 years ago in my right hand, middle of palm. It has never given me any troubl eexcept for the initial stabbing lol.
Every now and then, I see the blue and gray remnant of the pencil tip that was thrust into my left thigh almost two decades ago, in the eighth grade. The true damage that it did remains a mystery to me, but I still have the scar...and memory of that fateful day.
PHOTO ALBUMS
Posted by: NormanJ | August 21, 2007 at 06:33 AM