home - refillable pencils and pens

Are you giving your kids the write answers?

Submitted by tmeronek on Tue, 08/21/2007 - 1:01am.
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).
Related Tips: 
The Tree-Free Paper Tip

Related Blog Post: Thank God It’s Graphite

Last December I had an ah-ha moment when I was throwing away a completely used up ballpoint pen - there is a better waste free way to write - reusable pens and pencils! I promplty put it on my Christmas List - and got a set from Levenger.com (thanks mom). The Fountain pen is completely waste free if using the converter - since the ink cartridge is refilled from a glass (recycleable) ink jar. And the ink comes in cool colors - I'm currently using amethyst at work. (The ballpoint, rollerball and pencil lead have minimal trash from the refills.)
Posted by: Deb | March 17, 2009 at 01:50 PM
What is the deal here? Old tips, no way to same the tips we want? Is this because you were bought by disney? If so, I'm not impressed! Take this back to the way it was. Please!!
Posted by: Janet Martin | March 17, 2009 at 05:56 PM
Me too. Except I poked myself in the knee and still have the lead to prove it.
Posted by: Elizabeth | March 20, 2009 at 03:11 AM

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