[awarenessideas]

Some pencils are green. Some aren't. We actually sell a pencil at my job that is made from all recycled materials. Ferrel, wood, graphic, the whole deal. It's pretty neat.

What I'm going to be excited for is the new line of pens coming out over the new few years made of soy bean inks, recycled post-consumer plastic and recycled steel for the ballpoints. That'll be awesome.

[ALF]

I believe there is alot of soybean oil in ink. Often things aren't quite as bad as they seem. I know plastics can be made out of vege plastics , anyone know of a vege pen link. Or would that be a good buziness op for someoneto explore.

[gissele]

Originally Posted by Roguegal

You know this is one of those issues that will be a 50-50 thing forever. A lot of people prefer pencils and a lot of people prefer pens. Both sides have valid points. Pens use aim which is more permanent and is required on most legal documents. Pencils are more natural but any overtime. Even if we get away with both and use printers we would still need something for a permanent signature. We need to develop something that writes permanently that is eco-friendly and doesn't destroy trees and then when you develop something other than paper, which also destroys trees to write and print on. That's the only solution guys.

Yeah I agree with you. This will be a 50-50 thing forever. Both have their own advantages. It can be 'greener' to use fountain pens rather than ballpoints. Though I'm not sure how green the inks are.

[deltic]

Originally Posted by Roguegal

You know this is one of those issues that will be a 50-50 thing forever. A lot of people prefer pencils and a lot of people prefer pens. Both sides have valid points. Pens use aim which is more permanent and is required on most legal documents. Pencils are more natural but any overtime. Even if we get away with both and use printers we would still need something for a permanent signature. We need to develop something that writes permanently that is eco-friendly and doesn't destroy trees and then when you develop something other than paper, which also destroys trees to write and print on. That's the only solution guys.

We had pens that were much more sustainable - fountain pens. A pen would last a lifetime, new nibs were required now and then and it was easy to refill them with ink (a pot of ink lasted ages). Perhaps we should return to fountain pens. I love writing with a real pen.

[Mick]

How about mechanical pencils. You get only one, and refill it with lead. Less waste...

[mollyL]

It's definitely time for cartridge pens again. You bought a pen and loaded it with a cartridge of whatever colour ink you fancied, and when the cartridge ran out you loaded it again. You could even buy a card of six or so cartridges in it without having to buy a new pen. Bics kind of made them obsolete.

[Mick]

You still have waste from that, and use of plastics, and....

[mollyL]

Yes, you would have little plastic cartridges that might be an inch or so long. That's nothing like having to trash a whole pen when it runs out of ink. Most likely the cartridges could be made recyclable, for all I know they are not.
Sometimes you have to put up with a little bit of trash in exchange for a whole lot of trash...you can't magically end up with none, you have to work out how to do it.

[ALF]

The best fountain style pen I used was a set of architect pens with different size tips. The small ones with non caligrophy dried before my left hand dragged the ink off the line and spread it on the page. and on I think some of the fountain pens I have seen have has a pump fill for the resovoir bladder. The keyboard is good . I'm just concerned about the loss of knowledge if it all goes digital then gets magnetically lost. Hard copies are still a good record.

[mollyL]

I think my husband had that kind of pen; he used to do newsletters and other graphic things. It sounds like the one he had a long time ago.
And the pens that are refillable with ink-the fountain pens. You bought a glass jar of India ink, filled your pen as it went dry, and when the jar was done, you could find some use for it or recycle...voila!
I am in complete agreement that things before the digital age need to be saved. I have my grandma's old (at least 50 years) cuckoo clock that just runs on kinetic energy. No electricity needed.