Tom Hodkinson wrote an article in the recent "Idler" about how using a pencil is environmentally friendly. It made me think and here are the reasons why I think a pencil is kinder to the environment than a pen.
1) All of the pencil is used.
Think about it. All the lead gets transferred to the paper in the form of writing and the wooden pencil sharpenings can be re-cycled or gathered together and dumped on the compost heap.
2) No plastic.
It is made of wood. The production of pencils can be sustainable by planting more trees. The "lead" in a pencil is not infact lead but finely ground graphite and clay powders. Although graphite is a mined ore and therefore a limited resource I believe that the enviromental impact of a pencil must still be a great deal less than a pen. I have never heard of a pencil tanker sinking in the ocean causing untold levels of pollution.
3) You can erase it.
Thus you will use less paper. No need for white out either.
4) It wont break.
Well the lead might break on you but all you need to do is sharpen it again. A pen's mechanics can break or the ink cartridge might burst. If a pen does burst it could ruin your shirt and thus cause more waste.
5) If you buy a non painted pencil then no colours used in the making of the pencil. Its all natural. A bit of wood and some graphite!
What do yo think? Do you think we should all be taking notes in pencil?
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