At the dawn of the new year, one of the habits I wanted to procure for myself (I refuse to call it a resolution) was to write more consistently. Due to circumstances beyond my control, however, I am not afforded the luxury of constant access to my laptop, leaving me with no other recourse than to actually pick up a pen and apply it to paper. Though the romantic in me loves the idea of ink bleeding thoughts across the page, the realist in me has avoided the practice because my handwriting is nearly unintelligible.

Nevertheless, I decided that if I were going to write by hand, which I now average between five to nine pages a day, I wanted to find a pen that wrote smoothly and that was environmentally friendly. As I mentioned in an article I wrote last year about razors, pens have become a decidedly disposable commodity, which seems a tragedy not only for the unimaginable yet overlooked value they offer in communication, but for the tons of petroleum that is used to make them, only to be discarded when the vessel runs dry.

Zebra Eco pens

In my research, I found quite a few pens and pencils that are made with recycled or renewable materials. I ended up buying a box of Sarasa Eco pens by Zebra ($18.18/dozen) that I have truly grown to love. Made from 81% recycled plastic, it has a rubber grip on a translucent barrel that is just a bit thicker than your average ball point, making it very comfortable to hold. The gel ink writes incredibly smooth and the company offers refills so that I won’t have to throw the whole pen away when I’m finished.

What a great way to write the world!

If you’re not a big fan of gel ink, there are a number of other options. Zebra offers a Jimnie Ballpoint pen ($14.99/dozen) made from 70% recycled material. One of the cool things about the Zebra pens is that they have a wide binder clip that makes it really easy to attach to things. For a different feel, The Woody Ballpoint Pen ($4.49 each) and the Triggerwood Pen ($7.79 each) by Goodkind are each made from recycled wood scraps and have 30% recycled brass ink cartridges, which last three times longer than plastic ink cartridges. If you prefer pencils, try Earth Write by Sanford (only $1.98/dozen). They are made from 60% recycled newspaper and are PMA certified nontoxic.

These are just a few of the options available. For most anything you do, there are ways to be more eco-conscious about it.

Steve McAllister

Steve McAllister is an acclaimed author, filmmaker, actor, and musician. In addition to contributing to Modern Hippie Mag, he also writes InkenSoul, a blog focused on literature and information that promotes commerce, charity, creativity, spirituality, and environmental sustainability. Purchase his most recent novel, The McAllister Code as an e-book at www.themcallistercode.com. Find Steve on Twitter, @InkenSoul. Read his reviews and articles here.

Steve McAllister  (360 Posts)

Steve McAllister, Modern Hippie Mag's resident Lifestyle Guru, describes himself as a Renaissance Man. An author, filmmaker, songwriter, and perpetual artistic experimenter, he has recently re-released his second book The Rucksack Letters into paperback to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the journey. His latest book, a comical foray into philosophical science fiction, is How to Survive an Estralarian Mind Meld. His latest artistic project is The Labyrinth of the Unbroken Path. .