Back-to-School Supplies: Green Seal Reports on Best Pencils and Earth-Friendly Pens for Kids

When your child buys her pens, pencils, crayons and markers for this fall's back-to-school season, she's taking part in a 3 billion dollar writing instrument industry. Throughout the year, from this back-to-school season to the next mad rush for school supplies next year, we will buy millions upon millions of pens and pencils. Unfortunately, most of these pens and pencils end up in the trash. Ever year, students and their parents throw away almost 2 million pens, according to the Choose Green Report issued by environmental group Green Seal. Need some much-needed perspective? All these discarded pens and pencils would stretch for a jaw-dropping 243 kilometers!

It's sad, and a little frightening, to think of all these pens, pencils, markers, crayons and other school supplies ending up in your neighborhood landfills. Thankfully, this back-to-school season, you and your children can make a difference! All you need to do is make a conscious decision to choose earth-friendly writing supplies made of recyclable, renewable material.

Green Seal, an environmental watchdog group of sorts, created a vast and thorough survey to find green, sustainable and environmentally-friendly school writing supplies. All of these can be found in Green Seal's Choose Green Report, a free eco-conscious download for back-to-school supplies shoppers looking to make their mark in a green way. It's a must-read for parents who want to outfit their kids for school success without jeopardizing our fragile environment.

In the Choose Green Report, you can find companies that manufacture safe, recycled school supply products. The report centers around school supplies like pencils, pens and crayons. Green Seal also issued a listing of the brands it recommended.

Why is the Environmental Report Significant?

The Choose Green Report says this about the problem with discarded, non-green school supplies: "Although we throw them away, [pens, pencils and crayons] can impact the environment in ways we do not often think about. Pens, pencils and markers are often tossed into the garbage and not recycled or reused. Their components and packaging are made from non-renewable resources and can contain environmentally damaging chemicals" (source).

Green Seal's Choose Green Report reviews 40 pen and pencil manufacturers. It goes into great detail about each one, telling you what type of material is used for each pen or pencil, whether or not it contains toxic chemicals, etc. It's a necessary resource for concerned parents who want to give their children the very best, safe green writing instruments for school

Every Pen and Pencil Makes a Difference!

You might think that choosing a green, recycled pencil over a traditional, mainstream pencil made from logged wood won't make much of a difference. But remember, this is a huge industry. As more and more consumers realize that there are green alternatives out there, all of your small decisions add up and make a difference for the earth and your child's future.