Monday, March 22, 2010

Biodegradable Clicky Pen

Over the past couple of weeks, I've been shopping quite a few times and until my most recent excursion, had been forgetting to buy pens. Pens are an important tool for me, especially now, with my laptop out of commission and a shared family computer which is almost always in use. I don't like to write long-hand in pencil; the graphite always smudges.

So, I was in Wal Mart, staring at a bunch of pens, almost all of them very cheaply made of very expensively priced. Then I came upon something cool by Papermate: a biodegradable pen. Not all of the components are biodegradable; the spring that allows it to click isn't and neither is the comfort grip - but, as the plasticless packaging points out, every little bit helps.

I've always loved Papermate, partially because of the soft coating on their classic ballpoints, partially because of the fact that their pens seem to write more smoothly and last longer than the majority of pens and largely due to the two little hearts that adorn the tops of their pens. In high school, during my first really big crush, I would stare at the top of my (borrowed) papermate pen and feel like whoever put those two surreptitious little hearts there must have some idea what I was feeling.

Anyway, I've gotten off track. I'm very pleased with my new biodegradable pen and I hope that these things will increase in popularity and, eventually, become the standard... and then, if only we can get post-consumer recycled paper to catch on, writing will be the the perfect profession.

8 comments:

E said...

I saw an article on the biodegradable clicky pen, but we don't have them in the backwater I live in...>:(

Personally, I like Bics. And I have a really super-nice ballpoint pen that my great-aunt gave me for my sixteenth birthday, which I occasionally use to scrawl a few storythings. But you're two and a half hundred per cent right about writing in pencil. It's useless.

Athena said...

You might get the biodegradable pens one day soon. We just got them in my town, I'm pretty sure.

I am a fan of the bic multi-colour clicky pens, but I find I always chew the standard bic ballpoints.

Rhiannon said...

I've had a bit of a love affair with the Pental RSVP Fine point - black ink, of course. For the longest time, I coldn't write in black...now I feel odd if I write in blue.

Bic's are okay, though I find they can get blotchy. I do love a good Papermate, though. Especially the Clear Point clicky pencils, 5mm.

Just as long as I can keep them the way they came in the package, labels up, with the lids on with the tabs facing up.

I'm really, really neurotic about my writing utensils. Almost as neurotic as I am about mattress covers. >:D

Athena said...

You're obsessed with those bloody pens... actually I nearly bought some (before I found my biodegradable pens), but I figured they would just get mixed in with yours.

PS, I called you on your Bday and you didn't pick up.

PPS, I found your red; it was in the romper room.

Rhiannon said...

Hush, you. They have really nice nibs and a smooth, gliding action when I write.

Bloody hell...that damn thread! I even looked in there, on three separate occasions. Ah well. That's the nature of the vortex that is our house. Anyway, now I can finish your bag! >:D

Athena said...

Yay!

I love how quickly we get off topic.

Rhiannon said...

I wonder if you can put your own logos on the biodegradable pens...it'd be perfect for DevCo merchandise...

And 100% Recycled paper notebooks...

Athena said...

That would be sweet! Somewhere must do it.