When our eldest son started in his new school, we were given a list of required supplies to purchase. On the list were four boxes of pencils...not just any pencils, mind you. The school specifically requested Dixon Ticonderoga #2 pencils. Well, la dee da. In our ignorance, we assumed that for a second-grader, any (okay, we mean cheap) yellow #2 pencil would do...after all, who really thinks about which brand of pencil they use?Apparently, many people do. Dixon Ticonderoga is considered the world's best pencil, and is certainly the best selling one. We have to admit that after switching to these pencils in our home, we have officially become avid members of the Dixon Ticonderoga fan club. These cedar pencils are sturdy and comfortable to use, and they produce bold, rich marks that are easy see and even easier to erase. Wow...who knew?
What's even more amazing is how the company is improving upon the perfection of their product. Pencil it in, folks (okay, that was lame)...Dixon is going green in May with their new innovation, the Ticonderoga Renew. Instead of cedar, the casing is made up of a compound that is 30% recycled, pulverized tires. The all black Ticonderoga Renew pencil may feel a bit rubbery, but Dixon assures its customers that it will sharpen as beautifully as cedar. The pencil is enhanced with recycled paper packaging, a latex-free eraser and a black graphite core of the same exceptional quality we have come to expect from Dixon. The only unfortunate aspect (especially in today's economy) of the Dixon Ticonderoga Renew is the cost, which at about $4 for a package of 10, is even more expensive than the company's already premium-priced pencils.
The Dixon Ticonderoga Renew green (well, black) pencil may be just the product to end the wood pencil, and is a big step towards preserving Earth's shrinking supply of suitable lumber. With a production of nearly a half a billion pencils a year, imagine the impact if Dixon made the shift to exclusively manufacturing the Ticonderoga Renew. We know, we know...we're discussing a pencil for goodness sake...but still, it's pretty exciting stuff. Hopefully, the Dixon Ticonderoga Renew green pencil will live up to the company's strict standards, and take its predecessor's place as the most recognized and revered pencil throughout the world. Now that would be "kool."
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Uh, that's great, but what is the other 70% of the pencil made of? Toxic adhesives to make the pulverized tire pieces stick together? Just wondering. And, what happens to those bits of tire when the pencil is sharpen? They end up in a landfill, forever. Sounds like it could be green washing to me. Trees are renewable, we just have to be responsible about not making products we don't need. How about refillable mechanical pencils made from recycled plastics? Those will last a lot longer, can be recycled again, only use use the graphite and some erasers. I like the idea of the Smencils, too.
ReplyDeleteGood points, Sue...thanks for the comments. We just checked out Smencils (never heard of them), and were VERY impressed...they just might be a today's "kool" idea in the near future!
ReplyDeleteJust got a set of these pencils home and they will not sharpen in a standard pencil sharpener. Kind of defeats the purpose, and I now have to use them in the garage and sharpen them with a box cutter.
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