Sustainable Pencils - Sprout

by Moonrose Cheng

I happened to come across this YouTube video talking about this really neat concept: pencils that turn into plants!

The idea is that once you sharpen a pencil into a stub, which can't be used anymore, you just plant it into a pot of soil. There are seeds in a capsule at the top of the pencil, replacing where an eraser would normally be. There are different types of seeds, like herbs, vegetables, and flowers in the capsules. Once you plant them into a pot, I suppose the capsule will biodegrade and allow the seeds to sprout. 

However, you could also reduce your pencil waste by using a mechanical pencil and buy packs of lead.

Wooden pencils without the metal cap and synthetic erasure are also biodegradable, since they are wooden. The only caution is the potential toxicity of the pencil's paint that might be a hazard to the environment.

But if you want the feel of a wooden pencil (with no paint) and some seeds, this product would be right up your aisle. Just remember to buy an eraser. 

Check out their website: http://sproutworld.com