Most of the pens that are affordable and conveniently available these days are plastic. The information age has probably reduced the per capita demand for pens. In 1998 there were 8,471 American workers making pens and in 2006 there were 4,820 (source). It’s possible that the demand didn’t shrink that much and that jobs went overseas. 98% of bloggers use statistical figures in a misleading and self serving manner.
I personally use pens a lot less than I used to. The main thing that I use them for is grocery lists. The obvious plastic free option is to use a pencil instead. The structural component of a pencil can be made out of just about anything, including recycled denim and recycled US dollar bills. Recycled wood fiber is less hip than those options but it is still pretty serviceable and the pencils are affordable enough to stock up on.
A comment left on TreeHugger’s plug for the denim pencils pointed out that mechanical pencils are a less resource intensive option. That makes sense to me. Here’s a revolutionary idea that I haven’t seen before, it’s a pen and a pencil all in one. The ink and graphite are refillable. Refillable pens are a better choice than disposable when it comes to plastic consumption.
The invention of the pen pre-dates plastic by a long shot, so there is always the option of going back to old school technology. There is a fair amount of interest in antique pens. The people who are involved in that hobby are just as interesting as the people that are straight razor enthusiasts, but they may not be quite as adventurous.
I try to conserve paper by writing my lists on the white space on junk mail or used envelopes. I could put a list on my phone an avoid using any ink, graphite or paper, but that isn’t something that I can see myself doing. I am a very slow texter. I might try it out, since I have this bad habit of forgetting to take lists with me when I go out. Here’s a photo simulation of me going out with a shopping list recorded on my cell.
Update: I am regularly reminded of the issue of plastic writing instruments because I have a metal can full of them on my desk. I recently read about a good alternative to highlighters. Scott Wells at Low Plastic uses a red pencil to underline or circle items. That’s a good idea.
