The Mechanical Pencil

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Class rooms are ever changing as new teaching methods are implemented and new school materials and technologies are developed. Students are demanding the most efficient and comfortable materials in order to further their learning and make the school day more bearable. Some of these transitions in school materials are highly technical, for instances digital tablets replacing paper textbooks. Other shifts in school materials are more subtle and not as apparent. Throughout my eighteen years or so of schooling I’ve noticed a change in the preferred writing utensil of students. In today’s classroom I would estimate that more than ninety percent of the students use a mechanical pencil instead of a classic wood pencil. These mechanical pencils eliminate the need for pencil sharpeners and give you a more finite tip for detailed writing. One of the great advantages of using a mechanical pencil is that theoretically you could use it for a long period of time before it breaks. If an individual continues to refill the pencil with lead and doesn’t lose it, which is very easy to do, than the pencil will undoubtedly out last a wood pencil. However like many cheap and mass produced school supplies mechanical pencils are routinely lost or broken from improper use. These plastic pencils then end up in the trash like so many other disposable plastics. This website will explore the environmental impacts of the widely used mechanical pencil.

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The first step in assessing the environmental impacts of mechanical pencils is determining what the pencils are made of. I’ve chosen to analyze what I consider the most widely used, basic, low-cost mechanical pencil – the BIC MATIC Mechanical Pencil – an overview of the pencil can be found here: http://www.bicworld.com/us/products/details/284/pencil-bic-matic. These pencils are comprised mostly of a plastic called polystyrene along with a Hi-Polymer eraser and a few metal components (i.e. spring). We will focus on the polystyrene made parts since they comprise the majority of the pencil. Polystyrene is a synthetic aromatic polymer and is one of the most widely used plastics due to its cheap production costs and manipulative properties. This polymer is created using petroleum, quite a bit of petroleum actually. To make ten grams of polystyrene, the amount typically in a mechanical pencil, roughly twenty two grams of oil is needed for the petroleum and the manufacturing. Another major downside to polystyrene is that it takes over a hundred years for it to biodegrade. For more information on polystyrene and the environment follow the link: http://www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html.

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The fact that these oft discarded pencils are comprised mostly of polystyrene or a similar plastic is a major concern for the environment. The fact that many of these pencils end up as litter means that there is the potential for discarded pencils reaching the Great Lakes water system. The EPA considered polystyrene based plastics as the fifth largest creator of hazardous waste in 1986. Fish my confuse a submerged or floating pencil as a smaller fish and try eating it. The act of trying to consume the plastic alone may kill the fish or once ingested the toxicity of the polystyrene may kill the fish. The fact that polystyrene does not readily biodegrade means that it will continually be broken down into smaller pieces, making it easier for aquatic life to ingest. Polystyrene is manufactured using a potential human carcinogen called styrene. Styrene causes acute health effects including irritation to the skin, eyes, and respiratory tract. Chronic exposure causes aliments to the central nervous system including depression and fatigue along with retardation of kidney functions.

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The environmental concerns about polystyrene based plastics are known and present, but are there any more sustainable alternatives to the use these products like BIC mechanical pencils? Many will quickly turn to the classic wood pencil as a better alternative to the plastic mechanical pencil. Being made of wood they will readily biodegrade and won’t leach toxic materials into the environment. As natural as the wood pencils sound, they too have their negative impacts on the environment. Primarily the harvesting of trees for material creates the most effects on the environment. For a good comparison between the sustainability of mechanical and wood pencils follow the link: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/the_green_lantern/2008/09/ecopencils.html. Pens were also considered as a better alternative to mechanical pencils. Pens tend to allow for greater usage because of the ink and people tend to hold on to pens longer than pencils since they can cost more. However the fact that you can’t erase with pens means that you’ll use more paper. A solid debate on if pens or pencils are more environmentally friendly here: http://good.net.nz/magazine/5/good-start/pen-pencil. So what is the most sustainable and environmentally friendly writing utensil that students at Michigan Tech. should use? In short it’s a mechanical pencil. Yes I know I just spent all this time explaining all the negative effects of using mechanical pencils, which is why I've developed a list of ways students can be more environmentally conscience in terms of their writing utensils. 

1. Fill you’re pencil back up with lead once it’s gone – this will extend the lifespan of the pencil and cause you to use less pencils (will potentially save you money as well).
2. Purchase a quality pencil, maybe made of metal. A quality pencil will last you longer and prevent you from needlessly breaking it or not care about losing it.
3. Use a pen and make little to no mistakes.
4. Use an electronic device to take your notes.
5. Encourage your teachers to post the notes online.
6. Round up old pencils around the house and use those instead of buying new pencils for each term. 

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