What’s the best way for a pencil user to celebrate Earth Day?

April 22, 2016 marks the 46th anniversary for Earth Day, a day to celebrate the planet we live on and inspire people to be more aware of their actions and how they affect the world around us. 

There are many ways to celebrate this year’s Earth Day. If you visit EarthDay.org, you will most likely be able to find a public event in your area.  Today at the Pencils.com office, one way I’m celebrating is by writing notes in my ForestChoice notebook with the Palomino ForestChoice pencil (oh if only I had a Blackwing 211!). If you check out my About Me blog post, you’ll read a bit about my background in Environmental Studies.  I studied Environmental Sustainability and Social Justice, which taught me to be more aware of how connected we are through so many systems and processes that often go overlooked.

Overall, I felt like the global transition to digital media has created a disconnect from our physical environment. I found using analog tools, such as pencils, makes me more cognizant of where my tools came from.  As I’m typing this post out on my computer, I notice that I do not pay as much attention to the machine’s individual parts, where they’re made, or how they work together as I do if I’m writing with a wood cased pencil. 

Just holding a wood cased pencil, I can smell the cedar and see the grain, which instantly reminds me that this pencil has an origin, and that time and energy was used to transform it into the tangible object that I hold in my hand.  It is important to remember that all of our resources come from this earth, and using pencils is a great way to do so.

Recognizing our co-dependence on the earth’s natural resources is probably one of my favorite ways to celebrate Earth Day. How will you celebrate? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter and Facebook @pencilscom.