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Article: Sustainable Stationery

Sustainable Stationery

Sustainable Stationery

I used to like summers in Toronto.  The timeless evenings when dusk seemed to linger for hours, and the nights were balmy and made for ice cream.  Somebody once said to me – the great thing about staying in the city during the summer was you could drive anywhere in 20 minutes… and there would be parking when you got there.

 

Sustainable Stationery

 

This summer has not been so accommodating. The smoke from the wildfires made my chest hurt, and the heat has meant fewer dinners al
fresco. The World Meteorological Organization has declared July, 2023 the hottest month in the past 120,000 years.

 

Although the spectre of climate change is overwhelming, we try for small victories.

 

fountain pen

 

Around 1.6 billion plastic pens are thrown out around the world annually. During the pandemic, we decided to stop carrying single-use pens, and suggested to our fountain pen customers they try bottled ink instead of cartridges.  We can make a fairly compelling case:

 

  • Bottled ink is better for the pen: drawing ink through the nib, feed and collector creates a better fill and reversing the flow of ink keeps the collector cleaner,
  • It’s better for the environment: ink comes in glass bottles which can be recycled, whereas plastic cartridges end up in landfill.
  • It’s less expensive in the long run: to buy the same amount of ink will be double or triple the price if you are buying cartridges.
  • If the pen takes proprietary cartridges, the colour choices can be quite limited.

11 comments

Looking forward to moving back to Toronto so I can visit your store again. Cheers

Michael Cox

Please add me to your mailing list. I look forward to visiting the store.

Christine Dirks

Well written Peter,

This Summer has been an odd one, especially with the wildfire smoke and the heat dome, not a good combo for enjoying the great outdoors. I agree about disposible plastic ballpoints and disposible culture period as I get older.

Bill

Bill Smith

Cool!

Rowan

Filling my pen with ink is one of my great pleasures.

Clare Coulter

Excellent observations and suggestion. Many small steps make bigger steps. Very proud to be a customer and friend.
Many thanks.

Norman

i’m so glad you wrote this, peter. so many memories of great summers, but this one…i dunno. it somehow happened without seeming to.

rosey colautti

Your stance is to be commended Peter. I too have had to reconsider a lot of my work over several decades in which I became part of a problem that was yet to unfold. Fortunately some clients were prescient as early as the 70’s, but sadly not the majority. Cheers, John.

John Arnott. RCA, ACID, IDSA

Delightful and prescient- great point on single use pens- snd wonderful news for fountain pen aficionados!

Gail Rose Appel

Thank you Peter for your heartfelt, relatable, thought through commentary.
You have made a convert out of me. I’m ready fountain pens a try again.

Judith White

Beautifully written, Peter! Thank you for having Laywine’s! Your shoppe is a stunning star in Toronto!
With fondest warm wishes to you and all your staff., Carolyn

Carolyn McIntire Smyth

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