The P&P Office Waste Paper Professor turns paper into pencils when you add the lead, glue, and power. It also includes a pencil sharpener on the side. Designed by Chinese natives Chengzhu Ruan, Yuanyuan Liu, Xinwei Yuan and Chao Chen, this innovation has gained a lot of intrigue. What do you think?
So the question is:
On the one side, you'd be able to reduce the amount of paper being either thrown out or recycled into a lesser grade paper. Realistically, the majority of offices haven't gone completely paperless and there are still some transactions and contracts that must exist in paper form, so there is plenty of paper to go around. The inventors specifically recommend paper that has been put to poor use, like pages with little print on them or non-confidential memos. Although paper recycling happens in masse across the US, there are still some counties and office places that do not offer recycling. So this invention could be a great conversation starter!
On the other side of the equation, this machine requires mined materials and electricity along with glue to make it tick. The details are sparse, so we don't know if the materials used to create the machine are ethically sourced, or how much energy the machine requires to run. If we are diligent in our workplaces and use smart strips and unplug our appliances to avoid energy drains, then it wouldn't make sense to blow a lot of energy on this device.
Before you make your final call, know that this device won a Lite-On Award, which is part of China's green revolution. So what do you think?
(Images: Yanko Designs)
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I think it would be a good idea if people would use it, I see a lot of people getting it wanting to use it but as for time it takes to get the materials (Lead, glue) I don't see if being efficient enough, plus I don't see many adults using pencils enough either. Maybe a good idea for schools.
I agree with icanmakeit. Might be a good iea for schools (where they use pencils) but most working adults I know use pens.
I think it would be more of a novelty item then a practical item though. Kind of like the make your own paper kits.
not sure if it's green, but i love it. i think it's creative and awesome.
Would be good for artists too.
I think I would rather see a large (metal?) machine making a lot of pencils at once than many, many smaller (plastic?) machines making just a few pencils at a time.
I would love something like this for my classroom. I put a lot of paper in the recycling bin, plus I think my students (high school) would get a kick out of making pencils.
This is a problem I believe with a lot of innovative green products. Sometimes it's not so green when you consider how it was made and how it can be maintained and the distance it has to travel to get to you. As for office paper, I turn paper that's printed on one side into notepads. All you need to do is attach a stiff piece of cardboard for a backing (recycled from boxes) to a stack of paper sheets and add a couple of clip holders. Saved us $1500 last year on notepads!