Recycled school supplies are exploding in popularity on our Nike-shorted, sorority-infested campus, but — surprise, surprise — it isn’t all it’s cut out to be. Even though recycling should be a good thing, consumers are using the purchase of recycled goods to soothe their environmental guilt.
From recycled notebook paper to eco-friendly pencils, there are simply too many options taking their toll on not only eager students and their shrinking wallets, but also the environment.
It all started in 2004, when BIC — yes, the pen and razor and everything else company — used their mass quantities of cash to conduct environmental studies. They vowed towards a more minimalistic approach of only using what’s necessary.
But said minimalistic approach wasn’t the only one worth noticing. Land’s End, also known as the Business Outfitters, began a strikingly green initiative in 2009. They told the press via their website that not only were they going to use products that come from sustainable foresting, but they were going to make sure their employees began leading greener lifestyles as well.
By creating an employee cycling initiative and supplying their workers with a cleaner form of transportation as well as creating campus garden facilities, Land’s End set an end to the hypocritical institutions that shove green supplies down the eager throats of youngsters.
But despite all of the talk and the prizes, the worry to many consumers around the globe may not be that we aren’t creating enough recycled materials, but that we’re creating too many.
Countries like China recycle excessively compared to the United States. It’s essential not only for their environment but also for their survival with so many people being supported on such little land.
Yet, by pooling many of our resources to make “new” products and define new brand names, the demand could potentially exceed the supply. Now we’re using all of our recycled aluminum cans to produce more paper for this “new” brand when it could be used to recreate more Dr. Pepper cans.
The issue then becomes who will take control of the recycled material in our country.
It’ll be the corporation with the most eco-friendly dough, I’m sure.
And while I get that hummingbird heart beat every time I see the word “recycled” on a notebook or a pack of pens, I worry it’s simply an invisible cloak covering up a far more serious problem.
With an increasing amount of brands coming out with backpacks made out of 100 percent recycled material or phones such as the Samsung Replenish — which can be charged using a small solar panel — this craze should be perfect for the eco crowd.
It’s not all it’s cut out to be.
The trend is like Diet Coke for a fat person — it seems like a healthier alternative, but, in the end, it has so much fluff it’s just as likely to end in turmoil and diabetes as the original choice.
We see these brands as an easy fix to the bigger issue — our lack of conservation and general unadulterated, stubborn-as-a-mule laziness.
Instead of recycling those 10 water bottles we just used, now we’re going to throw them away and opt for buying 10 recycled notebooks instead.
It’s this mentality – the thought that it all evens out in the end – that leads to a lack of progress.
And until we decide to make a genuine effort, we’ll forever be stuck thinking sustainability is no longer our problem but those of a large corporation already seeking a solution.
So be it. Buy the recycled copy paper distributed by Staples. Go ahead and write to your heart’s content with a pencil made of recycled newspaper.
But use your “new” toys as a tool to implement into your daily life rather than a bench on which to rest your chubby values.
 
Priyanka Bhatia is a 19-year-old pre-veterinary medicine sophomore from San Jose, Calif. Follow her on Twitter @TDR_PBhatia.
 
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Contact Priyanka Bhatia at [email protected]