Pencils are made from wood, and although it is hard to imagine forests are clearcut for the little bit of wood in a pencil, they are.  Many pencil manufacturers buy their wood from Sierra Pacific Industries, which is notorious for irresponsible logging practices, such as clearcutting and use of herbicides on plantations.  Forturnately, Forest Ethics has rated pencil manufacturers on the amount of pre- and post-consumer recycled content in their products, whether they are made Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified lumber, and whether the lumber is purchased from Sierra Pacific Industries.  According to Josh Buswell-Charkow of Forest Ethics:

Parents don’t want their children using pencils which degrade California’s landscape, drinking water, or species, and the top companies on our report card show that there’s a better way. Those big companies that earned ‘F’s, however, are like the students in the back of the class with pencils in their ears and their heads in the clouds while the rest of the class leaves them behind.

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They can customize for business or events and work with organizations to make fundraising kits. What a great way to promote your green business or raise money for a cause! Sure, there are recycled newspaper pencils on the market, but where else can you find pencils that smell like your favorite fruit or dessert? Life is too short to leave your sense of smell out of the experience of writing a letter!