The major cause of global warming is the depletion of ozone layer that is damaged by the excessive amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Fortunately, trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, maintaining a natural balance.The products made from wood consume trees that are a natural protection to the environment. And the products made from plastics generally use toxic materials and take longer times to decompose, thereby polluting the land, water and air.
"More than 14 billion pencils are produced every year, enough to circle the globe 62 times" (Musgrave Pencil Co. Inc). The fact that
"the average cedar tree yields approximately 172,000 pencils" (WAAC, Newsletter, Volume 10, Number 1, Jan. 1988, pp.9-11), it is estimated that around 80,000 trees are extinguished every year.
In order "to produce 1 cubic meter of wood, 190 kwh of energy is consumed" (Federlegno Arredo 1993), which means that the annual energy consumption by pencil industry exceeds 93,000 kwh. This estimate is in addition to the large amounts of energy consumed by the sustainable forest management.
One way of protecting the environment is to recycle used and waste products. Recycled products help in preserving energy and decrease the amount of waste filling in the dumping sites that are a breeding ground for environmental pollution. And most importantly, recycled materials promote a healthier and greener environment without the need of chopping down the trees.