Saturday, September 20, 2014

Ballpen War!

Refill, give your spent ballpen a second or third life. 
Dr Abe V Rotor
Living with Nature School on Blog
Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid (People's School-on-Air) with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday



Tips to win the war 

1. Refill, give your spent ballpen a second or third life.
2. Be consistent with the ballpen you use to enhance your penmanship and writing skill.
3. Pick one for function, rather than fancy.
4. Buy the brand who have already tried (nakasanayan), with an extra filler (that fits).
5. As much as possible, don't buy the expensive brands, otherwise you will depend exclusively on their refills.
6. Suspect if the cost is very low. Most likely it is a promo, a throw away.
7. Dispose ballpens you are not using before they get dry. Never mind the sentimental value; they are for friends and the needy.
8. Your ballpen is personal, as much as possible don't let others use it. Put your name for identification. Like any belonging give its due care.
9. Ballpens have been the culprit of damaged clothes (and embarrassment), ugly marks, poor grades, frustrations, and even in quarrels and fights. Keep dignified.
10.Talk to your teachers. Include in your recycling project "giving a new life to ballpens." Write your local leaders to promote this campaign. Don't patronize brands that are not cooperative.
Rage against the ballpen  


Rage against the ballpen -
overbuilt with very little bullet,
body plastic carcinogenic,
spills and blots, cheap unwashable ink,
signatures, trademarks makers' gimmick,
obsolescence hidden from public.

Rage against the ballpen -
craftsmanship appeals emotion,
far deserving its noble function;
remote from once building a nation
mightier than the sword that it was born,
greed has taken over - sad, forlorn,

Rage against the ballpen
no more the names that carried its name
death sans laurels beaten in the game,
save the pioneers of yester fame;
aloft, but to save their dying name,
instead of joining the ballpen campaign.

Rage against the ballpen
refill for second life, third maybe,
refill at large, one or two or three,
with brand or without, or given free,
for the children's thrift and study
to save the earth, and prayer for Thee.~

       

Author's collection. I have preserved these pens - and more. I have always looked to the time when I can revive them, give them a second or third life by refilling each one with the appropriate type. 

I succeeded in some. But my collection is increasing because there is no standard refill in the market, and the life of ballpens are getting shorter. Lose the cap and you lose the pen. One accidental drop destroys the ball point - goodbye to the ballpen, even if it's a new one. 

 A waste of money indeed, these retired pens and ball pens before their time. While millions of schoolchildren all over the world have nothing to write at all. Let's join the campaign. We will prevail in the same way we survived in the "Cola War," and the
"Shampoo War.
"

Things to do.

1. Pool spent and discarded ballpens in the family, in school, in the community.

2. Arrange with a supplier of ball pen refills. Involve members, organizations.

3. Sustain campaign on calendared events: Earth Day, Ecology Week, or without fanfare. Hold a contest.

4. Make your own ball pen with bamboo reed, rolled paper, and other environment friendly materials. All you need to buy is the filler. Give prizes, appreciation.

5. Shift to ink pen instead, it's more economical. A bottle of ink may be equivalent to writing output of dozens of disposable ball pens. ~

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