SHEI blogger Rhiannon presents the first installment of her forthcoming weekly column, SHEI Vert.  Enjoy!

Madison Handbag by Taska & Edi

My favorite thing about a new semester (apart from a clean slate grade-wise) is shopping for school supplies. I’m one of those people who gets excited about new pens and pencils and loves opening the first page of a fresh notebook. Unfortunately, thanks to being raised by thrifty, eco-conscious parents, I am overcome by waves of consumer guilt anytime I purchase something new. That’s why the day I discovered Dixon Ticonderoga EnviroSTIKS will remain etched in my memory forever. From then on, my consumer guilt would be assuaged by an earth-friendly bookbag – and yours can be too.

Mr. Ellie Pooh Notebooks

The Notebook

No, not that sappy chick flick with Ryan Gosling. Canadian company ecojot has a wide range of cute notebooks, journals and folders made from 100% recycled paper. Alternatively, you could try notebooks and journals created using banana pulp (by Florista Banana) or elephant dung (by Mr. Ellie Pooh).

Pilot's BeGreen Line

The Pen

Most major pen manufacturers offer environmentally friendly versions. Check out Pilot’s BeGreen range which has everything from permanent markers to rolling ball pens, or Pentel’s Recycology line.

Dixon Ticonderoga

The Pencil

If you weren’t already aware because you skipped the first paragraph, I’m a huge fan of Dixon Ticonderoga EnviroSTIKS. Their wood casing lends a nice earthy vibe, and they’re high quality as you’d expect from “America’s #1 pencil.”

Timbuk2 Classic Hemp Messenger

The Bag

Purchasing sustainable school supplies would be silly without having a nice pro-planet bag to carry them all in. Timbuk2, creators of quite possibly the hippest messenger bags on Earth have both hemp and recycled material options, and Rawganique has hemp everything – from wallets to fannypacks.