New Delhi- Trying to reduce the usage of plastic, an Indian designer has created a pen made of paper wastes which will later transform into a plant that provides medical benefits due to a small grain fixed at the end of each pen; the pen is sold for 12 Indian rupees, around 12 cents.

This new innovation holds the signature of Lakshmi Menon, an artist who worked in a paper-specialized gallery in San Francisco.
When she arrived to India, Lakshmi was shocked by the exaggerated use of plastic and the volume of wastes it left behind it; she wanted to help in finding a solution for the problem but didn’t know how. At the same time, the Indian designer was teaching art in an orphanage where she used to make paper toys for her students.

One day, while teaching her students how to pleat papers to make a paper pen, she got the idea to make quantities of these pens and sell them.

Lakshmi called these pens ‘Entree’ because they symbolize an entry into eco-friendly living. She was determined not to use new papers to manufacture them; her raw materials are paper wastes generated by printing presses. The papers are rolled with a machine that she designed and patented herself. The machine ensures the paper is rolled tight enough to be as tenacious as plastic pens.

At the end-top of each pen, the Indian lady placed a seed from Agasthya tree, also known as the hummingbird tree. These trees hold a special place in Ayurveda for their medicinal properties; it is often used to treat stomach problems and respiratory seizures, also used for eye-sight care and to treat of uterus infections.

Lakshmi said regarding her achievement that this pen is implantable; it will contribute in increasing the afforestation operation and in protecting the natural environment.

Lakshmi seeks to distribute around 100,000 pens on school students this year. The latter also received many requests to provide large quantities of these pens to universities, schools, offices, and hotels.

It is worth mentioning that the industry of these pens has also contributed in the empowerment of woman, as the Indian lady recruited many women who suffer from physical disabilities in poor areas to help her in implementing her project.