Special O’BON Discount Available on Treehugger.com

O’BON and Treehugger.com have put together a special offer for customer between now and June 30th, 2009. Click on the link below for details and the special offer code to get your discount!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/05/treehugger-deals-obon-stationary.php

L’Artiste Expanding into a Series, New Art Block Photo LEAKED!

O’BON looks to finally be expanding their L’Artiste line with the introduction of an ‘Art Block’ product, which is more commonly known to Americans as being a variation of a sketch pad for professional artists.

According to a company representative who asked to remain anonymous for fear of dismissal, explained that these new art blocks would come branded under the O’BON sub-brand, “L’Artiste”. O’BON has found success with their set of art pencils, where each set includes 10 pencils of varying levels of graphite hardness. The new art block will accompany the L’Artiste pencil set with a pad of pages (number of pages included with the art block is unknown) made from O’BON’s own bagasse sugarcane paper, a eco alternative from wood paper. A release date for the art block is unknown at this time. I will update as I receive more information.

Eraserless Pencils… Beautiful? Or… Just an Inconvenience?

O’BON has made a point in insisting that their pencils are far more aesthetically appealing than the traditional yellow pencil, most of which come with an eraser attached via a metal, aluminum clasp. But does the clear fact that O’BON pencils are beautiful outweigh the simple inconvenience of not having an eraser on top of the pencil?

The simple and most obvious answer would be no. To me, a pencil isn’t just a pencil, it’s a piece of art. O’BON makes a clear statement in their products, that they don’t want them to be a part of the mundane and unoriginal stock of products that continually seems to saturate the school and office supplies industry. Instead, they have set out to create something different. If O’BON were to design their pencils exactly like all the rest, then none of us would have so much interest in them.

I do understand the convenience argument from people who aren’t looking for anything special in a pencil and don’t seem to care much about how it’s made or about how eco friendly it is. The eraser on the top of a pencil is consequently for the simple-minded, for those to tend not to dig very deep. But then again, I’m just giving my own opinion. It’s just good to see O’BON stay true to their slogan in offering ‘something different’. Besides, just use an eraser cap if you’re so damn picky!

O’BON Giveaway #1: L’Artiste Art Pencil Sets

O’BON recently announced art pencil giveaways on their Facebook fan page. Those of you who would like to win should become a fan, and comment on their post or a chance to win a free L’Artiste Art Pencil Set.

Review #3: Sugarcane Series Notebook by Pentamento

On a visit to notebookism I spied the O’BON notebooks and as I am more than keen on green, whether it is grass, trees, or a piece of pottery, I inquired and asked if they would send one of their green products for review.
To view the entire review, click here

Buh + Gas = Bagasse

O’BON has now revolutionized paper. Once again, O’BON has made it clear that no tree will ever be harmed in the making of an O’BON product. Instead of cutting down trees to produce paper or using unbleached “recycled” paper (yea, that light brown ugly grainy paper), O’BON actually uses sugarcane fibers that are leftover from farmers who extract the juice from the sugarcane for resale. These leftover fibers are then processed and made into white paper, without the use of bleach, since the sugarcane fibers are naturally white.

Saving the World, One Pencil at a Time

The simplest, littlest of things can sometimes make all the difference in the world. What if… one day we stopped cutting down trees and destroying forests for our consumption. And instead, we REUSE what we already have.

Review #2: O’BON Wildlife Pencils by Ryker

How Hot Can You Go?

I was sitting in my Ethics class one day when suddenly in the middle of a discussion about environmental issues, this dude says, “I don’t believe in global warming.” The class goes dead quiet for about 3 seconds until someone pipes up, “So I take it you don’t believe in gravity too?”

O’BON Endangered Species Series Picture Leaked!

Don’t ask us how we came across these. Somehow, a picture of O’BON’s new Endangered Species Series has been discovered in the wild (no pun intended!). We have no idea if these are the final product images, or if the animals selected have been finalized. However, we did expect O’BON to be coming out with new series of products this summer, and it looks as though we now know what one of those will be.