Making pencils helps locals and saves forests

(19 Jan 2012)
Ngong, Kenya - 9 December 2011
1. Various close ups of ecopencils
2. Mid of people sorting pencils
3. Sign reading (in English) "Ecopencil Producers", tilt down to workers arriving carrying old newspapers
4. Workers carrying old newspapers
5. Managing director of Ecopencil, Davies Saiyanka Ole Kareso sorting pencils
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Davies Saiyanka Ole Kareso, Managing director of Ecopencil :
"The need that I saw in the society basically here in Africa is that we normally cut down trees carelessly without thinking about the repercussions. I got a lot of inspiration from Wangari Maathai (the late 2004 Nobel winner) who had worked very hard in conserving the environment here in Kenya and after visiting her foundation, her Green Belt movement I got a lot of inspiration in that if I could come up with a novel idea basically now using the waste news print paper i would actually be helping the environment."
7. Close up of pencils
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Davies Saiyanka Ole Kareso, Managing director of Ecopencil :
"Our pencils are normally labour intensive so at least we would be killing two birds with one stone in the sense that we are creating employment for the youth, for the people who are unemployed and also conserving the environment."
9. Various of worker cutting the waste news paper prints into size of the pencil lead
10. Various of worker putting glue on the graphite, sticking it on to the paper
11. Various of worker putting paper and lead into a machine that rolls it together
12. Various of rolled news paper with lead being put into pot where it is treated
13. Various of workers labelling and sharpening the treated pencils
14. Close up of Ecopencil logo, pull out to various of Davies Saiyanka Ole Kareso showing how pencils are made, UPSOUND (English) Davies Saiyanka Ole Kareso, Managing director of Ecopencil :
"We buy the waste news print and this we take to the factory.The waste news print is cut into dimensions, which are the same size as the graphite lead which is 16.5 and 17 centimetres (6.4-6.6 inches). After that we take the lead, using paper glue we adhere it onto the paper using our finger tips.This is how the paper looks like after the glue has been adhered on to the paper. After this we take this paper called the pasted paper and put it into a machine which is rolled and comes out as tight cylinders. When this has been done, we take them somewhere else and process them in a big pot and after 6 to 7 hours it becomes as hard as wood. Now after that has been done we go into the branding process and this are some of the samples of pencils that we have branded for different companies."
15. Various of worker putting pencils with loose labels into a heating machine to make the label stick
16. Worker tipping pencils onto table
17. Various of workers packing the finished pencils for various clients
18. Pencils on table, pan to worker Christina Njeri sorting pencils
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Njeri, Worker :
"I feel good because when we make pencils out of old waste newspapers we don't cut trees. So these pencils is environmentally friendly and it has no effect even when used by the children. It is a nice pencil."
20. Christina Njeri working
21. SOUNDBITE (English) Christina Njeri, Worker :
"My life has changed since I started working at Ecopencil because am able to provide for my family, my kids. To educate them and to give them basic needs."
22. Njeri walking home
23. Various of Njeri preparing meal for her family
24. Various of family eating
LEADIN :
Locally made, cheap and cheerful, these eco pencils have a point !
STORYLINE :

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