What if pencils could grow? It may not seem like the most pressing question of our time but it's one that the brains behind Sprout are asking anyway. The idea is quite simple: a pencil with a water-activated capsule in its tip that you can plant once it’s too short to use. You don’t waste the pencil by throwing it out and you get to grow a plant of your choice.

Sprout was designed by Democratech at MIT in Cambridge by product design students. It is made from sustainably harvested cedar, is 100% non-toxic, lead-free and handmade in Minnesota. You can choose from many types of plants to grow, either herbs, flowers or vegetables.

Overwhelming quantities of discarded pencils may not be an impending environmental catastrophe just yet, but like PhoneBloks, which we looked at last week, Sprout presents a sustainable, practical solution to waste management.