The holidays are upon us, but it’s not too late to consider a gift that could keep on giving, and giving, and giving… for seven years.

The premise behind the Seven Year Pen is simple: It’s a pen. That lasts for seven years. How does it achieve such miraculous efficiency? The secret lies in a jumbo ink cartridge that fills more of the pen’s barrel compared to other, run-of-the-mill pens. Though the cartridge is larger, the pen is still sleek and no wider than average. No need to get stingy with the ink either; the Seven Year Pen, which retails for $7.50, can be used by poets and note takers alike to write a whopping 1.7 meters a day for seven years. And when the ink finally runs dry? No problem: Just buy a new cartridge and swap it out for the old one, no new pen required.

Why Should We Care?

According to the makers of the Seven Year Pen, an estimated 100 million pens are discarded every day (I’m pretty sure I contributed substantially to this number while in college). These spurned writing implements are just a small portion of the 90,000 pounds of trash the average American generates over the course of a lifetime.

Choosing to waste less won’t improve a person’s squat thrusts, but it can help keep the earth a little healthier. And just as choosing environmentally-friendly food often benefits the humans who consume it, making choices to keep the planet in tip-top shape improves air and water quality, which is good for everyone’s health.

Will It Actually Work?

I’m just 3 days into my pen’s seven-year life span, but signs are good. Seltzer Goods, the Brooklyn-based company that makes the pen, seems to walk the walk when it comes to environmental sustainability: The company uses 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper, eschews difficult-to-recycle PVC in its packaging, and affirms ethical conditions for its workers.

Obviously, I can’t yet vouch for whether this puppy will last the full seven years (check back in 2019). I can vouch for the fact that the pen is light-weight, with a comfortable grip, and pleasingly designed. Now I just have to figure out how not to lose it in my gym bag.

Can a pen change the world? Share your thoughts in comments below, or get in touch with the author on Twitter via @LauraNewc.