Elephant Dung - yes, we said Elephant Poop!

What does Elephant dung/poop/feces/crapola (choose your own word) have to do with a green products blog and website?  Excellent question, especially since it has lots to do with an eco friendly website.  Here's the story and it's a good one:

Mr. Ellie Pooh LLC is an eco-friendly Fair Trade company making exotic gifts and paper made partially out of elephant poo! Elephants in Sri Lanka are being killed at an alarming rate. Humans are encroaching on elephant habitats and cutting down trees. When elephants come looking for food, they are shot and killed. Our mission is to is to reduce some of the Human/Elephant conflict that is ongoing. We plan to open handmade paper facilities in rural areas, train local villagers to make paper and hire artisans to embellish our goods. We believe that this newly created industry can directly contribute to the local economy. Our hopes are that such an initiative will self educate the villagers into living, working and respecting the elephant. Have them look at the elephants more as an asset instead of as a threat. According to “The State of the Paper Industry (2007)” a report by the Environmental Paper Network, 50% of the world's forests have been cleared or burned, and 80% of what's left has been seriously degraded. If the United States cut office paper use by just 10% it would prevent the emission of 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases -- the equivalent of taking 280,000 cars off the road. Compared to using virgin wood, paper made with 100% recycled content uses 44% less energy, produces 38% less greenhouse gas emissions, 41% less particulate emissions, 50% less wastewater, 49% less solid waste and -- of course -- 100% less wood. Mr. Ellie Pooh’s paper products are 100% recycled. They are made up of 50% fiber from elephant dung and 50% post consumer paper. There are no toxic chemicals used in our paper making process. Natural vegetative binding agents, along with water-soluble salt dyes for coloring are used. Mr. Ellie Pooh’s papers are handmade, acid free and as organic as it gets. Since an elephant’s diet is all vegetarian, the waste produced is basically raw cellulose. Thoroughly cleaned and processed, the cellulose is converted into a uniquely beautiful textured product, marketed as “Ellie Pooh Paper”. This acid free, linen-like papyrus-type paper can be formed into art and construction projects, notebooks, cards and assorted gift items where the only limitation is ones imagination. These products have proved extremely popular among many in the local population and among foreign tourists. Although this paper may not completely resolve the ongoing human-elephant conflict in Sri Lanka, its use for the benefit of the farmers who suffer from elephant depredations will certainly go some way in raising the tolerance of the farmers towards the elephant. If the elephant is used as an economic asset that contributes meaningfully to the welfare of the people, then the people themselves will not want to see it disappear from their area. In the final analysis, all of our conservation efforts will be futile if we do not have the support of the local communities. “Ellie Pooh Paper” can play an important role in the conservation of its provider.
Is that an awesome story or what!  How could we not carry Ellie Pooh products on RUNKA.com?  We had to - for our buddies the elephants, the people in Sri Lanka that benefit from these products and to make these great, unique items available to our customers. Note Pads Greeting Cards Mini Scrapbook/Photo Albums I know.  You're thinking these products can't be made from Elephant dung - but they are!  And they really do look and feel fantastic and people love them as gifts because they are so unique.  Go to www.RUNKA.com and see the whole line of Mr. Ellie Pooh's products.  By the way they look even better in person.