Exquisite paper from elephant poop
Mr. Ellie Pooh is the name of the company, and key answers are: The project is the foundation of an attempt to provide villagers in Sri Lanka with an industry that will provide jobs as well as respect for the local elephants; the average paper product is 100% recycled and around 70% elephant dung; and no, it doesn't smell like anything other than paper.
You read that right - it may be counterintuitive, but elephant poop, once processed, does make some very nice paper products. No, seriously. I can vouch for them, having seen, touched and, yes, smelled them at the Green Festival in DC last month.
Mr. Ellie Pooh is the name of the company, and since I'd imagine anyone in their right mind would have several questions about this - ahem - unique product, I tried to put those to representative Elizabeth Jenny in a four-minute interview that you can listen to here (MP3). For the impatient - or multimedia-impaired - key answers are: The project is the foundation of an attempt to provide villagers in Sri Lanka with an industry that will provide jobs as well as respect for the local elephants; the average paper product is 100% recycled and around 70% elephant dung; and no, it doesn't smell like anything other than paper.
With public attention turning to the holiday season and affordable gifts, this is one product line (including journals, stationery, crafts, scrapbook albums and various grades of writing paper) that is truly unique, above and beyond your typical "green" choice. Give people something made from elephant poop, and that's surely a gift they will never forget!