Just when I thought I’ve seen every variation of Christmas cards out there, Susan O— surprised me yesterday with a very curious card. I knew from the envelope’s rustic texture that this was hand-made paper.
However, I was in disbelief when she told me it was made from elephant poop. Frankly, for a couple of minutes I thought she was pull my leg…or more appropriately…my trunk. Of course with both an Apple iPhone and a Moto Droid in the room, it didn’t take long before Carl and Clint both googled the phrase, “The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper” to confirm that elephant poop, besides fertilizing the ground can make some pretty cool Christmas cards.
If you have the desire to be the talk of a party or throw a curve ball at someone who has everything or has seen it all, I would swing by POOPOOPAPER. The have Christmas ornaments made of elephant poop as well. I did have to put my nose up to the paper to see if it smelled like anything close to poop and I could not smell a trace of what one would normally associate with the smell of poop. Instead, it had a nice scent to it.
The process to convert elephant dung to paper is fascinating. Poop is collected from conservation parks and taken to the paper making facility where it is rinsed so that only the fibrous materials are left (btw: This sounds like a candidate for the show, “Dirty Jobs”). Other fibers from banana leaves and pineapples are added to strengthen the paper. I really think the company should offer factory tours, it would be fascinating to try this out.