Going Green - Elephant Dung Paper
May 10, 2009 | By
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Never in a million years would I have thought of this particular innovation, but since I don't interact with elephants on a daily basis and I don't make handmade paper, It's not surprising. This isn't paper made of elephants, it is paper made from elephant dung.
Elephants are vegetarians, so the dung they produce is mostly fiber from the plants they eat. By combining the dung (thoroughly cleaned & disinfected!) with other plant fibers, a usable product is generated, giving a stream of income to the areas that abound with elephants, and a destination for the more than 500 pounds of dung produced per day per elephant.
In some places, like Sri Lanka, elephants are not being killed for their hide, meat, or tusks. They are killed simply because they are a nuisance to farmers. The elephants do not have an appreciation for neatly farmed rows of vegetables or newly planted gardens. It is all vegetation to them, and becomes either a great meal for the elephant, or a path to trample to get to another location for water or food.
By turning the elephant dung into a revenue stream, the farmers have a disincentive to kill them, and can learn to live harmoniously with the local elephants.
The paper produced from elephant dung doesn't have an odor. It is acid-free, produced using non-toxic chemicals in a completely natural process, and can be colored with vegetable dye during the paper-making process. The result is a very strong paper that can be used in any craft project in which you would use other paper products.
Want to see the paper in action? Visit Elephant Dung Paper's Website!
Elephant Photo courtesy of: exfordy
Elephant Dung Photo courtesy of: Njr Za
Ebony is an avid quilter & crafter in the greater Chicago area, and you can see her work via her online portal at LoveBug Studios.
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