Paper from Elephant Dung?

That’s right.  Elephant dung.  From journals and notebooks to personal stationary, The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company has created a line of products made from elephant waste.  Many of us are probably familiar with TerraCycle’s worm waste-based fertilizer, but these products give whole new meaning to the term reuse and sustainability!   The paper is made by drying the dung, and then thoroughly rinsing it until the fibers from the vegetation the elephants consumed, are the only element remaining, which are in turn, eventually transformed into the actual paper fibers.  As a further indication of their commitment to sustainability, a portion of the sale of their “Products with a Purpose” is put towards supporting the welfare and conservation of elephant habitat around the world.

The Great Elephant Poo Poo Paper Company

What’s in that Roll?

Mention it to most people, and you’ll probably either get a humorous aside or no response at all, but make no mistake. Toilet paper is serious business. The earliest known use of toilet paper is said to have been in 6th Century China, and since that time, the product has seen some dramatic improvements. It wasn’t until 1883, when Seth Wheeler of Albany, NY got a patent for a roll of paper wrapped around a tube, that what we now think of as modern day toilet paper or “bathroom tissue” was born.

Considering the extent of recycled paper in the final product, toilet paper is a perfect example of wide-scale reuse of waste material. Two of the most well-known recycled paper product manufacturers are Marcal and Seventh Generation, both of whom have made it their business to grow financially while reducing waste and doing good by the environment – their paper household products are made from 100% recycled content. To illustrate how serious Marcal is in this regard, the company has recently developed a co-product called Kaofin® Fiber clay, made from the clay and cellulosic fiber waste that comes at the end of the recycling process for glossy coated paper products such as magazines. This can then be used for a number of applications, including for landfill cover, as a cement additive, and in the manufacture of animal bedding.

How Toilet Paper is Made on You Tube

How Toilet Paper is Made article on www.madehow.com

The Genius of Paper Tube Architecture

(Images courtesy of Centre Pompidou)

To characterize some of Shigeru Ban’s recent architectural projects as paradigm-shifting would be an understatement. Born in Tokyo Japan in 1957, the world famous architect was influenced by both Japanese minimalism and many of the most renowned Western architects (Corbusier, van der Rohe, and others). In fact, one can see echoes of such simplicity in Ban’s use of cardboard shipping tubes in structures from temporary relief housing he designed for earthquake victims in Japan and Turkey, to a church in Kobe, Japan (reassembled in Taiwan in 2007), and even his small studio space on the roof of the Pompidou Center in Paris. Although there are certainly other materials present, such as recycled fiberboard, steel hardware and support cables, the cylindrical cardboard tubing often makes up the bulk of these simple structures.

When one considers Ban’s use of cardboard tubing as a structural (some might even remark on its minimalist aesthetic quality) material, it is easy to understand why many refer to him as a green architect, yet he eschews such labeling as contrived and perhaps short-lived, preferring to adhere to his own notion of designing and engineering structures holistically through a sort of practical minimalism. It is encouraging to see an architect as famous as him, utilizing such simple and straightforward waste as cardboard shipping tubes, within a project, rather than simply being comfortable with their being landfilled or incinerated. Perhaps his work will have a powerful influence not only on those humanitarian-minded architects and designers who are already inclined to offer solutions to overcrowding and low cost housing, but also on those who have yet seen the benefits of sustainable alternative materials.

Shiguru Ban’s Interview with designboom.com

Getting Material With Paper

“Papercraft” or paper models are printed and assembled by many as a hobby. Some enthusiasts are scratchbuilding their own using programs like Adobe Illustrator. Templates can be found all over the internet, ranging from quite simple to really complex. We recently stumbled upon this robot from Star Wars available for download here…

Alternative Greeting Cards!

Just as I was starting to feel bad about sending out more holiday cards that would ultimately end as refuse, I received a Reindeer Greeting from a friend. These electronic, festive cards cost less than the paper alternative ($0.79), and take a little off the top to donate to Architecture for Humanity. Created by the folks at re:vision, I have to give them credit for an easy to use web site, workable designs, and a good cause.

Send a card to a friend or colleague here: www.reindeergreetings.com

Save a Tree, Keep Your Hands Wet ?

« To make people realize that saving the planet starts with them saving paper, we took a standard paper dispenser and made a simple modification with green foil and the silhouette of South America. This allowed us to prove that the survival of the forest is directly connected to what people consume. Save paper, Save the planet WWF “

The eternal dilemma. After you wash your hands, what do you choose : wasting electricity with the hand dryer or wasting paper with the paper dispenser ?

Clovernook Manufacturing: Starbucks, Pay Attention

For the last 104 years, the Clovernook Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired has helped create jobs for those with vision disabilities. According to their web site, they empower over 140 skilled workers with jobs. And what exactly do they manufacturer? Simple paper office products like folders, labels, and compostable paper cups. How fantastic would it be for a corporation like Starbucks to take a page from Clovernook’s social and environmental playbook towards paper cup manufacturing?

In addition to the millions of file folders produced in manila, kraft and pressboard with full custom capability, Clovernook has recently introduced the first and only 100% biodegradable, compostable, and renewable environment-friendly hot paper cup on the market. These cups have received FDA approval and comply with ASTM standard 6400 for compostable testing.         

New Preserve Product Line!

Recycline, the makers of the recycled plastic product line “Preserve”, announce an extension to their toothbrushes and razors, coming soon to Whole Foods stores:  

Designed by people who love to cook - and who know that delicious food depends on a healthy planet - Preserve Kitchen offers durable, fun, dishwasher-safe products for your kitchen. Preserve Kitchen products help preserve the earth, one home at a time. Preserve Kitchen products made from 100% recycled #5 plastic (just like our toothbrushes, razors + tableware) and from 100% post-consumerrecycled paper.        

One of their new cutting boards is made from Paperstone, an innovative recycled paper material listed on Ecolect. Connecticut based firm Evo Design is behind the Industrial Design.