This special paper comes in a variety of colors.

Every Monday, our resident gurus identify groundbreaking, trendy, hip products that elevate your life from bourgeois to brilliant.

Last Christmas, the American Greeting Card Association reports that Americans bought approximately two billion greeting cards. “Giving a greeting card creates a lasting impression,” states the association. An impression on the earth, its forests and its waterways, for sure. It’s time you gave a sh** about greeting cards. Quite literally.

Enter the Mr. Ellie Pooh paper company, which specializes in seasonal and blank greeting cards. The company’s whimsical name hints at something unusual about its products. Each handmade card is made from elephant dung. Yes, you read that right: Dumbo’s poo.

Using a local workforce in Sri Lanka, the company collects elephant excrement and washes the dung to leave behind raw cellulose fibers. These fibers are then sterilized and combined with post-consumer paper pulp and turned into homemade paper.

Benefits are many, including helping local Sri Lankans to see elephants as economically valuable rather than as hunted prey, and reducing the greenhouse emissions necessary to make the paper.

(Available online at Mr. Ellie Pooh)