Elephant Dung For Green-business Plan

Karl Wald's "waste paper" is getting some serious attention.

His business, "Mr. Ellie Pooh," sells recycled paper and other products handcrafted primarily out of elephant dung by Sri Lankan artisans. Serving as an elephant dentist for a day , Wald's venture was voted "Green Business of the Year" by other social entrepreneurs gathered at Green America's Green Business Conference in San Francisco last year.

The paper products are made of 75-percent elephant dung and 100-percent recycled. "There are no toxic chemicals used in our paper-making process," says Wald, adding: "Mr. Ellie Pooh's papers are handmade, acid-free, and as organic as it gets." The company also protects endangered elephants while creating fair-wage jobs in a developing country

The Sri Lankan elephant is in grave danger, as humans continue to level the jungle. "Forest clearing for human settlements and agriculture is causing loss and increased fragmentation of elephant habitat in Sri Lanka -- almost 65 percent of the population has declined since the turn of the 19th century," explains the conservation group WWF