Pass the panda poo paper, please!

We here at FP can get a little obsessed with pandas sometimes. (OK, maybe it’s just me.) But here’s proof that the environment is getting its panda on, too: The cuddly bears’ waste can be recycled into paper. Researchers at the Chengdu Giant Panda Breeding Base are looking for a paper mill to take the fiber-rich poo and turn it into scribbling pads. They got the idea after visiting a Thai zoo that recycles elephant dung into paper. The pandas in Chengdu produce two tons of feces every day from their bamboo-rich diet. And, as trend-spotters know, bamboo is quickly becoming the material of choice for eco-aware consumers. Bamboo isn’t just panda fodder; the tough, fast-growing wood can be made into furniture, floors, and even bedsheets and clothes.

Think about it … you could get at nearly the whole life cycle with bamboo. It could go into the tummy of an endangered species, come out the other end, be made into paper that you can write on and then stick in your (bamboo) recycling bin when you’re done.