London-based studio Cohen Van Balen wants to clean up the common pigeon’s dirty image. While most of us see the feathered being as little more than a pest, the studio sees the pigeon as valuable life form that has been bred look pretty, deliver post, spy and race for many generations. To give the pigeon even more credibility, Cohen Van Balen created a series of probes within a project called ‘Pigeon D’Or’, an experiment that aims to turn the urban-feathered creature’s poop into soap. So how is it done? Read on to find out.

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Post tags: Animals, Art, bacteria, Cohen Van Balen, design probe, dutch design, James Chappell, pigeons, Poo Power!, poop, soap

You’d think that the world’s tallest building – a structure that requires amazingly complex engineering and technology to reach its heights – would have an equally impressive sewage system. Unfortunately, that’s not the case because it isn’t hooked up to a municipal wastewater treatment system – so when you poop in the Burj Khalifa, that waste is actually trucked out of the city. Trucked out of the city! We’re frankly flabbergasted by the inefficiency of such a system. One of the world’s most advanced buildings relies on an arcane method to transport wastewater to a treatment facility outside of town. So remember, if you happen to visit and use the Burj Khalifa’s restroom, some unfortunate person has to collect your poop and drive it out of Dubai.

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Post tags: Architecture, burj khalifa, Burj Khalifa Tower, burj khalifa waste, dubai, epic fail, poop, SOM, trucking waste, Waste, wastewater, wastewater system, wastewater treatemen, world's tallest building

We are so excited to learn that the amazing Toilet Bike Neo has completed its poop-powered 870 mile journey across Japan! Earlier this year, top toilet maker Toto unveiled their talking three-wheeled motorcycle, which includes a much laughed-about but only decorative toilet seat, as part of their plan to half their company’s carbon emissions by 2017. The motorbike is fueled by a combination of household sewage and livestock waste converted into an ecologically-friendly biogas that is stored in tanks at the back of the bike!

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Post tags: biogas, eco design, green design, green transportation, Japan, LED lights, livestock waste, NEO, poop, poop power, sewage, sustainable design, talking bike, toilet bike neo, toto

Giant Pandas are well-loved for their distinctive appearance and sedentary nature. Now they will receive even greater adoration and attention for their bowel-based contribution to the development of a clean energy future. In a national meeting at the American Chemical Society, researchers presented a study identifying panda poop as a source of enzyme-producing bacteria that breaks down plant materials in a way that is useful for biofuel production.

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Post tags: agriculture, Alternative Fuel, american chemistry society, Biodiversity, biofuel production, biofuels, biomass, biomass conversion, carbon dioxide, cellulosic biomass, cheap fuel, cheaper fuel, Climate Change, CO2, deforestation, department of agriculture, Department of Energy, doa, DOE, eco design, eco habitat, eco-conscious, eco-friendly, emissions, emissions reduction, Environment, environmental design, enzymes, giant panda, green design, green infrastructure, green investment, green living, green technology, green transportation, infrastructure, memphis zoo, obama, panda, panda poop, poop, reduce, science, sustainable design, sustainable living, waste management

When I mention paper made from elephant poo (or dung, if you prefer), most people get a horrified look on their faces. (If you’ve already heard of the paper, what was YOUR first reaction?) Everything from business cards to Christmas greetings can be printed on the stuff, which is a bit linen-y, quite soft, and takes color brilliantly. There’s not just one, but two companies that make ‘poo paper’; Mr. Ellie Pooh and Elephant Dung Paper both offer a number of printed and plain paper products. And yes, the poop is treated for any nasties as part of the paper-making process.

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Post tags: eco design, elephant dung, elephant poo, green design, green food packaging, green packaging, natural packaging, packaging the future, paper made from poo, poo, poo packaging, poo paper, poop, sustainable design

Sending someone poo is typically not seen as a good thing, but here’s one exception. This lovely, earth-friendly paper set is perfect for letter writing despite being made from real excrement collected from Giant Pandas in China. Each paper or envelope is 100% recycled, odorless and provides you with a catchy punchline to start your letter.

+ Panda Poo Paper

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Post tags: eco products, eco-friendly paper, green design, green paper, green products, panda poo, panda poo paper, poo, poop

We talk about poop all the time — pig poop, cow poop and chicken poop — so why not start talking about our own? This stinky taboo might be keeping us from a great energy source. Scientists in the UK are looking into creating a closed loop system using human waste that would provide electricity to the grid. Seems like a great idea to us, but the question is: would you use poop to power your home?

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Post tags: "clean energy", closed loop, closed loop systems, human refuse, poop, poop power, renewable energy, united kingdom