Staff photo by Fritz Busch New Ulm’s Own non-profit Fair Trade store manager Jeanie Hinsman stands next a number of items including Poo Paper Products of Sri Lanka. The store at 121 Minnesota St. N. celebrates World Fair Trade Day with giveaways, drawings, and clearance items from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8.

NEW ULM — New Ulm’s Own Fair Trade and Art nonprofit store celebrates its fourth anniversary with giveaways and drawings from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 8.

Giveaway items at the store located at 212 Minnesota St. N. include, bite-size chocolate samples, and perennials donated by board members and supporters including pachysandra, ajuga, lamium, hosta, iris, phlox, garlic chive, pulmonaria and cranesbill.

In addition, there is Poo Paper, a handcrafted, tree-free, eco-friendly, odorless paper for gift and stationary products made of elephant excrement.

Sri Lanka is home to about one-tenth of the estimated 40,000 Asian elephants in the world. Elephants are being killed only because they interfere with agriculture because of their size and appetite. Its a conflict between man and elephant where agriculture is the main type of land use.

Elephant dung may be a resource to stop deliberate, unprovoked kills of the huge animals. An adult elephant produces about 500 pounds of dung per day.

Since elephant diets are all vegetarian, their waste is mostly raw cellulose. Thoroughly cleaned and processes, it is converted into an acid free, linen-like paper that can be formed into art and construction projects like notebooks, cards, and assorted gifts.

Store drawings will be held for organic Sisters’ Blend Coffee, $10 gift cards, and soup mix.

The store open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday also features artwork created by local artisans, fair trade chocolates and coffee, handcrafted gifts, jewelry, and other products including handcrafted items from 30 developing nations.

Visit New Ulm’s Own Fair Trade and Art on Facebook.

Fritz Busch can be emailed at fbusch@nujournal.com.