UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN ar i so vo so go go go go be go be be or so tol 5 Manure animals grace gardens Friday, January 14, 1994 'PooPet' sculptures are safe for the environment By Susan White Kansan staff writer Two entrepreneurs from Lebanon, New Jersey, seemed to know what to do when it came to poo. John Rothman and John Flaherty are the brains behind Tewksbury Gardens, the company responsible for making biodegradable animal sculptures from cow manure called "Poo Pets." Rothman said the idea to make PooPets had come to him after he met a farm woman from Cape Cod, Mass, who liked to mold animal sculptures out of manure and had several of them around her house. Rothman said he had realized that he could profitably manufacture a similar product nationwide and that the woman had the right idea with manure because it was the most durable and natural fertilizer available. What's my name? Pepe LaPo™ Soil Swine™ Scat Cata™ Stuggo Snail™ Stool Toads™ Quackers™ Stool Pidgeons™ Mink Poos™ Ugain Bunnies™ Turdle, Stool Toad, & Stoid Pigoon Planters™ Turdles™ P cow Pew™ Flaherty, Rothman's partner, said they had adopted the idea of animal sculptures because the animals would look good in a garden setting. The duo went to an Amish community in Pennsylvania to get the raw materials for the PooPets because the community had a lot of cows, Flaherty said. The company then hired the Amish to clean and place the manure in animal molds designed by Tewksbury Gardens. After the manure is molded, a special process is used to remove its offending odor, Flaherty said. "The manure is air-dried," he said. "Then it is heat-treated at 210 degrees in a propane heater which totally removes all the residual moisture. The bacteria cannot live without any moisture, so it dies." After the sculptures are molded and dried, the Amish ship them to a factory in Lebanon, where employees paint them and add seeds for eyes. Micah Laaker / KANSAN Poo Pets can be used for indoor potted plants or in outdoor gardens. They will last from two to four years, depending on the moisture level in the area, Rothman said. When PooPets get wet, they release nutrients into the soil, keeping the plants healthy and strong, he said. PooPets won't harm plants because they are environmentally safe. "Everything is 100 percent natural, safe and biodegradable." Rothman said. PooPets can be found throughout the United States and in parts of Canada. Tewksbury Gardens also would like to market them in Europe, Rothman said. Lawrence residents do not have to travel far to The Making of the PooPets™ 1. The Amish clean the manure. 2. The manure is molded into animal shapes. 3. The sculptures are baked at 210 degrees to get rid of the smell. The Amish clean the manure. 4. The sculptures are painted and seed are put in for eyes. Micah Laaker / KANSAN find them. PooPets are sold at the Bay Leaf, 725 Massachusetts St. Anne Yetman, manager of the Bay Leaf, said PooPets had been more popular than she expected them to be. we've been selling them like crazy," she said. PooPets have been so popular that the Bay Leaf sold out of them. Yetman said the store would stock more PooPets in spring when new designs were made available. Despite the success of PooPets nationwide, they have received varying reactions from KU students. Mari Gordon, Salina sophomore, said she did not Mart Gordon, Saina sophomore, said she did not plan to purchase one. I saw an article about them in Newsweek, and I thought it was really funny, but not something I would buy." she said. Peter Hughes, a Kansas City, Kan, senior, had a more favorable reaction to the product. "They seem like they would be pretty humorous items to buy and possibly useful at the same time," he said. "They're kind of cool." Alumni keep ties in worldwide travel By Angelina Lopez Kansan staff writer Ski the slopes of Interlaken, Switzerland, for $995, or cruise around the world on a Concorde for $49,500. These and 14 other traveling options are available to members of the University of Kansas Alumni Association through the Flying Jahawks travel program. The Flying Jayhawks is one of many programs the Alumni Association promotes to keep alumni involved in the University, said Fred B. Williams, Alumni Association president. When the Jayhawks went to the Orange Bowl in 1969, many alumni wanted to go, as well, said Donna Neuner, director of membership services for the Alumni Association. The Alumni Association organized a trip, and the Flying Jayhawks were born. The program has served approximately 5,700 members with more than 264 group tours. The program caters to those who worry about traveling alone in a foreign country and feel more secure in a group, Williams said. "It's not only the security issue," he said. "It's being with a group of people who have a common interest, and that's KU." The tours are primarily organized by two travel organizations that focus on trips for alumni groups — Alumni Holidays, based in Chicago, and Intrav, based in St. Louis. Neuer said one of her best traveling memories was being with alumni in China. In three small boats floating on a lake at the Grand Palace, the alumni sang the alma mater. The tours usually include 15-20 people and last anywhere from six to 24 days. Both international and domestic tours are sponsored. Every alumini trip is first class," said Polly Bales, who attended the University in 1942. "They take care of you. You can spend your time doing what you want to do rather than worrying about getting from one place to another." These trips are available for University alumni this year January 24, Febu 13 Big Eight Cruise of Trans-Panam Canal — Feb. 22, March 5 Swiss Winter Escapade — Feb. 27-March 6 Australia and New Zealand — March 10-26 Legendary Package — May 12- 24 **Italy's Historic Cities and Countryside—June 5-16** Passage to Victory — June 18 - July 1 Swiss Alumni College — July 4- 12 Journey of the Czars — July 5-18 Midnight Sun Express — Alas English/French Countryside -- Aug. 6-21 Mongol/Manchu Dynasty — Sept. 17. Voyage to Antiquity — Sept. 14- 26 Danube Passage — Sept. 18-29 Bandera essay Sept. 11 Exploring the Columbia River, Olympic Peninsula and British Columbia — Oct. 1-11 Around the World on the Concorde — Oct. 5-28 Source: The Associated Press KANSAN Most of the Flying Jayhawks' 1994 tours cost less than $5,000. One exception, however, is a $49,500 trip around the world. Working with other alumni groups, the Flying Jayhawks have chartered a Concordia that will make stops in Honolulu; Sydney, Australia; Athens, Greece, and other ports of call. Bales and her husband, Dane, went on their first Flying Jayhawks tour in 1972. Since then, they have been on 28 trips and have visited exotic places such as Russia, Vienna, Corsica and Malaysia. "The camaraderie is unbelievable," she said. Hispanic history focus of cultural celebration By Denise Nell Kansan staff writer nancy Bjorge, Lawrence resident, said she felt isolated in the Lawrence community because she was a minority, so she decided to do something about it. "I don't like to see a community so isolated, with people here and there that don't get together," she said. As a member of the Cultural Affairs Committee of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, she made a proposal in 1897 to begin a program that would bring all cultures of the community together. Heridea was a success, and the group is now an organization of more than 200 members who are dedicated to celebrating ethnic and cultural diversity in Lawrence. The members of the nonprofit group, called the Celebration of Cultures, are all volunteers. Every year since 1988, the group has sponsored three events: a festival in October, a taste-of-cultures event in April and a January event that celebrates a culture living in Lawrence. This year, the Hispanic population of Lawrence will be celebrated at Hispanic Journeys, which is from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m. Saturday in the auditorium of the Lawrence Public Library. Admission is free. "Instead of a problem, we see cultural diversity as a pretty exciting aspect," she said. "Instead of misunderstanding each other, we get to know each other." Lucy Paden, secretary of the group, said the purpose of the celebration was to educate the community about other cultures. Paden said she was responsible for recruiting people to conduct the program. She contacted Irma Lopez, a Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, graduate student. Lopez said the program she coordinated tomorrow would be divided into four segments. The first segment will be an overview of Hispanic history and the different types of Spanish languages. The second will be an explanation of Hispanic history, starting at the colonial period until present. The third will be a look at four outstanding intellectuals: Evita Peron, a woman from Argentina who fought for the rights of women and labor workers; Rigoberta Menchu, a 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner; Diego Rivera, a painter from Mexico; and Gabrielle Garcia Marquez, a Nobel prize winner in literature. The fourth section will be an explanation of who is included in the Hispanic community in Lawrence. Las Castrro, a local Hispanic band, will provide music before the presentation begins. "I think people know Hispanics are here, but they think of characteristics Mexicans have." Lopez said. "They don't know who everybody else is. 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