Bamboo - The Natural Wonder With protection of natural resources an increasing concern, use of sustainable resources is a worthy goal. If you are one that thinks twice before using products made from a limited supply natural resource, I highly recommend you do a little research on bamboo products. Not traditionally considered in the US, bamboo's popularity as a natural marvel is on the increase. Used to make everything from furniture and flooring to clothing and kitchen ware, bamboo's sustainability properties along with its strength, beauty and durability have been rightly recognized.
Bamboo's Sustainability
As the fastest-growing plant and most renewable resource known on earth, bamboo can grow as much as 48 inches in a 24 hour period. It can reach its full height and width in one growing season of 3-4 months. Unlike trees, bamboo requires no replanting after harvest as its root system naturally replenish by continually sending up new shoots. This helps to prevent erosion and damage to the environment. An incredibly sustainable resource needing no pesticides to grow, bamboo is one hundred percent biodegradable.
Bamboo's Uses
Bamboo is suitable for a vast array of products. Bamboo as a material for making furniture is harder than maple wood, lighter in weight than oak and as strong as steel. It's sleek design and durability find it a popular choice for bedroom, dinning room, and office furniture. Select manufacturers follow through with the eco design of bamboo furniture with easy to assemble pieces that fit together without screws or nails.
For construction use, the 'culm' part of the plant is the strongest. This plant section takes anywhere from 2-7 years to gain full strength. An increasing number of architects and builders are using the bamboo 'culm' for constructing green lifestyle housing.
Bamboo offers something for everyone! The young shoots are a common food ingredient in many Asian dishes. Pulverizing bamboo for its fibers creates a puffy mass that is spun into cloth. Bamboo cloth is extremely soft and unlike natural wool or hemp is hypoallergenic. Bamboo cloth is used to make clothing, blankets, sheets and towels. Handcrafted from the bamboo
sheath with no part of the living bamboo plant harmed, disposable bamboo picks and utensils are becoming a popular eco replacement for paper and plastic.
Bamboo As a Choice
Bamboo is truly a wonder as a sustainable, cost-effective, and ecologically responsible alternative to cutting down our forests. Its beauty, strength and durability find it an environmentally friendly replacement for wood, paper, and plastic. Make your lifestyle greener by choosing bamboo products.