Is It Good To Use Bamboo Products?

What is Bamboo?

Bamboo is technically a grass, not a tree. It typically grows in tropical countries but also known to be able to tolerate colder environments.

The good thing about bamboos is that they grow so fast that they only need 4 years to be harvested. Compare this a softwood like a pine tree that takes up to 30 years before it's ready to be harvested or a hardwood like an oak that takes up to 80 years.

Once harvested, the bamboo can regenerate on its own without the need for replanting nor fertilizer. They are naturally resistant to infestation so there is no need for pesticides as well.

Is Bamboo Environment Friendly?

Bamboo is a great candidate to plant lands that are already deforested. As they grow so fast and requires zero-to-very low maintenance.

There are a number of significant environmental effects of the bamboo.

They absorb more co2 than most trees
An acre of bamboo is known to absorb up to 10,000 lbs of co2 per year. While gobbling up all these pollutants, it also produces 35% more oxygen than trees of the same mass.

They are now used more as durable building materials
As an alternative to most used building materials such as ore, steel and wood, bamboo is now engineered to building blocks that are as good as timber if not better.

This results to lesser need for timber especially on projects in which bamboo is ideal. For example, Madrid International Airport redesigned their ceiling with curved panels built using bamboo.

They do not need much only land
Once bamboo is planted, it grows fast and requires no energy intensive processes to grow. No need for fertilizers, no need for toxic pesticides. The roots even protect the land from erosion as the roots of the bamboo is a comprehensive underground fibers which helps hold the soil together.

Is using bamboo products sustainable?

Pablo van der Lugt, an engineer and an advocate of sustainability, claims that bamboo can save the world.

Why won't it? When bamboo forests are grown with the health of the environment as a mission, there are plenty of reasons why it's one of the most sustainable material on our planet.

• Bamboo forests are capable of absorbing kilotons of co2
• Bamboos are ready to harvest in 4-5 years and regenerate on its own once harvested
• Produces alternative materials that could replace non-renewable, energy-hungry materials
• Bamboo byproducts can be processed to biomass-based energy
• Produces alternative materials that could replace non-renewable, energy-hungry materials

Bamboo Products To Purchase

The biggest contributor of carbon emissions is our growing consumption in parallel to our growing population. There are a lot of discussions right now in curbing global carbon emissions to tackle climate change.

Bamboo products as an alternative material to manufacture a wide variety of products we regularly use can be a great option for those who wants to help raise awareness of saving the planet on a personal level. Starting by being more conscious of the products we buy.

Bamboo alternatives:

Building materials. Bamboo were once thought of as *poor man's timber*. But recent technologies allowed bamboo to be engineered to produce beautiful wooden blocks that can be used for buildings and other structures.

Sports equipments. Bamboo materials are being made into skateboards, bicycles and other sports equipment that can use bamboo's flexibility and durability.

Clothing. Bamboo fibers are being manufactured to a textile form to produce antibacterial everyday wears.

Packaging and paper products. Bamboo fibers are also used to produce cardboard and other paper products.

Furniture. Bamboo is a strong material, said to be stronger than steel. Furniture makers and designers have turned to bamboo as a new way to build furnitures. They utilize bamboo's flexibility into design that can't be achieved with other wood materials.

It's hard to imagine how purchase decisions can be as significant as the efforts of much bigger organizations to save the planet. However, it also hurts Earth if we don't do anything on a personal level.

Awareness is a big thing.

Switching to a lifestyle that is more conscious to how sustainable the product is can influence others towards a collective lifestyle change that is healthier for the environment.