HauteGREEN 2007 Sneak Peek: Bambu
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 05. 7.07
Astute readers will recall that bambu was also featured in HauteGREEN last year, with their clever "Give It a Rest" series. They're back in the show this year as well (check out the rest of our "Sneak Peek" series here), with the Chop, Scoop & Serve cutting board (above, left) and Spoontula (above, right). Both products, made with 100% organically-grown bamboo, are designed to do double duty: the elegant cutting boards have a handy scoop which allows its user to chop on one side and serve on the other; the Spoontula, as the name suggests, is a combination spoon and spatula, so you can reach for just one tool in the kitchen instead of two (for more on these designs, check out our coverage of them earlier this year). As with their entry last year, these designs from bambu prove that form can follow function, and that they deserve consideration any time we talk about the best in sustainable design. ::bambu and ::HauteGREEN 2007
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- Bamboo in Chinese Art
I get tired of bamboo getting a free pass from Treehugger. This "wood" is full of adhesives (maybe safe-maybe not, ask the origin countries, good luck) and is transported 10,000 miles using fossil fuel all the way. On the other hand most wood in the U.S. is sustainably grown and harvested and doesn't require adhesive. It has natural adheseives holding its fibers together. It often grows very near its U.S. markets. The wood for my toys comes from within 200 miles. Nearly all American sawmills use biomass to dry the wood, e.g. sawdust. American wood is about as environmentally benign as you can get. Now if we could just get Asian, South American and some large North American lumber companies to practice environmental sensitive harvesting like the Wisconsin woodland owners I buy from we would all be better off. Buying an overhyped bamboo product, of questionable origin, from 10,000 miles away is not the way to a sustainable earth.
john linck the toymaker
Bamboo is not a wood. It is grass. Plenty of bamboo is grown in the US.
Growing bamboo to a length usable for making flooring and other products (like those above) takes a fraction of the time compared to growing trees. The reason that makes it "eco-friendly" is that in just a few year's time, you can generate an entire crop from the one that was removed before, and then some.
Bamboo is, and can continue to grow to be even more so raised in the US. When I lived in Florida it was everywhere... and that's due in part to the fact that it's one of the greatest "reproducers" since it IS a type of grass.
I understand the concern about importing it, but importing it isn't necessary, and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a US manufacturer importing the majority of what they use as opposed to growing it themselves behind the factory.
It bears mentioning that bamboo is truly one of the most remarkable, renewable resources, it’s applications are vast and varied. And yes, it's a grass. In fact, the fastest growing plant in the world.
Most bamboo happens to be grown in developing countries where it is organically grown and sustainably harvested. Classified as a wild crop, local farmers harvest sustainably, and no fertilizers or pesticides are used. We have taken the extra steps to certify our source of bamboo to ensure our bamboo is Certified Organic.
Utilizing bamboo in these regions, supports thousands of local farmers and craftspeople.
China is the largest single source of bamboo. Unfortunately, there isn't a scalable source of bamboo in the US. Nor skilled workers who are experienced working with the material.
To offset manufacturing and transportation impacts, bambu partners with 1% For The Planet and contributes thousands of dollars to environmental groups.
While we applaud the Toymaker's insight and support for local-for-local models, and perhaps someday we may look forward to local bamboo as a resource.
But, in the total context, it’s not just about the material, but also how a company chooses to do business??
Free pass? Over hyped? Not at all.
It bears mentioning that bamboo is truly one of the most remarkable, renewable resources, it’s applications are vast and varied. And yes, it's a grass. In fact, the fastest growing plant in the world.
Most bamboo happens to be grown in developing countries where it is organically grown and sustainably harvested. Classified as a wild crop, local farmers harvest sustainably, and no fertilizers or pesticides are used. We have taken the extra steps to certify our source of bamboo to ensure our bamboo is Certified Organic.
Utilizing bamboo in these regions, supports thousands of local farmers and craftspeople.
China is the largest single source of bamboo. Unfortunately, there isn't a scalable source of bamboo in the US. Nor skilled workers who are experienced working with the material.
To offset manufacturing and transportation impacts, bambu partners with 1% For The Planet and contributes thousands of dollars to environmental groups.
While we applaud the Toymaker's insight and support for local-for-local models, and perhaps someday we may look forward to local bamboo as a resource.
But, in the total context, it’s not just about the material, but also how a company chooses to do business??
Free pass? Over hyped? Not at all.
jeff
bambu