What's So Great About Bamboo?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.19.08
Photo credit: FredArmitage
Bamboo has blossomed with the green movement, going from Panda chow to material extraordinaire in a few short years; we've seen it used in just about everything: flooring, anti-microbial bedding, and notebook computers, not too mention more furniture than you can shake a (quickly renewable) stick at and 1000 other things (really). But is it really green? In a two-part series, dealing with its manufacture from round stalk to flat board and trying to figure out what's so good about it, Core77 uncovers some interesting stuff.
The short version: because it grows so quickly, the root system isn't damaged by harvesting and it's so plentiful -- "For a lumber harvester, the yield can be 25 times what you'd get from regular ol' trees" -- growing it is really green, but manufacturing it into useful plywood boards, for anything that the tubular stalks won't do on their own...well, not so much. It's a pretty messy, intensive process; as such, it's important to look for bamboo made with water-based, formaldehyde-free adhesives with low/no-VOC finishes, if you're looking for some grass-based interiors. All bamboo isn't as green as advertised; get down to the nitty-gritty over at ::Core77
I've always been concerned about the fact that it is such a hardy species and can grow in many environments--this gives it the perfect profile to be an invasive species. I know of many neighborhoods in the US in which homeowners curse unwanted bamboo because it is so hard to remove. Any mention of these concerns?
Hi, Does anyone have any info on Bamboo used in Clothes and how green it is or isn't we are thinking of stocking bamboo socks on our website, but having read Yvon's interview am a little concerned now. Can anyone send me links to further reading on clothing manufacture??
Best
Ant
For Anthony:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/01/bamboo_sheets_k.php
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/02/ecotip_mini_dir.php
I currently recycle grass into free range beef and lamb on 32 acres but would like to add bamboo production on about 10 acres.
Any clue as to the best source of seedlings for the central PA area?
Some forms of bamboo use rhizomes (tunneling roots that throw up another stalk) but others don't. The rhizome varieties can be very invasive but this just means that you should choose carefully.
Bamboo isn't like kudzu (the plant that ate the South). I figure you can always find someone to chop up the plants you don't want around. Bamboo is endlessly useful that way.
Some forms of bamboo use rhizomes (tunneling roots that throw up another stalk) but others don't. The rhizome varieties can be very invasive but this just means that you should choose carefully.
Bamboo isn't like kudzu (the plant that ate the South). I figure you can always find someone to chop up the plants you don't want around. Bamboo is endlessly useful that way.
Everytime I see bamboo mentioned, it makes me wonder why we still ignore hemp. Hemp can be used to make so many things, including building materials, paper, clothing, backpacks, shoes, food (hemp seed), bioplastics (Henry Ford built a car body with hemp-based bioplastics in the 40's), biodegradable food containers, fuels (ethanol), and the list goes on. It is also very rapidly renewable, grows on almost every continent, and grows in harsh conditions. It also can grow very densely. We would never have to harvest another tree if hemp were legal to cultivate in the US and if it was utilized worldwide for these types of materials. Bamboo is a great material, but as stated it has its downsides. Why not grow hemp? Hemp for Victory!!!