From one grand green idea an entire movement has sprung forth on the island of Bali.  First it was a bamboo green school followed by an eco-friendly luxury resort comprised of bamboo villas and now the crowning achievement in this trend is the “bamboo cathedral,” the world’s largest bamboo commercial structure.

 Though it’s located by an ancient Hindu temple, the building is intended for something just short of divine – a chocolate factory!

 Constructed from 3,000 bamboo poles, the building itself is a three-story, 23,000 square feet and has an incredibly graceful sloping ceiling to complete the cathedral effect. 

The bamboo building boom has attracted entrepreneurs, local craftsman, international architects and environmentalists alike to the island of Bali. Not only is the raw material an incredibly sustainable one growing to the height of a traditional oak tree in less than six months but it can also be harvested quickly for use in as early as five years.  Even better for business owners and architects alike is that the abundant bamboo that is as strong as steel but flexible as a yoga master costs roughly $3 to plant and maintain.  

It also represents a design challenge to those always seeking to challenge themselves.  Explains Elora Hardy, the creative director at Green Village (the eco-friendly luxury resort): 

“We’re really comfortable in our culture and in architecture with straight lines.  And bamboo is not a straight line,” she says.  “We have to really keep in mind the curve…where it’s going to end up at the top.”

The continuity in design is equally important as some poles start in the earth and rise up three floors.

So is this a trend that may start growing in the West?  Well, more than likely not until the West decides to grow its own bamboo.  The use of bamboo in the tropics is a practical choice because of its availability and affordability.  However, bamboo construction is still in its infancy and unlikely to stand up to building code requirements in Europe and the United States.  The use of bamboo as a building material in a constant state of change as builders are still experimenting with design and treatments but if it were a domestic crop, it would be easier to certify and maintain. 

Gove DePuy, a sustainability planner living in Bali, explains:

 ”When you manufacture bamboo into a product, it can be tested. It can be given certifications,” he said, using flooring as an example. “But if you’re just picking bamboo, cutting it down and putting it up, you’ve left the certification to nature.”

So while bamboo building is a trend growing among countries such as Vietnam and China (incidentally the world’s leading bamboo producer) the western part of the globe will have to be content with the availability of bamboo flooring, bamboo clothing and bamboo bedding for their homes.

In the meantime, the bamboo cathedral will soon start churning out organic chocolate bars, a product perfectly fit for such an eco-friendly and heavenly setting.

Bamboo Cathedral: Green Building Trend Continues In Bali is a post from: Green Earth News

The U.K. newspaper, The Telegraph, ran an opinion piece earlier this week alleging that the entire bamboo textile industry is guilty of greenwashing its products and making false claims of eco-friendliness.  I’ll be the first to acknowledge that greenwashing is a very real phenomenon that many companies from many industries engage in as a way of boosting their public image without making an effort at improving their actual practices.  I’ll also be the first to criticize it, because it’s truly damaging to environmental progress.  This recent Telegraph article presents itself as a correction of the misinformation of greenwashing, but it is deeply flawed, and it comes across as a groundless, across-the-board attack on the entire industry surrounding a remarkably underutilized natural resource.

I find it curious that the article doesn’t have a byline.  It makes me suspicious that this is a press release from someone writing on behalf of another textile industry.  If I had to bet, I’d say that wool is that industry, as it’s mentioned three times in the brief piece.  Now, to be clear, I’m not making the source of that article the basis for a counter-argument.  The fact that a given set of assertions come from people with a probable ulterior motive does not necessarily mean that the information is not credible or correct.  It does however raise a red flag and call for the audience to consider the matter independently.  I question the honesty and forthrightness of the author if he represents a competing industry, just as you might question my honesty on account of my writing as a proponent of bamboo.  Judge the matter for yourself.

The focus of this nameless author’s argument seems to be the claim that bamboo textiles are not ecologically perfect.  Of course they aren’t; that’s virtually undeniable.  And Green Earth Bamboo isn’t engaged in greenwashing, so we make no claims to the contrary.  All that we do claim is that bamboo is the greenest, most sustainable source of textiles on the market today.  It is also my earnest belief that as the industry develops, it will become greener still.

The author’s first objection to bamboo is that he “can’t help wondering how truly ‘green’ a product is if it has to be transported across thousands of miles of ocean to get to my bathroom.”  Well, first of all, it doesn’t have to be transported so far.  That is exactly why I advocate for an expansion of bamboo cultivation to new growing regions, where it can be harvested for local markets.  As it stands, bamboo is indigenous to East Asia, South Asia, Australia, sub-Saharan Africa, and part of the Americas, and that’s a rather large cross-section of the globe.  If we are to compare it to wool, as seems to be the original author’s intention, it bears pointing out that Australia and New Zealand are the world’s largest producers and exporters of wool, from which countries it must be transported over the aforementioned thousands of miles of ocean.  Obviously, cotton also is exported.  The mere fact that something tends to have a carbon footprint does not mean that it cannot be greener than its alternatives.

However, the Telegraph author would evidently object to my advocacy for expansion of the growing area for bamboo, since he claims that it “relies on putting vast areas of land under monoculture production, causing soil depletion and damage to biodiversity.”  That’s simply not true.  Bamboo does not strictly demand monoculture production, and is in fact a perfect agroforestry crop – that is, it can be integrated into areas where other crops are produced simultaneously.  Soil depletion in those and other areas is certainly a concern, but given the woodiness of bamboo and the amount of carbon dioxide that it extracts from the atmosphere, it is remarkable that it depletes so much less of the soil than do trees.  And the facts of needing space to grow and consuming nutrients in the soil are by no means problems limited to bamboo production.  If the anonymous author favors wool as an alternative, he would do well to note that livestock currently accounts for use of thirty percent of the land on Earth, with agricultural growth being devoted to feed, and forests being cleared for new pasture land.  I see this difference as one of the major advantages of bamboo – increased cultivation of it can help to counteract global warming, while a continued emphasis on animal products and less efficient textile plants will likely produce more greenhouse gases than they can sequester.

Mr. Anonymous also directs his ire at the chemical processing of bamboo.  Again, we are not about to deny that this is a legitimate concern.  We address it right in the bamboo facts section of our site -that very fact should make it clear that we’re not greenwashing our product.  We don’t think it’s 100% eco-friendly, with no room for improvement, but we also don’t think that any such product exists.  The process of building a greener society is just that: a process.  And we must utilize the best resources available to us, and try to make them better.  At present that means using viscose from bamboo that has been processed in a system that recaptures and recycles ninety-eight percent of the sodium hydroxide produced, and seventy-four percent of the carbon disulphide.  Meanwhile, the scouring process of industrial wool utilizes detergents and alkali, and cotton uses many toxic chemicals and a great deal of energy in its own production process.  But the closest that the author comes to pointing this out is to say, “I’m sure bamboo-fibre towels are no worse for the environment than non-organic cotton ones, but it’s the misleading claims that bother me.”  Well, which misleading claims?  Certainly none that we’ve made.

I’m sure that many bamboo producers and retailers are greenwashing their own products to make them appear even more environmentally beneficial than they are, or to excuse environmentally irresponsible company practices, just as do numerous other companies.  But there’s still a reality underlying all conflicting claims, contrary to the quotation invoked by the author at the end of his article.  “Rob Harrison of the organisation Ethical Consumer said: ‘Until such time as independent certification of bamboo cloth is available, claims that bamboo is an environmentally benign or preferable fibre are unlikely to be true.’”

What’s profoundly wrong with that sentence is that Harrison is essentially saying that the actual truth or falsity of claims of this sort can be changed by the implementation of a certification process.  That is just an absolutely ridiculous assertion.  Claims about the environmental friendliness of bamboo are true or false on their own merits, and while a certification process would be a nice way to separate greenwashers from honest merchants, it’s unfair, foolish, and potentially environmentally irresponsible to assume that all of the established evidence for the ecological benefits of bamboo is either exaggerated or fabricated.

The portion of the article that does not specifically attack bamboo instead takes umbrage with most any emphasis of the green aspects of a product.  This includes reference to a “partially upheld” complaint about the coffee-machine maker Bodum suggesting through an advertisement that said “make taste, not waste” that its French press method of brewing coffee was the greenest method.  Interestingly, that complaint was brought not by conscientious consumers, but by Bodum’s competitor Nespresso, which tried to argue that the slogan “get green” implied no negative impact whatsoever on the environment.  No rational person who uses the word “green” should take it to convey that meaning.  Yet the Advertising Standards Authority agreed with Nespresso, and said, “Because we had not seen evidence to show that the French press was ‘the greenest way to brew coffee…’ we concluded that the claim was misleading.”  What evidence could be needed to substantiate that claim?  Brewing coffee with a French press requires nothing but ground coffee beans and hot water, whereas Nespresso’s competing capsules add aluminum and a protective film to that formula, as well as the energy required to run a separate appliance.  So too with a typical drip coffee maker that generally uses a new, disposable paper filter for every brew.  It doesn’t take a double-blind scientific study to demonstrate which of these methods produces the least waste; it just takes common sense.

Sometimes common sense is all that is needed.  Without a doubt, there are open questions about bamboo, and there is need for further scientific study and more rigorous industry standards.  But a simple observation of the known facts should indicate that it’s one of, if not the most eco-friendly resources available.  So judge its genuine merits for yourself, because without evidence you can’t assume that any retailer isn’t greenwashing their product, but you can’t assume that they are, either.

Green Earth Bamboo: Green, Not Greenwashed is a post from: Green Earth News

Growing Bamboo?  It’s certainly not a foreign concept for a domestic crop.  Beyond the beauty of a bamboo garden, there are plenty of reasons to grow bamboo on a larger scale, be it for research of commercial use.  Jackie Heinricher of Booshoots Garden LLC continues her work in the Delta to integrate bamboo as the next cash crop in that devastated region. 

And why not?  Not only will it provide a domestic source of a raw material to feed America’s growing appetite for bamboo products from bamboo clothing to bamboo sheets, but it will also protect our soil from the conventional farming methods used to grow traditional crops here in the United States.  Those methods can require heavy equipment, deforestation, large-scale irrigation projects and heavy chemical use whereas the bamboo plant is harvested by cutting at the stem, regenerates quickly and requires no intensive irrigation or chemicals. 

So while we wait with bated breath for investors to make our commercial bamboo farm dreams a reality, one woman from Teton Valley, Utah is taking matters into her own hands.  According to an interview with the Teton Valley News, Kate Reynolds Yaskot is hoping to give her local economy a boost far from the Delta in the mountains of Idaho. 

Reynolds Yaskot originally researched bamboo as a houseplant option until she realized the plant’s advantages beyond decorative. 

“Bamboo grows faster and converts more carbon dioxide to oxygen than any other plant; it’s stronger than steel — bamboo structures have survived earthquakes when other buildings collapsed — and it can be harvested every three to seven years, unlike trees, which take many years to grow back,” she said.

Reynolds Yaskot, recognizing the value of bamboo for local farmers, approached several of them to see if they would be interested in taking a leap of faith on this alternative crop.  Their biggest concern? How would a plant so heavily associated with the tropics survive a Utah winter? 

This is a common misconception of the bamboo plant but with over 1000 species of bamboo in 90 genera, there are as many types of bamboo as there are climate regions.  And surprisingly, this plant so associated with steamy weather has species that thrive just as easily in winter wonderlands. 

So to show the hardiness of the bamboo plants and put the farmer’s minds at ease, Reynolds Yaskot transplanted two of her bamboo plants from her bathtub garden (seriously!) and placed them in her front yard last fall to see how they weathered the cold temperatures, snow and ice. 

And the hardy plants survived!  Now Reynolds Yaskot is looking into business plans and viable growing options to take advantage of the growing, environmentally-friendly trend of purchasing sustainable products.  And what can is more sustainable than a plant that can regenerate to full maturity within 4 years of harvest and can be used for everything from baby blankets to bridges??

Hopefully other intrepid gardeners, entrepreneurs and investors will follow her lead and make the commitment to supporting local economies and sustainable products through bamboo farming. 

In the meantime, follow Reynolds Yaskot’s adventure on her blog and visit Green Earth News section on Bamboo & Sustainability to learn more!

Bamboo Farming: A Grassroots Movement In Utah For This Domestic Crop! is a post from: Green Earth News

For anyone growing bamboo and using it to cook some delicious bamboo recipes, welcome to a small niche of the increasingly popular local food movement.  The local food movement is a “collaborative effort to build more locally-based, self-reliant economies – one in which sustainable food production, processing, distribution, and consumption is integrated to enhance the economic, environmental and social health of a particular place.”  Many farms involved in the local food movement embrace sustainable agriculture techniques so they not only raise healthier food for the consumer (as opposed to many of the corporate food farms for large groceries) but they lessen their impact on the environment by choosing eco-friendly farming practices. 

If nothing else, consider this – the food on the plate from large grocery stores has traveled an average of 1500 miles to get there! 

Here are some ways to become involved with the local food movement:

1 – Start your own garden!  From lawn to lunch (as they say), starting a garden will add one more local grower and can provide a green thumb with plenty of fresh veggies for the year.  If the First Lady can get her hands dirty on the White House lawn, surely we can all follow her lead.

2 – Eat more veggies!  If gardening is not your thing, you still have to eat.  18% of all greenhouse gas emissions are created by meat production so whenever possible, fill your plate with vegetables and keep meat to a minimum. Not only will this help the environment but it could benefit your health as well.

3 – Host a preserve party!  If you got a little overzealous with your canning and have too much tomato sauce or pickled bamboo but no apple butter left, invite some other local foodies over and swap goods.  Expand the selection to include baked goods as well!

4 – Shop local!  This is the most obvious way to get involved but sometimes not the easiest.  If you’re fortunate enough to live near local farmers markets and food stands, take advantage of that.  If you’re not sure where any might be in your area, visit Local Harvest to find locally-grown food sold nearby.  Other resources to find affordable and environmentally-grown food include Sustainable Table or the Eat Well Guide. 

5 – Start a community garden!  Urban dwellers often lack the land to start their own garden but all over the country, neighbors are finding available land and growing food together.  People can be in charge of individual plots or the garden as a whole can be a shared responsibility.  Make sure to meet regularly to swap seedlings, share advice and celebrate your harvest with a potluck!  For more information on starting your own community garden, visit CommunityGarden.org. 

6 – Consider the Hungry in your area!  Many local homeless centers and food pantries are taking matters into their own hands and starting gardens to benefit their communities.  Consider donating some of your bounty or contact local non-profits to see if they have a garden that needs volunteer help.  (If they don’t , suggest starting one!)

7 – Host a locally-produced dinner!  Want to pique your friend’s interest?  Host a dinner party made with as much local food as possible and let your friends know why this is a movement they should get on board with!

Whether your New Year’s resolution was to live a more eco-friendly lifestyle or to improve your diet, joining the local food movement is a great place to start!

Growing A Healthier Lifestyle: Tips On Joining The Local Food Movement! is a post from: Green Earth News

With the effects of Hurricane Katrina still ravaging the Gulf Coast and the blow of the BP oil spill now to be dealt with, it’s high time that a sustainable and long-term path to recovery start for the US Delta region.  And that path may well be paved with bamboo stalks.

Once a small niche market, there are now hundreds of bamboo products for people in the United States to choose from.  They range from the expected products such as bamboo fencing to the surprising (and surprisingly soft) products of bamboo clothes.  Bamboo fiber is becoming increasingly commonplace and now consumers have the option for everything from bamboo bath towels to loungewear to organic baby onesies.

With so much to choose from, it’s not surprising then that the United States is the largest consumer of bamboo products.  And while the US loves their bamboo products, there is still no primary source for bamboo production in the United States.  Combine that consumer want with a desperate need in the Gulf Coast states for a new kind of economic reconstruction and you have a win-win situation for farmers and shoppers alike.

Jackie Heinricher of Booshoot Gardens LLC saw this winning combination and started working with officials in the Mississippi Delta to bring together farmers, buyers, processors and businesses that could sell bamboo products.  And while her plans are grand, her ideas started quite simply with the flowering of her Chilean bamboo.

It only happens once every century and when it did, Heinricher patiently stripped off the seeds nestled in the pods and germinated them with the help of a local tissue-culture lab.  Faced with the problem that she would have no more seeds once her seedlings sold, Heinricher teamed up with Randy Burr, the man who engineered the commercial propagation of Boston ferns in 1973.  Burr took on the challenge of trying to clone bamboo.  Before tissue culture, it wasn’t feasible to farm bamboo on a large-scale because of the lack of seeds or division to plant.  Given their reputation for invasiveness, most would think they would grow easily but in reality there is a definite lack of seeds as most only flower every 60 to 120 years and propagation by division is labor intensive and good results are not guaranteed.

But after four years of trial and error, Burr developed the correct formula for Crookstem bamboo and then Sunset Glow, a mountain clumper.  The pair were now ready to grow bamboo on a commercial scale in the United States.   So where to begin?

Though most would think that this type of alternative farming is best left to the Pacific Northwest, it is the American South that offers the best climate and soil conditions for growing bamboo.  Long left untilled, the soil of the South is ready for a new crop after inexpensive cotton imported from Africa and Asia made domestic production come to a halt.  One might consider that bamboo (specifically the moso bamboo species) is the quietly waiting in the wings to become the new cash crop for the US.

Heinricher certainly has this thought and in a recent tour through Alabama, she spoke with farmers, community leaders and university officials about the many benefits of growing bamboo in their region.  First and foremost, it would create jobs in one of the poorest regions in the United States.  Secondly, it will fulfill a huge need in the United States as the popularity of bamboo grows.   (Heinricher has already talked with companies ranging from Target to M3, and even Starbucks who is looking to use bamboo for its cups).  Third, the growing of bamboo domestically would not only encourage more use of an environmentally-friendly material but it would also revive the Southern United States ecologically.  While cotton-growing has devastating environmental effects, bamboo is a plant that can be harvested by cutting down instead of pulling up roots and it also requires no pesticides or fertilizers to grow thus saving the groundwater from possible contamination.

And in a region that is still water-logged from Hurricane Katrina and lacking a natural barrier against the ever-growing BP oil spill, bamboo can help steady up the shores and provide, once again, some protection from erosion and flooding.

As the United States looks about for economic and environmental recovery, the mighty bamboo plant can help lead the way.

(Photos courtesy of Tom Reese/The Seattle Times)

Gulf Coast Recovery: How Bamboo Can Revive The Delta is a post from: Green Earth News

“From bamboo section to thin bamboo strips, it all depends on the knife in the hand of a craftsman.”

And one such craftsman has taken the art of bamboo weaving  to a whole new level.

Danish architect Soren Korsgaard designed a bamboo house to promote bamboo as a sustainable building material.  And while many have used bamboo poles to construct, what makes Korsgaard’s design so unusual and eye-catching is that the house is not quite constructed.  Rather, it is a woven bamboo house.

For centuries bamboo weaving has provided everything from kitchenware to farm tools and the craft is a sacred one that is passed down from generation to generation.   The uses of bamboo and its resources were explored as early as seven thousand years ago.  In China, certain areas such as Jiang’an and Dongyang are well known for the bamboo weaving.  These areas, rich in bamboo, have fostered a distinctive tradition of choosing bamboo-related jobs.

The craft of bamboo weaving was one that was passed on from master to apprentice.  Apprentices usually spent three years training, beginning by simple repairs of products and graduating to their intricate designs.  To practice their handmade craft, bamboo craftsmen cleaved the bamboos into flat or thin bamboo strips of different sizes.  According to the product that is being made, bamboo was cut into sections and split into vertical halves.  The bamboo joints were then smoothed out and the halves were cleaved into strips.  Afterwards, the green scarfskin and inner yellow surface were removed and the strips were cut into thinner strips, layer by layer.  The strips could be divided into seven or eight layers.  After this basic procedure, there were a variety of ways to go depending on the product design.  Boiling might be required to finalize the shape and to soften the strips so they wouldn’t crack when they went through the plane.  The strips were put through a plane to ensure the same thickness and width.  Additionally, dyeing, plating and polishing procedures could be applied to the bamboo strips.

However, as important as bamboo weaving is in the keeping of traditions, it was modern weaving techniques that allowed Korsgaard to design his unique and eco-friendly home.   His woven house is an attempt to take the tradition of bamboo weaving and use it in modern architecture in a much larger scale than has been done before.  Because of the unique flexibility and strength of bamboo, the walls, floors and ceilings of this house flow into one continuous surface giving one an unique architectural experience.  To make this home as eco-friendly as possible, it should be constructed onsite in a region where there is a tradition of weaving so as to avoid the pollution of transport.

And while we might be lacking in masters to teach the art of bamboo weaving, perhaps we can take a lesson from the birds as Korsgaard did. His intent was to build the house as the birds did, weaving their nests from the materials available to build a home for themselves.

For more on how bamboo is being used throughout the world, visit Green Earth News section on Bamboo Trends.

Bamboo is such an incredible resource, its remarkable qualities have made it ever so popular in the textile industry as well. From bamboo socks to bamboo clothes for men and bamboo clothing for women, its soft absorbent characteristics make it a desirable fabric choice.

Eco-friendly Housing: Weaving A Nest Of Our Own is a post from: Green Earth News

In a country where AIDS/HIV rates are soaring and most young women have no alternative but prostitution, there is one mother trying to fight that trend.  Pauline Samata, called the “Mother of Bamboo,” has made it her mission in life to raise awareness of the marvels of bamboo and to train women to make bamboo products as a means of escaping poverty.

INBAR, with the help of a grant from IFAD, embarked on the Livelihood and Economic Development Programme in 2001 with the goal of creating sustainable rural livelihoods and enterprises by using bamboo and rattan products.  INBAR aims to empower rural communities by showing them production techniques and to focus on the harvesting and cultivating of the bamboo to make sure local resources are used in a sustainable way.  The idea of using bamboo to help countries escape poverty is growing in popularity.

“Bamboo is a special plant. It offers excellent opportunities for environmental sustainability and it is helping populations in developing countries to reduce poverty; this is why it is called ‘the wonder wood of the poor,’” says Sheila Mwanundu, Senior Technical Adviser, Environment and Natural Resource Management at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

And Samata has taken advantage of this program eagerly.  She was part of a south-south exchange in which she visited China and the Philippines to discover the vast potential of bamboo.  She learned to build bamboo houses, bamboo furniture and bamboo scarves.  And she learned that she could save time, energy and the surrounding forests by replacing her firewood with bamboo charcoal.  Most importantly, she realized that the women of her country could be integral in the production of bamboo products and could work their way out of poverty.

“I did not know the marvels of this plant, until the day IFAD and INBAR sent me to China and the Philippines for training,” says Samata. “This is why I want everyone to understand the potential of bamboo, and the many things that they can do with this plant.  Mothers need money to feed their children, but because their choice of employment is limited they end up falling into the prostitution trap.”

Samata wasted no time upon her return.  She quickly formed the Mbeya Bamboo Women’s Group and organized training courses for the women of her community.  Her goal is to keep her fellow women from falling prey to prostitution and save them from the HIV/AIDS pandemic of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Samata’s training courses are free but there is one condition:  the women must stay with her in the community for at least six months.  So far she has trained over 60 women to work with bamboo.  While the women, who have had little access to education, are living in her community, she also teaches them basic skills such as counting and how to write their names.

While she once had to collect the bamboo from surrounding forests herself, she can now pay local villagers to handle that task. The women of the group keep their inventory well-stocked with everything from baskets to tables and sell items to other villages and clients of the workshop.  Recently, they created a catalogue and paid village children to distribute them to local offices and hotels.  And this income is starting to make a difference in the lives of the women.

“The women are very intelligent: they use the income generated from their bamboo sales to buy food, medicine and malaria prophylactic and to undergo HIV/AIDS tests,” explains Samata.

And Samata’s vision continues to grow.  She is teaching women how to construct their own bamboo houses so that they escape the trap of renting and have a home of their own.  She has started to build a large, integrated workshop and shop on her land in Mbeya.  She is exploring potential new markets for her products and has identified Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Uganda as potentially viable.  One day, she wants to own more to plant more bamboo.

Most importantly, Samata wants to continue to train as many people as possible.

“I need to build more awareness among Tanzanians so that more people understand the many benefits of bamboo and learn how to use bamboo for different purposes,” she explains. “This way they can help themselves to overcome poverty.”

Pauline Samata – the mother of bamboo – is contributing to reducing poverty in her beloved country. Thanks to her efforts and those of others, today almost every household in the United Republic of Tanzania uses a bamboo product and many young girls and women earn a respectable living by creating objects made of bamboo.

Samata’s new slogan is: Yes, we can!  And indeed, they can!

Visit Green Earth News section on Bamboo’s Worldwide Impact to learn more about how bamboo is helping to change the world.

Bamboo is such an incredible resource in the textile industry for its soft and absorbent qualities, you might want to see for yourself just how wonderful it feels against your skin. From your favorite bamboo sheet set to your bamboo bath towel and bamboo t shirts, you will be pleasantly surprised!

Mother Of Bamboo: Women Using Bamboo To Escape Poverty In Tanzania is a post from: Green Earth News

Named the “World’s Greatest Treehouse” by the Travel Channel, these bamboo tree-houses (or “hooches”) stand among the beautiful rainforests of Rincon, Puerto Rico just miles from exotic beaches and are a perfect example of the booming eco-tourism trend.

According to its website, the hooch is “an evolutionary, revolutionary building system that turns architectural conventions on its head.”  Indeed, the hooch holds the record for the smallest foundation of any land based building.  And that’s not just a ploy to get into the Guinness book of records; this small base allows for minimal disruption of the environment at the build site.

The hooch stands on a single point and maintains its balance by a redundant cable system with cables attached to surrounding trees.  Much like the bamboo itself, the tree house is able to retain both its rigidity and its flexibility.  It moves about on the foundation, flexing as a unit, but will self-correct with any stress or distortion.

Because the components can be assembled off-site with an accurate pre-fabrication plan in place, the construction itself also causes minimal disruption to the environment and is raised into the trees by a pulley system.

These hooches are easy to construct and dismantle, are economically efficient and ideal for homes in environmentally-sensitive areas.  In fact, the owner, Jo, offers plans, kits and complete construction services for homeowners.  But if you’re not quite ready to assemble one in your backyard, treat yourself to a stay at these tropical tree houses.

Referred to as “glamping” or glamorous camping, these bamboo tree houses are surprisingly luxurious.  The Sunset Hooch offers a queen-sized with a gorgeous view of the Caribbean, a fully equipped kitchenette, separate bathroom hooch with flush toilet and 12 volts of solar electricity to keep everything running.

And while you’re just minutes away from beautiful beaches, you can also opt to take a walk through the 12 acres of bamboo and tropical forest that surrounds the tree houses.

Or if you’re more interested in a learning vacation, attend the Tropical Tree houses’ yearly workshop on bamboo.  Focusing on sustainability and bamboo, the attendees learn more about how to effectively shrink their environmental footprint and work to build their own bamboo creations.  The most recent workshop held just last month was named “Camino Verde,” and focused on showing participants the simple, small steps they could take to get on the path to sustainability.

But the hooch isn’t relegated to just Puerto Rico.  One recently popped up at the Burning Man Festival.  There are plans to possibly  include a concentration of hooches at the Reserva Del Rio Bigal, on the Eastern slope of the Andes in Ecuador.  Hooches are being used to preserve the delicate biosphere that includes an astounding amount of bird species.

Another hooch was completed in May 2008 on the island of St. John, and it also features roof water collection, a gravity feed kitchenette sink with solar hot water and used local bamboo in much of the construction.  Bamboo hooch also constructed on the grounds of the Firestone Restorative Ecology Center in Costa Rica.  And Do-It-Yourselfer’s  have also constructed hooches of their own in Sonoma and Santa Barbara.

The concept of the bamboo tree houses came about from a life-long passion for the environment and bamboo.  The owners were originally sea-farers on the Caribbean but soon the need for land became clear.  Not only was there a second baby on the way, but they had also started a business of their own that focused on building with bamboo.  Jo made everything from lamps to bars to store interiors and the idea for a bamboo tree house that was eco-friendly and highly sustainable intrigued him.

This need to grow and build them led the family to Rincon, a small surfing town on the west coast of Puerto Rico.  It took a year to find the perfect location and another seven to get it cleared and landscaped and to perfect their first bamboo hooch design.  Since then, they have opened up their hooches to guests from around the world and recently even dismantled one to take with them as they took a sabbatical up north to enjoy some cold weather for a bit.

For anyone worried about the sturdiness of these bamboo tree houses, since being constructed in Rincon, they have weathered 3 hurricanes and emerged from all unscathed.  In fact, in April of 2006, a feasibility study was initiated to determine if the hooch could be used as a possible safe dwelling for residents in areas susceptible to tsunamis.  The destruction in Indonesia and likelihood of future tsunamis spurred research among aid organizations to figure out safe and effective housing options.  Since bamboo has already been used for highly effective earthquake shelters, it only makes sense to look at it for tsunami shelters as well.

Researchers determined that a “Tsunami Ark” of sorts using local bamboo to build tsunami resilient hooches high above the potential waves would be an effective way to go.  The ability for the bamboo hooch to flow with the movement of the wave while maintaining its structural integrity make it a perfect fit for this disaster relief initiative.

Bamboo tree house is the ultimate for eco-tourism – not only does it draw on the natural resources of the surrounding area, but it is designed to be built with the most minimal of disruption.

Bamboo Clothing

And when you book your Tropical Tree house get-away, be sure to pack for your vacation in Bamboo Style.  Green Earth Bamboo offers versatile leggings, skirts, bamboo underwear, bamboo socks and organic tees that are easy to pack and comfortable to wear on your adventure!

Puerto Rico Vacations: Eco-Tourism Takes To The Trees is a post from: Green Earth News

Is it possible to protect the environment and develop buildings at the same time?

Many modern-day architects believe so and have embraced the movement of sustainable architecture.  Focused on environmentally-conscious design techniques, the movement seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space.  Simply put, the idea of ecological design is to ensure that our actions and decisions today do not harm the opportunities of future generations.  One such way is to embrace the use of sustainable and readily available materials such as bamboo. One pioneer in this field is Simon Velez.

A Colombian architect for over forty years, Velez is the most well-known proponent of bamboo as an elemental building component.  Bamboo is a common material in the region Velez grew up in and has been used for centuries by the indigenous communities of the region.  Velez was inspired to experiment and work with the abundant bamboo based on its history in the region and also because of the difficulty of transporting traditional building materials to the remote areas in which he was working.

Collaborating with friend and fellow architect Marcelo Villages brought about the development of a strong structural system (joinery) using the bamboo, or iron grass as its sometimes referred to, that focused on balance and the tensile strength of the bamboo plant.  They noted that the main mistakes other architects use when working with bamboo is to treat bamboo like any other wood with no respect to its unique properties.  Too often, bamboo is tested on compression but the true quality making bamboo an ideal building material is its ability to use shear tension as a counterbalance in structures.  Velez utilizes this trait in his framework construction and has created joinery systems that utilize bamboo as a permanent structural element in both residential and commercial structures.

For four years, he has conducted workshops at the Vitra Design Museum and the George Pompidou Center in which he has helped build structures of bamoo-guadua as instructive exercises.  He was also a leading designer for the Crosswaters Ecolodge, the first ecotourism destination in China in the forests of Nankum Shan Mountain Reserve, in the Guangdong Province.  It is the largest project in the world to use bamboo in a commercial project, and the first project of this scale in Asia to use bamboo as a structural element in a dwelling.  In 2009, he received the prestigious Principal Claus Award for his contribution to a positive interaction between culture and development.

In another notable project, Velez designed and constructed a 2000-meter bamboo pavilion for ZERI (Zero Emissions Research Initiative) to showcase at the 2000 World Expo in Hanover.   This building was created for more than building for buildings sake. Not only did the designers want to showcase bamboo as an innovative and under-utilized building component but they also wanted to revamp the image of bamboo on a social scale.  Unfortunately, the majority of the estimated one billion people who use this readily available building material consider it to be a symbol of poverty and those in the affluent classes veer away from it.  The intent of this project was to create a unique structure that would instill pride in and stimulate the use of this abundant material.  The pavilion was so impressive that it was reconstructed in Manizales, Colombia where it serves as a source of pride for the surrounding coffee farmers.  Building on that success, a model farmhouse was also constructed in this Coffee Region that is also in the heart of the Guadua angustifolia, the bamboo species that is preferred for construction.  Not only is it a beautiful example of sustainable building but it is also a life-saving material choice.  Many in this region live in shelters that are not earthquake-safe but the farmhouse constructed of the strong but flexible bamboo, in conjunction with Velez’ signature tilting wall design, “dances” along with the rhythm of the shaking earth and remains standing.  Another bonus is that on as little as 100 square meters of land, people could harvest enough bamboo every year to construct a two story house with a large balcony and double roof for only $1750 in material costs.

If you can’t build your house out of bamboo, consider building your wardrobe and bedroom out of it!

Visit Green Earth Bamboo for a wide selection of bamboo clothing for women and bamboo clothes for men that use this super-soft, wonderfully absorbent material.  This bamboo jacket is great for everyday wear, or choose this versatile wrap top that can either be a shirt or jacket!  Pair either of them with these women’s wide leg pants for casual comfort in a trendy style. For ultra wicking abilities, try bamboo socks or bamboo underwear for men.  And be sure to dazzle up that bedroom with bamboo sheets and duvet covers along with luxury bamboo bath towels and unisex bathrobes!

Bamboo & Sustainable Architecture: Building A Better Future is a post from: Green Earth News

The word tourist often evokes a negative image – the Hawaiian shirt, Clark Griswold and his inept world travels, the bulging camera around the neck and map in hand.  But many modern tourists defy that stereotype as they seek out more authentic travel experiences, preferring to go off the beaten path and interact with the local citizens to learn more about their culture.  Often referred to as eco-tourism, this approach to travel emphasizes an appreciation of the local culture’s economy and resources.

Indonesia is incorporating its abundant natural resource of bamboo into unforgettable travel experiences for those brave enough to make the journey.  

Following in the trend of learning vacations, the Green School in Bali, Indonesia invites tourists to tour their unique and innovative campus.  Combining classic teaching methodology with hands-on learning about sustainability and the environment, the Green School is an oasis of eco-friendly resources.  To lessen their footprint on Mother Earth, designers of the school veered away from traditional building materials such as hardwoods and cement, instead opting for traditional Balinese mud bricks, naturally-growing alang-alang grass and the highly sustainable Indonesian Bamboo.  The buildings and classroom furniture are constructed primarily from bamboo, including the blackboards!  Each student at the Green School plants their own bamboo plant and will eventually harvest it to build whatever they desire.  And visitors are encouraged to leave their mark by making a donation in exchange for the honor of having their names added to one of the bamboo support poles in the school. 

A highlight of the campus tour is the stunning central building.  Referred to as “the heart of the school”, the building is one of the largest bamboo structures in the world and is as sophisticated in its design as many opera houses or cathedrals one could visit.  Another spectacular feature on the campus is best described by Ronald Stones, Director of the Green School:

“One of our iconic structures is a stunning bamboo bridge that spans the river and is emblematic of what we aim to achieve at Green School:  connecting learning with creativity; environmental responsibility with scientific knowledge; respect for self with respect for the many cultures represented in and around the school.” 

For those travelers looking for a more fast-paced adventure, take a ride down the Amandit River on your own bamboo raft!  Often combined with a trek through local villages, this bamboo rafting trip takes travelers to Southern Borneo to experience local customs and lush scenery.  Adventurers can experience first-hand traditional diamond mining and polishing at Campeka Village and the local fishing market in Waja where trades are made boat to boat.  Before embarking on their trip down the Amandit, rafters can watch villagers build the very bamboo rafts that will transport them.  They can even get hands- on and help gather the bamboo for the villagers to use!  Dayak tribesmen serve as  the traditional oarsmen for these sturdy rafts and guide tourists on an incredible journey through the dense rainforest full of exotic animals and flora.

For whichever bamboo destination you choose, make sure to visit Green Earth Bamboo for breathable, super-soft bamboo clothing to pack for your adventure!

Indonesia lures eco-tourists with bamboo travel is a post from: Green Earth News