9 • The Southwest Portland Post
FEATURES
January 2009
EarthTalk TM
From the Editors of E/
The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: I’ve noticed that
bamboo is very trendy right now,
apparently—in part—for environ-
mental reasons. Can you enlighten?
--Eric M., via e-mail
Bamboo has a long history of eco-
nomic and cultural significance, primar-
ily in East Asia and South East Asia
where it has been used for centuries for
everything from building material to
food to medicine. There are some 1,000
different species of bamboo growing
in very diverse climates throughout
the world, including the southeastern
United States.
Bamboo’s environmental benefits
arise largely out of its ability to grow
quickly—in some cases three to four
feet per day—without the need for
fertilizers, pesticides or much water.
Bamboo also spreads easily with little
or no care.
In addition, a bamboo grove releases
some 35 percent more oxygen into the
air than a similar-sized stand of trees,
and it matures (and can be replanted)
within seven years (compared to 30-50
years for a stand of trees), helping to
improve soil conditions and prevent
erosion along the way.
Bamboo is so fast-growing that it can
yield 20 times more timber than trees
on the same area. Today, heightened
consumer environmental awareness has
given sales of bamboo flooring, cloth-
ing, building materials and other items
a huge boost.
As an attractive and sturdy al-
ternative to hardwood flooring,
bamboo is tough to beat. According
to Pacific Northwest green building
supplier Ecohaus, bamboo—one
of the firm’s top selling flooring
options—is harder, more moisture
resistant and more stable than even
oak hardwoods. Ecohaus carries
both the EcoTimber and Teragren
brands of bamboo, and ships world-
wide.
Bamboo is also making waves in
the clothing industry as an eco-chic
and functional new fabric. Softer
than cotton and with a texture more
akin to silk or cashmere, bamboo
clothes naturally draw moisture
away from the skin, so it’s great for
hot weather or for sweaty workouts.
It also dries in about half the time as
cotton clothing.
Some critics point out that the
process of converting bamboo to
fabric can take a heavy environmen-
tal toll, with the most cost-effective
and widespread method involving
a harsh chemical-based hydrolysis-
alkalization process followed by
multi-phase bleaching.
The Green Guide counters, though,
that bamboo still has a much lower
environmental impact than pes-
ticide-laden conventional cotton
and petroleum-derived nylon and
polyester fabrics. Consumers inter-
ested in trying out bamboo clothing
should look for the Bamboosa and
Bamboo’s environmental benefits are numerous in relation to wood and other resources,
and today's heightened eco-awareness has given sales of bamboo flooring, clothing, build-
ing materials and other items a huge boost. Pictured is a new finished bamboo living
room floor. (Photo library_chic, courtesy Flickr)
EcoDesignz labels, two of the lead-
ers in the fast-growing sector of
green fashion.
Bamboo is also making inroads
into the paper industry, though
there are fears that too fast a transi-
tion there would threaten ecologi-
cally diverse bamboo forests across
Southeast Asia and elsewhere.
The Earth Island Institute, among
other groups concerned about for-
est loss due to paper consumption,
would instead like to see more re-
search into using agricultural waste
to make paper instead of wood pulp
or bamboo. Regardless, bamboo in
all its forms might one day soon be
one of the most important plants in
the world.
CONTACTS: Ecohaus, www.eco-
haus.com; The Green Guide, www.
thegreenguide.com; Bamboosa,
www.bamboosa.com; EcoDesignz,
www.ecodesignz.com; Earth Island
Institute, www.earthisland.org.
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