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Daniel Smith remembers when he first tried to sell a bamboo floor. The San Francisco entrepreneur thought his woodlike product was attractive and durable, but when he took samples to a Dallas trade show in 1994, the reaction wasn’t quite what he had hoped for. No one believed the plant’s round stalks—then most familiar in the U.S. as the stuff of backyard torches—could be turned into a smooth, lasting floor.
“One architect said to me, ‘I appreciate that you’re at the cutting edge of design and development, but I don’t want to be cut by that edge,” Smith says.
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Add CommentTimber bamboo grows well in the USA in southern climates, so it need not be imported. Treated wastewater can grow bamboo and energy biomass crops when piped and irrigated on barren land such as the 50 million plus acres owned by the Bureau of Land Management. This new Green Paradigm resolves both water pollution and structure and energy issues with one integrated program.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's important to know the supply chain when you are selling and promoting products. Clearly, they are not created equal, particularly in bamboo.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thiswww.realgreengoods.com
I didn't see anything about the fumigation of imports from China. These toxics are ozone depleting. And, anything porous will continue to outgas the chemicals for an unknown amount of time, thus adding to the toxic indoor air quality.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisFrom the Bam-Boo tree of TS Eliot to bamboo boom of today
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAltho hemp can't necessarily be used as a flooring product in the same manner as bamboo, it can be used right this second to replace all paper in the US, can be made into clothing, oil, medicinal products, animal feed, etc. Its use would be carbon neutral. Unfortunately, fundamentalist Christians along with multi-national paper companies have made this green solution untenable. US policy against the growing of hemp has its origin in their arguments. Look it up. It is a matter of public record.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHemp doesn't need to be imported. It is pest resistant, uses little water and can be grown anywhere. It is a weed. It is perfect for North America. Our society is seriously mentally ill with respect to hemp.
Hemp was once the second largest cash crop in the US before the early 20th century (tobacco was #1). Until we remove the blinders from our view of the world we will continue to pursue incorrect, expensive and unsustainable solutions to problems that vex us. HEMP NOW.
The image you are using is of "Lucky Bamboo" which isn't a bamboo at all but a Dracaena and its use isn't related to the contents of the article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGenerally a good article, however one statement is worth clarifying carefully. The statement is that bamboo requires little fertilizer, water, and pesticides. I have been a bamboo researcher for just over 30 years now (I'm not done) and my observation that while grasses in general, including bamboo, can endure with very little nutrition or water, if the material is harvested and exported from the site, a depletion exists that will eventually impact the quality and quantity and possibly even the survivability if it gets bad enough. All grasses are also known to be very nutrition (fertilizer) responsive so if one wants to maximize the quality and quantity of bamboo produced in a given area, it is very important to optimize both fertility and water availability (i.e. supplements during a drought). As for the pesticides, the only bamboo pests that have thus far made it into the U.S. are of little economic significance causing only cosmetic damage. If the U.S. becomes a major bamboo grower, as probably needs to come about, then we will eventually have the evolution of pests that attack bamboo. But all crops have these pests and we just have to adjust our procedures and expectations accordingly. After all this, the fact remains that bamboos are the fastest growing group of plants on the planet and have an amazing degree of versatility in use. These two facts together should make most negative arguments annoyances rather than obstacles. We have a major paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo" that we would be happy to send you without charge if you like. But we would need a response before we would presume. Thanks again for a pretty good article.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWould you send me, please, a copy of that paper? If possible send a copy to llizarraga@cableonda.net and luis@panamarealparadise.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for your ideas. Regards. Luis Lizarraga
I am extremely interested in the paper you've mentioned. I am a small scale clothing manufacturer in Canada who uses some bambo viscose fabric (although now I need to ask my supplier if the fibers are cooked in a closed-loop process or not!) and I have many questions...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlease send me a copy of this paper. If possible send a copy to sylvan.oehen@bluewin.ch
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks for your ideas. Regards. Sylvan
If you are receiving this, pls send a copy of "Earth Healing with Bamoo" from Tennessee Bambusero much appreciated outside of Oaxaca, Mexico at the sustainable ecovillage project: http://www.tierradelsol.com.mx pablo@tierradelsol.com.mx
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCould you please send me the paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo". I am very much interested in the benefits of using Bamboo and the way to do it sustainably. Thanks you in advance! My email address is joepvg<a>gmail.com
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisPlease send me a copy of the paper entitled "Earth Healing with Bamboo".
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks in advance! Joepvg<a>gmail.com
I would also like a copy of that paper. Please send it to kevinlucas42@gmail.com. Thanks!
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