Here are some stats on the incredible sustainability features of bamboo. A forest of it acts as a giant carbon sink—a tropical bamboo plant can sequester 2 tons of carbon dioxide in 7 years. In comparison, a hardwood tree will sequester a ton of CO2 in 40 years and compared to pine, bamboo absorbs 5 times more. It also produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent volume of trees. It requires very little water; it doesn’t need chemical fertilizer, herbicides or pesticides; it self-regenerates from its own roots. Crop yield is high. It grows fast. Some species can grow by more than a meter a day! It is fully biodegradable—toss a bamboo product in the landfill, and it will biodegrade in a few or more years. As a building material it is an excellent replacement for plastic, wood, concrete and steel. Its fibers are durable and super strong (er than steel), elastic, lightweight and rot resistant. It makes a lightweight, breathable, antibacterial fabric.

In 2019 the global bamboo marketplace reached $72 billion, and it grows steadily. So, what can we do to put more bamboo in our lives?

• Learn more about bamboo. An interesting article is at https://www.greenbiz.com/article/north-america-should-be-growinghuge-swaths-bamboo-heres-why.
• Purchase building materials, fabric, and housewares made with processed bamboo. In clothing, it’s “the new hemp.” Other products include flooring, roofing, scaffolding, furniture, rugs, kitchen utensils, toothbrushes, paper products, and diapers. Eat some high fiber, mineral and vitamin packed bamboo shoots and try a bamboo beer!

By Bev Harrison