News

Big Bambú: Sustainable Bamboo Art

December 13th, 2011

Brothers Doug and Mike Starn have embraced the power of bamboo in their art display for the Venice Biennial Art Exhibition. The work of art isn’t meant to be a static one, but rather one that is representing the continual changing of living things. Doug, Mike and their crew of rock climbers work as part of the exhibit, helping it to grow and evolve.

They are using 2,000 fresh bamboo poles from a managed forest in France, in addition to 1,000 poles from their previous exhibit at the Met, in order to construct their new project in Venice. The largest piece in the structure is a 50 foot hollow tower which is topped by a 20 foot wide roof “patio”.

Some places and people have known the potential that bamboo has, but it seems as if everyone else is catching up now. Bamboo is making its way further and further into all aspects of life around the world.

 

 

Bamboo Charcoal, The Positive Cooking Alternative for Africa

December 7th, 2011

Many times we associate the problem of deforestation with urbanization, industry and great increases in population, but simple cooking is also a major player in this. In many rural areas of Africa cooking is done with a simple wood fired stove, whether it is to cook dinner or boil water to purify it for drinking, the wood stove is burning almost continuously. In order to keep these fires going they need a continuous supply of fuel or wood. This constant use of wood deteriorates a forest inch by inch. J. Coosje Hoogendoorn, director general of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), states that is extremely evident and bamboo charcoal could be the answer to halting deforestation, at least from the cooking end.

Bamboo charcoal works like normal charcoal would, allowing for fires to be lit and kept lit for a continuous amount of time. The major difference between bamboo charcoal and normal wood charcoal is that bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource. Hoogendoorn states that deforestation is the leading cause of global warming and it needs to be taken on from every angle. Using bamboo as an alternative to wood when cooking is one way in which the fight for the environment can take place!

Add Some Bamboo to Your Thanksgiving!

November 23rd, 2011

With the holidays just around the corner it would only seem appropriate to find a way in which bamboo can participate in all of the festivities. As discovered previously, the possibilities with bamboo are seemingly endless and this post describes nothing less. Instead of cooking your holiday meat the traditional way, try mixing things up and cooking them in a bamboo stock!

                                                                  

This is an old cooking technique from the Philippines, where the bamboo stocks would be placed in live coals to heat up and cook the food inside. The bamboo stock adds an aroma and taste that is unmistakably delicious to any Thanksgiving meal!

Bamboo Takes to the Snow!

November 14th, 2011

Moment Skis, an American-based ski company, has created a new set of skis with a little taste of bamboo. The new “Ghost Chant” ski set is made with a bamboo core. This bamboo core is not only environmentally friendly, but also provides a responsive flex. The type of graphics that Moment Skis use are also eco-friendly, opposed to silk screening. Their topsheets are made from non-toxic materials that have been tested in order to ensure long lasting quality and brightness.

If we just take a moment to look around we can see the millions of ways in which bamboo can be utilized, from fencing, to bikes, to skis, the possibilities are endless!

To find out more about Moment Skis Check out their website: http://momentskis.com/

A Warm Welcoming at The Fall Garden & Home Festival

November 9th, 2011

Last weekend Bamboo Buddy participated in The Fall Garden & Home Festival at the Water Conservation Garden in El Cajon, CA at the Cuyamaca Community College campus. We hosted a booth to help promote environmental awareness in remodeling the everyday home and garden. The Bamboo Buddy booth provided displays of an array of our outdoor products such as bamboo fencing and tiki bars made from bamboo harvested through sustainable farming. We also displayed some of our newer ventures such as charcoal deodorizers for a biodegradable and fragrance-free alternative that captures bad scents rather than just masking them. We also showed their Bodhi Loka fiber ware dish line made from bamboo powder, rice and corn husks. All of the products drew great interest and exposure for the brand and the wide range of products that the company provides. At an event like this we hoped to display the wide range of products that we provided, along with test out the waters for our newer ventures. This event was an obvious success as people were beckoned to our booth by the bright colors of the soy dyed Bohdi Loka products almost all inquiring about how they could get some of the plates.

Through events such as this companies, like Bamboo Buddy, can create movement within a community to push towards sustainability and conservation. All of the companies present at the event had that underlying goal in common and they were all able to show different ways in which to reach that goal. Bamboo Buddy hopes to continue to be a part of events such as The Fall Garden and Home Festival to promote our product and a greener living.

                                    

Garden and Home Fest!

November 4th, 2011

Friday morning Bamboo Buddy was featured on KUSI channel 9 news in order to help promote the "Fall Garden & Home Festival: The Art of Conservation" that will be taking place in Kearny Mesa tomorrow for 9am -4pm. The event takes place at The Water Conservation Garden on the Cuyamaca College campus (12122 Cuyamaca College Dr. W El Cajon, CA 92019.

"Fall Garden & Home Festival" is a combination of two parts, the garden festival and the home expo. The garden festival focuses on plant sales, workshops, entertainment and art exhibits. The home expo focuses on making your home more "green" along with providing tours through houses that can serve as examples. There will be exhibitions for both sides of this event bringing together the power of building a home and garden that is sustainable and conserves water.

To find out  more information check out their website: http://gardenandhomefest.org/expo.html

Come visit us at our booth where we will showing all of our different product lines!!!

 

The Green Business Conference

November 1st, 2011

On November 10-11 of this year sustainable businesses will come together in Los Angeles for The Green Business Conference. The focus of Opportunity Green and this conference in specific is to influence unexpected profitable changes in business towards sustainability. They strive to inspire people from all walks of the business world to work together to create positive changes within business to help people, the planet and everyone’s pockets.

Every year the event is filled with booths and speakers for both one on one, and large group discussions, where leaders can showcase their ideas and products. At this years event there are a plethora of speakers ranging from the vice president of Nike to Adrian Grenier, actor and activist. The Green Business Conference caters to all people with a common goal of promoting sustainability in business.

Check out the website : http://www.opportunitygreen.com/where-green-design-green-technology-and-sustainable-business-converge.php

                      

The African Life Project

October 24th, 2011