Why bamboo is so cool.

January 25th, 2010

Bamboo is really amazing. It has been around forever, yet, we have just begun to tap into its amazing abilities. Companies are incorporating bamboo into housewares, flooring, furniture and even clothing! Our Reduce™ Melaboo™ line of kitchenware is a mixture of bamboo and melamine, making it highly biodegradable and eco-friendly. And we just launched another bamboo product called Wild Bamboo™, a natural crushed-bamboo line of plates, bowls and serving ware. This relatively new process gives the pieces a raw and natural look, with light and dark shades of bamboo—no two pieces are alike!

  Wild Bamboo                                                           Melaboo

Bamboo is so much more than just Panda fare. It is a tree-like grass, actually a woody perennial evergreen plant.  There are over 1000 species of bamboo, with many in the U.S. Because it is the fastest growing woody plant in the world, it is extremely renewable and when treated, it becomes a durable and lightweight wood.

Here is a lowdown on why we should support bamboo-based products:

• Bamboo is VERY eco-friendly. It is highly sustainable, which means it grows quickly, takes less energy to grow than similar plants, and the grass can be harvested over and over from the same plant.
• Bamboo is durable and lightweight, making it ideal for housewares, home furnishings and flooring. 
• Bamboo is versatile—some uses include clothing, building products, home furnishings, kitchenware, food, medicine, carpeting and the list goes on.
• Bamboo is inexpensive to use because it regenerates so often. Unlike other types of wood, bamboo can even grow from cut stems.
• Bamboo, because it is so fast growing, generates a lot of oxygen, which positively impacts other crops around it.
• Bamboo is allergy-free, which is a great benefit when used in products that come in direct contact with people like clothing, building products, housewares and carpeting.

 So it is easy to see that it makes sense to buy bamboo-based products. It’s good for our environment, our checkbook and our quality of life. Check out http://www.americanbamboo.org/ for more info on bamboo.

 

Ken Kreafle, CEO of Base Brands

 

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