Think Green Thursday: Bamboo

Think Green Thursday

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/

Michelle of Rambling Woods hosts this important meme.

The Perfect Non-Timber Alternative
All Green Things

Bamboo truly is a remarkable renewable resource. It is a centuries old material that has been and continues to be used by over half the world's population for applications as varied as food, shelter, fuel and clothing. These applications make bamboo a vital non-timber, non-petroleum resource. With a tensile strength superior to steel, it is one of the most versatile and durable natural resources in the world.

My ancestors in China and Borneo had bamboo farms, we ate the bamboo shoots, used them as medicine, wrapped our food, cooked our food in them, cut sticks to make joss sticks, to make satay kebabs, we weaved baskets, chicken coops, made poles, fences, walls, gates, blinds, and before toilet paper was available, used bamboo sticks as substitutes. The list goes on and on and is not exhaustive.

In Borneo, the Malay boys make their own fire crackers in the form of a bamboo canon. The boom sounds like the real McCoy.

When I went to the Mulu caves in Borneo this July, the welcome drink was served in a bamboo tumbler. The luxurious resort had a tropical theme. The head board, the chairs, tables were bamboo. The tribesman showed off his skill in hunting with a bamboo blowpipe, and the dancers danced a scary dance clapping long bamboo poles between your legs.

Now, I watch on TV that there is even eco friendly bamboo nappies or diapers.