Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants in the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. The origin of the word ‘bamboo’ is uncertain, but it probably comes from the Dutch or Portuguese language, which originally borrowed it from Malay or Kannada.
Bamboo is an alternative to plastic, as it is renewable and can be replaced at a fast rate. Bamboo is very much like wood, but it’s not! It is similar to tree-like grass that grows extremely quickly, making it among the fastest-growing plants in the world.
Flooring can be as soft as pine and harder than maple depending on the species of bamboo used and when it was harvested.
Bamboo is more abundant and easier to grow than hardwood, making the crop much cheaper.
Bamboo is a very light building material, yet it is three times stronger than timber. When compared with steel, bamboo has a greater strength which can withstand more tension and stretching pressure before breaking.
So as a wood and in construction, bamboo is a really versatile material. Neve the less, there is negativity in the usage of bamboo in fabric due to the high amount of chemicals required in order to process is.
Some facts about the sustainability of bamboo are
- Bamboo plants are grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers and rarely need replanting.
- It grows rapidly and can be harvested in 3-5 years.
- Bamboo produces 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees.
- It is a critical element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
- It grows in a wide range of environments.
The uses of bamboo
Because of its combined strength and its light weight, bamboo is one of the most used building materials. Historically and today, it is an important resource to build bridges, houses, scaffolding, falls, floors, roofs and other structures.
According to UNESCO, 70 hectares of bamboo produces enough material to build 1000 houses. If timber was used instead, it would require the felling of trees from already diminishing forests. Today, over one billion people in the world live in bamboo houses.
- Roads and bridges: Bamboo is used in road reinforcements.
- Medicines: Black bamboo shoots help treat kidney diseases. Roots and leaves have also been used to treat venereal diseases and cancer. Water from the culm (the side branches) is used to treat diseases of the bone effectively.
- Clothes: Bamboo can be made into a strong and durable fabric similar to canvas, and can be made into all sorts of clothes.
- Accessories: It is also used to make necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and other types of jewellery.
- Food: The antioxidant properties of bamboo skin prevent bacterial growth, and are used as natural food preservatives.
- Fuel: Charcoal made from this amazing plant has been used for centuries as cooking fuel. The bamboo vinegar is extracted when making charcoal and is used for hundreds of treatments in almost all fields. This liquid contains 400 different chemical compounds and can be applied for many purposes such as cosmetics, insecticides, deodorants, food processing, and agriculture.
- Furniture: Beautiful and intricately crafted beds, chairs and tables are made from bamboo.
- Rugs and textiles: Exotic woods like mango wood are often used in Oriental rugs. Buying a bamboo rug will ensure that you save a tree. However, caution on doing so just because of the harmful chemicals used.
- Paper: Pulps are used in printing and writing papers.
- Utensils and tableware: Cups and saucers, spoons and ladles can all be made from this incredibly versatile material.
Other than this, bamboo is also useful in making musical instruments, fishing rods, bicycles, helmets, toys… anything you can think of!