bamboo kitchen accessories

OK, so the Bamboo PC it was a gimmick. The laptop launched at the Hanover computer fair last March, with a laminated bamboo casing around a pretty conventional computer won't make a dent in the rising tide of plastics sold around the world.

Even though these bamboo PCs won't save the environment, they did prove how versatile bamboo really is.

Surely bamboo must be the only plant that is a source of building materials, clothing and food. One of the early light bulbs created by Edison used bamboo. Because the material is so string, resiliant and cheap to use, it is used widely in building throughout Asia. The fibres of bamboo poles have high strength both in tension and compression. Bamboo has almost the same tensile strength to weight ratio as steel, plus it has roughly twice as muhc compressive strength as concrete. And now there's a bamboo laptop!

Bamboo ticks lots of boxes for anyone buying eco-friendly home furnishings. To begin with, it's an extremely sustatinable material. Some species of bamboo grow at more than a metre every day. Local people are able to cut down as much bamboo as they need for carving or weaving and still have the same amount growing as they did before they cut some down. As for the global warming question, because the bamboo is a plant, anything that's been made from it contains a large proportion of atmospheric carbon. The plastic equivalent of a bamboo product is worse for the environment as it actually adds to the levels of carbon in the atmosphere!

Another point; due to bamboo being a natural material, it has a number of variations in quality, size and appearance, all of these differences make it difficult to work with as part of a mass production line. As a result, this means that the bamboo products you buy are most likely hand crafted by skilled craftsman. If you go to a reputable source you'll also know that the craftsman got a fair wage for his or her work, and that no one was exploited by western buying power. Finally, you'll know that your product won't have accumulated any air miles during its journey to your home.

With eco credentials as strong as these it's amazing that bamboo products can also be very beautiful. Just picture a hand crafted bamboo box, layered 15 times with natural shellac. All natural, and really lovely. I recently picked up a beautifully crafted bamboo knife block and I'm seriously considering purchasing other bamboo kitchen accessories such as fruit bowls. Stylish and ethical. Win. :)